Water Chemistry: Mg, Alk, Calcium
- Thread starter Reefugee
- Start date
CaliforniaDreamer
Premium Member
My wife gets me stuff like that sometimes and I love the ability to use those little roller restrictors to adjust the flow. I use them to add stuff to the tank as you do, I also use them to drip acclimate new livestock. I am surprised that one of the fish stores doesnââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢t offer them for sale.
CaliforniaDreamer
Premium Member
I found a source for "ramp clamps", the adjusting device, for about $3.00 per clamp in lots of 12 or singles for about $6.00, but the full IV setup with bag and all are very expensive because of the medical use.
My tank water chemistry last night tested with the following:
Mg 1200 ppm, 8.3 dKH, Ca 340 ppm
Today, I mixed a fresh batch of salt water with a SG of 1.026 . I tested the water and here are the parement of newly mixed salt water:
Mg 1170ppm, 12.6 dKH, Ca 360 ppm.
I am surprise that the dKH is so high. All the test was done with salfiert test kit. I will test the water again tomorrow to see if I get the same results.
Minh
Mg 1200 ppm, 8.3 dKH, Ca 340 ppm
Today, I mixed a fresh batch of salt water with a SG of 1.026 . I tested the water and here are the parement of newly mixed salt water:
Mg 1170ppm, 12.6 dKH, Ca 360 ppm.
I am surprise that the dKH is so high. All the test was done with salfiert test kit. I will test the water again tomorrow to see if I get the same results.
Minh
Scott,
I typically do a 20% weekly water change. I am wondering what parameters people are getting for freshly mixed salt water. I too thought the Alk was a little high. Tomorrow I am going to up the Mg to 1350ppm and the calcium to 450 ppm before I do a water change. Since I am out of ESV Mg B-Ionic, I am just going to use Mg to raise the Mg.
Next week, I am opening up a new bag of salt, so I am curious if I am going to get the same water parameter.
Minh
I typically do a 20% weekly water change. I am wondering what parameters people are getting for freshly mixed salt water. I too thought the Alk was a little high. Tomorrow I am going to up the Mg to 1350ppm and the calcium to 450 ppm before I do a water change. Since I am out of ESV Mg B-Ionic, I am just going to use Mg to raise the Mg.
Next week, I am opening up a new bag of salt, so I am curious if I am going to get the same water parameter.
Minh
I retested the fresh batch (one day old) of salt water and got the following water parameter.
Mg 1140ppm, ALK 12.4 dKH, Ca 370 ppm, pH 7.83
Now I need to do some correction to the water parameters. Following John's (CaliforniaDreamer) method, I was going to bring the Mg level up, and then the Alk, and then the Ca. For a reference point, I had roughly 22 gallons of freshly mixed salt water.
I added about 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt and it brought the Mg level up to 1300 ppm. This was a good target range. However, I wanted to bring my tank's Mg (current 1200) up, so I added another 1/2 cup of Epsom salt. I didn't retest, but figured it was around 1450 ppm.
Since the Alk was already high, I didn't have to raise it. Like Scott said, my tank will naturally bring it down.
Next was to raise the Ca level. I decided to add about 1/2 cup of Dow Flake (Thanks Huy). Tested it, and it was beyond the level that the Salifert test kit is capable of measuring. So I extrapolated that the Ca level is about 850ppm. I am amazed how little Dow Flake it takes to raise the Ca level. Also - it took a longer time to dissolve the CaCl than the MgSO4.
I haven't tested my tank's new water parameter yet, but I might do that tomorrow.
Minh
Mg 1140ppm, ALK 12.4 dKH, Ca 370 ppm, pH 7.83
Now I need to do some correction to the water parameters. Following John's (CaliforniaDreamer) method, I was going to bring the Mg level up, and then the Alk, and then the Ca. For a reference point, I had roughly 22 gallons of freshly mixed salt water.
I added about 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt and it brought the Mg level up to 1300 ppm. This was a good target range. However, I wanted to bring my tank's Mg (current 1200) up, so I added another 1/2 cup of Epsom salt. I didn't retest, but figured it was around 1450 ppm.
Since the Alk was already high, I didn't have to raise it. Like Scott said, my tank will naturally bring it down.
Next was to raise the Ca level. I decided to add about 1/2 cup of Dow Flake (Thanks Huy). Tested it, and it was beyond the level that the Salifert test kit is capable of measuring. So I extrapolated that the Ca level is about 850ppm. I am amazed how little Dow Flake it takes to raise the Ca level. Also - it took a longer time to dissolve the CaCl than the MgSO4.
I haven't tested my tank's new water parameter yet, but I might do that tomorrow.
Minh
Billybeau1
Premium Member
mn, on that calcium test, after you exhaust the first sryinge (500 ppm) fill it again and when the color changes add the two values together to get your true level. 
More water test result from a new batch of salt:
Brand: Instant Ocean
Salinity: 1.026
Alk 9.0
Mg 1180
Ca 360
My current tank parameter after the water change:
Alk 12.5 (It was up at 16. Still learning how to use a Ca reactor. I was dripping too much)
Calcium 445
Mg 1280
Salinity 1.025
temp 79.3
pH 8.30
BTW - a little trick for the Salifert calcium test. If you do the test as instructed, it's very difficult to precisely tell when the color change from pink to blue. Here is my quick modified instruction. It will not change the result of the test - just make it easier to read:
1. Add 2ml of your tank water.
2. Add 4 ml (doesn't have to be precise) of RODI water.
3. Now follow the rest of the instruction.
Minh
Brand: Instant Ocean
Salinity: 1.026
Alk 9.0
Mg 1180
Ca 360
My current tank parameter after the water change:
Alk 12.5 (It was up at 16. Still learning how to use a Ca reactor. I was dripping too much)
Calcium 445
Mg 1280
Salinity 1.025
temp 79.3
pH 8.30
BTW - a little trick for the Salifert calcium test. If you do the test as instructed, it's very difficult to precisely tell when the color change from pink to blue. Here is my quick modified instruction. It will not change the result of the test - just make it easier to read:
1. Add 2ml of your tank water.
2. Add 4 ml (doesn't have to be precise) of RODI water.
3. Now follow the rest of the instruction.
Minh
XeniaMania
Active member
With hard corals it may be hard to tell, but once I got my Mg up, my Xenias showed better stalk extention, the polyps became fluffier, and my LPS have expanded more. Whether or not the elevated Mg levels also elevated the Ca which caused this reaction I'm not too sure, but my corals look much better when the Mg levels are correct.
JahReefster
Premium Member
Minh, are your parameters you listed above in your post for freshly mixed Instant Ocean, with no modifications? In other words, is that what we get as a starting point when we use this brand? If so, have you experimented with how much magnesium to add to this to get it up to the desired 1350 ppm?
Fred
Fred
Fred
Fred
Fred,
That was the parameter for the freshly mixed IO (no modification). I can't tell you how much Mg I added in because I used the rest of the B-Ionic Mg mix that I had, and added in a little Epsom salt. I added about two handful of calcium chloride. I left the alk purposely low because the alk in my tank is high.
Minh
That was the parameter for the freshly mixed IO (no modification). I can't tell you how much Mg I added in because I used the rest of the B-Ionic Mg mix that I had, and added in a little Epsom salt. I added about two handful of calcium chloride. I left the alk purposely low because the alk in my tank is high.
Minh
