Raising Magnesium

MuralReef

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
MASC Vice-President
#1
I am constantly battling low magnesium. I have the magnesium media in my CARX, but it hasn't seemed to make an impact. When I look at magnesium it seems suggested to use a combination of magnesium sulfate and magnesium chloride. I assume this is to avoid adding too much sulfate or chloride to the tank or is there another reason behind this?

I have tons of magnesium sulfate, but not so much magnesium chloride.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#2
Define low...

I feel like I am always in the same boat. I had a BRS dosing pump set up to dose mag every day and it would never go above 1200. I use the BRS magnesium dosing, which has both the sulfate and chloride, and also have the magnesium in my CaRx media. Still constantly at 1200. Interestingly I haven't been daily dosing mag for a while, and it still hovers at 1200. I think I'd like to be closer to 1350 to 1400.
 

ReefCheif

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
Platinum Sponsor
#3
Unfortunately my experience with calcium reactors is you never really get the necessary magnesium output. Ive tried many different types of medias and generally seem to have the same problem. I see it on maintenance accounts as well. We always have to supplement the ca reactor with dosing magnesium directly.
 

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
I just use epsom salts. In your water volume it will be a few cups of solution to raise it 50-100 ppm

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

MuralReef

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
MASC Vice-President
#5
I just use epsom salts. In your water volume it will be a few cups of solution to raise it 50-100 ppm

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Could I just mix up a strong solution and add it to my ATO weekly? I’m thinking simple.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#6
Epsom salts are Mag sulfate. I think the driveway melt (in stores soon!) is mag chloride. About 2/3 of the way down this article Randy Holmes Farley talks about why using just epsom salts is not totally desirable (it raises sulfate in tank, "Epsom salts actually contain about four times as much sulfate as magnesium, so boosting magnesium gives an even larger boost to sulfate.")

Using both Epsom salts and MAG flake, dissolve 7¼ cups MAG flake and ¾ cup Epsom salts in one gallon of water, and use that to supplement magnesium in amounts determined using this linked online calculator, with the entry "Randy's Recipes 1 and 2 Versions A and B," and ignore for this purpose what those designations mean.
 

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
I dont know if it can be used in top off. I just buy it at walmart. Usp grade is important because they sell flavored ones that you dont want. Then I blindly add some here and there.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

MuralReef

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
MASC Vice-President
#8
I bought a bucket of Mag Sulfate from BRS so I know that’s good. I haven’t tested but based upon history I’m thinking the tank is around 900 right now. I’m just being cheap again!
 

flagg37

Anthias
M.A.S.C Club Member
#9
I had a 30 gallon tank that was constant low. I remember using like 10 times as much of my magnesium solution as my alk/ca solutions. Then I ended up with increased salinity from it.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#10
Pure mag chloride is cheap and efficient.

I use Instant Ocean and both ARM and Reborn and never have Mag issues. Are you sure that it is not your test kit? I would verify your kit before you do too much.

You can use 100% dolomite next time that you fill your CaRx with media. If you have dolomite in with "natural" media, it is probably not melting since both calcite and dolomite require a lower pH to melt very well... which is why you have to use 100% of that media since you end up just melting the "easy" stuff and not the dolomite.
 

quackenbush

Clown Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
I just started adding ReMag to my calcium reactor and don't have enough data to say much but adding pure epsom salts led to invert die off in my tank, which I assume was from elevated sulfate levels.
 

MuralReef

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
MASC Vice-President
#12
Pure mag chloride is cheap and efficient.

I use Instant Ocean and both ARM and Reborn and never have Mag issues. Are you sure that it is not your test kit? I would verify your kit before you do too much.

You can use 100% dolomite next time that you fill your CaRx with media. If you have dolomite in with "natural" media, it is probably not melting since both calcite and dolomite require a lower pH to melt very well... which is why you have to use 100% of that media since you end up just melting the "easy" stuff and not the dolomite.
I tested the day after adding some mag sulfate and refreshing my CaRx with TLF media and Reborn. It was coming in at 1250 so not the 900 I was anticipating. I will test again tomorrow and see where we’re at.
 
Top