Magnesium issue..

[ooja3k]

So i have been dosing calc and alk for about 5 weeks now... I have been dosing between 10-15ml of each part daily...

My alk is still low, around 7dkh..

And my calc is really low, 300ppm....


I remembered hearing something about magnesium having to do with "difficult to maintain calc" things...


So i got a Elos mg test kit, and it tested at 1700.... That seems waayy to high, so i tested again.... Same thing...

Could this be the reason it is soo hard to elevate my calc/alk levels?? Can this be harmful to corals? (i have been recently having low PE)...

I have never dosed Mg.. Anyone have any ideas here?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I could be wrong, but I dont think extra Mg is bad. Usually problems related to low Ca and Alk values are linked to low, not high, Mg.

 

[ooja3k]

Thats what i thought... But i can't get my calc up... I don't think my demand can possibly be that high...


I have only 5 small sps frags, and a medium sized frogspawn and trumpet coral...

can adding b-ionic 2 part for a while without getting results damage anything?

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

How much are you adding? B-Ionic is meant to maintain, not raise, levels. Use this calculator to see how much of different products you need to raise a given volume a certain amount:

http://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chemcalc.html

 

[Icefire]

for 50g of water, 15ml of bionic will raise the calcium by 5ppm

So not a lot...

 

[ooja3k]

after doing some research, it seems as if i have been over dosing alk as compared to calc... so i will stop dosing alk for a little while and massively dose calc until my level raises...


after looking at that calculator (i have had that bookmarked for some time..) i need roughly 300ml of calc to raise my calc from 300-420... and my needs only 35ml to raise it 2dkh from 7-9.

but after reading randy's article, i will not dose any alk till my calc gets inline..

over how many days is a safe amount of time to add 300ml of calc supplement? 3-4 days?

 

[ooja3k]

?

 

[Lonesomme]

I use B-Ionic but I have had very little luck boosting calcium with it, try something like turbo calcium to get it where you want it and then maintain with B-Ionic.

 

[ooja3k]

that makes sense... probably would be cheaper too...


so i will get some kent turbo calcium tomorrow. the supplement calculator says it will take 9.6 tsp to raise my calc to where i want it.

how should i mix this/how much should i add to my tank at a time?? would adding that all one day be bad?

 

[Mavrk]

7 dKH is not low. It is on the low end of the preferred range, but is actually the alkalinity of ocean surface water. Personally I would bring it to 8 unless you have a specific reason to go higher.

I used b-ionic to raise my calc from 380 to 420 and it worked great (did it in one dose). I would say that you don't want to raise the calc more than 100 ppm in a day. To be on the safe side I would say add 100 ml for 3 days. You could do 150 ml over two days, but you might as well be conservative.

Remember to take displacement into account. My 90 gallon tank with sump only has 80-85 gallons of water in it.

 

[ooja3k]

thanks for your advice mavrk. i will dose 100ml of b-ionic part 2 per day for 3 days... that should get me to where i want to be...


is there are a better time to dose calc? or because it doesn't affect ph it doesn't matter...?

 

[schigara]

What kinda salt mix are you using? Just IO?

DO you have any LPS, SPS or clams that require or are using the calcium?

Has coralline jumped in growth?

 

[schigara]

What 2 part are you using to dose with? I use Brightwell which has 3x's the concentration of Randy's DIY. I can dose 30ml of Brightwell to equal that of 90ml of DIY 2 part. ML means absolutely nothing without knowing the concentration.

 

[Apercula]

What is the exp date on your Mg test kit? The Elos kits dated 12/09 have faulty instructions/wrong reagent #2 and the multiplier for them is 75ppm instead of 100ppm.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1303625

 

[melev]

When you dose B-Ionic:

This product maintains Alkalinity, Calcium and pH levels when dosed daily. It is recommended to dose it early in the morning when pH is at its lowest, and it should be dosed slowly in an area of high flow.

When I dosed my 29g and my 55g, I would pour the correct dose of Part 1 very slowly over 15 seconds. Once done, repeat with Part 2 the exact same way. If it is dumped in at once, the concentrated solution is super saturated in one spot temporarily and may even precipitate out of the water - which would make the dose ineffective or even defunct. I used B-Ionic for 2 years with excellent results, and it will definitely promote coralline algae growth.

 

[ooja3k]

thanks for the advice on the elos test kit.

sure enough, mine is the higher resolution one, 75ppm per drop instead of 100...

i thought 1700 was high for mg...

 

[ooja3k]

what is a good consistant calc test kit?

i think my API one is getting old/i forgot to put the lid on reagent 2 one day...

 

[ooja3k]

i am using reef crystals.

i have 5 small sps frags, all montis (digis and caps) and forgspawn and trumpet corals...

my coralline has significantly increased in growth...

 

[melev]

Have your water tested by someone else (local hobbyist or LFS) using their kits, and compare their results to yours.

 

[ooja3k]

thanks for the help melev.


ill see if the lfs will test some water for me.