Magnesium really low

[ctreefer]

I tested my magnesium yesterday using a salifert test kit I bought about 1 year ago (new setup, I've been out of commish for awhile) and it read 960ppm!!! This tank (37 gallons total volume) just got setup about 1 month ago with new IO salt and for the past 1 week has had only 1 open brain in it.

Is it more likely that my test kit is too old? I guess I should check a freshly mixed water to verify. By the calculator, I'd have to add over 66 teaspoons of epsom salts slowly to get it up to 1200ppm.

Doesn't sound right.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I personally wouldn't raise magnesium that much with Epsom salts alone because it boosts sulfate far more than magnesium, but the calculator is correct.

A better bet is MAG Flake from Home Depot (magnesium chloride from the Dead Sea Works Company), or a commercial magnesium supplement.

What is your aqusrium salinity? Some low magnesium problems are partly caused by low salinity.

 

[ctreefer]

The salinity is a constant 1.025 using a seatest hydrometer.

Its hard to get mag flake in CT. Someone had mentioned that a HD had mag pellets. Is this similar?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

MAG Pellets from the Dead Sea Works are likely OK, yes.