Equivalent of Randy's 2 part using Fauna Marin

[rsaha]

I screwed up my bulk mag flake/dow flake somehow (reversed them somehow) and it naturally caused me some grief. I have decided to change to Fauna Marin Magnesium Chloride HexaHydrate/Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate (the one with the Chloride in a bigger font than the Heptahydrate) and Calcium Chloride Dihydrate but want to stick with the food grade Sodium Bicarbonate.

My question is how much to use for one gallon of water so that I maintain the same levels as I would have with the dow/mag flake? Does anyone have a recipe converted?

 

[rsaha]

Let me try to ask my question more intelligently.

I'm switching from Dow/Mag Flake to the Fauna Marin Ultra balling salts and I can't find a clean conversion from the Randy 3 part recipe.

I have a few questions I'm hoping somebody can help me with. I would like to stick with the balanced alk/Ca dosing method that Randy's approach uses (ie. same dosing level volumes of Ca and Alk to make sure everything moves in a balanced way).

1) Randy's recipe calls for 500g Dow Flake. Is the Fauna Marin Calcium Chloride Dihydrate pure (i.e. do I need less to maintain the same ionic balance). Dow Flake is reported to be around 77% Calcium Chloride. If the Fauna Marin is pure then I would need .77x500=385 g of the Fauna Marin product. Is this correct?

2) Randy's Mag recipe calls for Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate and Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate (Epsom Salts) in a ratio of 1120 g Magnesium Chloride to 720g Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom salts). The label on the Fauna Marin Mag salt says Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate but then beneath is it says Magnesium Sulphate Heptahydrate in smaller letters. Does the product contain both or do I need to add epsom salts.

Help!!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not know whether the Fauna Marin product is a dihydrate. Do you have a link to it?

It sounds like the Fauna magnesium product contains both and both are hydrated, so in my recipe, just use 8 cups per gallon.

 

[rsaha]

Hi Randy,

link is here http://www.faunamarin.de/en/balling/salts/balling-salts-calciumchlorid-dihydrat-1kg/a-87/

Fauna Marin sell both a Magnesium Chloride and a Magnesium Sulfate. My guess on the packaging is that they offer a translation of German under each of the German headings (e.g. Calcium Chlorid Diydrat has Calcuium Chloride Diydrate) but under the Magnesiumchlorid Hexahydrat the say Magnesium Sulfate Heptahydrate so my guess is this is a mistake in the packaging (the Magnesium Sulfat is translated Magnesium Sulfate). If I am wrong and add epsom salts and wind up with too much Sulfate what is my risk?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, so you can use the calcium recipe as for Dowflake.

I'm not sure where you are located or what's available locally, but I'd buy the magnesium chloride from them and use Epsom salts from a pharmacy for the sulfate.

 

[sandhog]

What happens if you only use magnesium chloride and not magnesium sulfate.Wil this effect the corals in a negative way?

 

[bertoni]

It'll throw off the ionic balance of the tank a bit, depending on how many water changes are done. We don't know what the effect might be long term. If the tank gets regular water changes, it's likely fine to use just magnesium chloride.