Parameters are all wonky

[Anemonee]

I did a water change last weekend and I’ve been testing my tank over the course of the week and my Mg/Cl/Ak levels came out very off. I’ve done them a few times each and I’m considering going to get different kind of tests to cross check.

Calcium = 480-500
Alkalinity = 5
Magnesium = 700

Nitrate = 0
Nitrite = 0
Ammonia = 0
pH = 8.1

Salinity = 1.025
Temp = 78°

A few months ago I lost my torch coral to polyp bailout and I have an ultra frogspawn that is currently doing the same thing. I’ve been trying to figure out what’s going on because I have 5 other corals doing fine (other frogspawn, hammer, Duncan, dendro and green star polyp).

I wasn’t as loyal to my Mg test as the others, I’ll admit, so it’s been a while since I’ve tested it. Please don’t beat me up, I’m disappointed I’ve let it get this off already.

How do I raise my Mg and Alk safely but quickly so I can correct this?

I have both buffers (fluval brand for mg and I don’t remember the alk brand) but they’re only little bottles and I have a feeling I’m going to need a lot.

I’ve don’t those calculation sites for how much to dose, but I don’t really trust them.

Please help.



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[hkgar]

I would first bring the mag up to at least 1250. Although you safely raise mag a lot at one time, I would bring up over 3-4 days. At low levels it is very difficult to maintain consistent dKH and calcium due to precipitation.

Then bring dKH to your desired levels. I keep mine at about 7.8. Many prefer 8 or more.

What is your phosphate level?

[Anemonee]

Originally Posted by hkgar

I would first bring the mag up to at least 1250. Although you safely raise mag a lot at one time, I would bring up over 3-4 days. At low levels it is very difficult to maintain consistent dKH and calcium due to precipitation.

Then bring dKH to your desired levels. I keep mine at about 7.8. Many prefer 8 or more.

What is your phosphate level?

Phosphate = 0.05


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[billdogg]

Originally Posted by hkgar

I would first bring the mag up to at least 1250. Although you safely raise mag a lot at one time, I would bring up over 3-4 days. At low levels it is very difficult to maintain consistent dKH and calcium due to precipitation.

Then bring dKH to your desired levels. I keep mine at about 7.8. Many prefer 8 or more.

What is your phosphate level?

^^^What Gary said^^

Although I have used very large amounts of BRS Mg supplement at one time, it really will be better overall for your tank if you bring it up over a few days. With it that low, you could add Alk forever and never get it up to where it needs to be. Make sure you bring it up slowly or it will just precipitate out of solution. I keep mine about 8 also.

hth!

[Anemonee]

Ok, so if I am doing it over 5 days, if I have to go from 700 to 1250, am I safe going up 100ppm a day until I reach 1250?

Also, this is just me taking out loud (or typing) once I have it where I want it, would I then test 24 hrs after, figure out my daily usage and dose accordingly every week??



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[Silly clownfish]

100 ppm per day is the recommended amount for increasing magnesium, so you are fine there.

I would suggest mixing up another batch of change water and testing that. I do this every time I open a new box of salt. Your water changes may be the main reason your parameters are off, not just consumption.

I recently experimented with switching from RC to IO and found that the IO was mixing to Mg = 900 and Ca = 320. That is more adjustment than I want to do with each water change, so I am going back to RC. I have tried other brands over the years, but for me, my RO water, and my tank, RC is the most convenient for consistency. Of readily available, inexpensive brands.

The point is I was trying to figure out how my tank was consuming so much Mg until I started checking that on my new water. I had been checking Ca all along and knew the story there.

[Anemonee]

So my change water tests as low as my tank. Good to freaking know. I have been using my mg supplement and it hasn’t seemed to move much.

Any recommendations on other mg supplement??


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[Anemonee]

And I have to play stupid, what does RC and IO water stand for?


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[Silly clownfish]

Reef Crystals and plain Instant Ocean

[Anemonee]

Ok cool. I use instant ocean right now and it tests at like 500 maybe a little bit more..


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[outssider]

it will take a lot of Mg supplement to raise from 700 to 1300. As you add the supplement it will increase your salinity. If your IO is mixing up that low on mag and dkh, Its a bad batch, If you call IO and complain, they will send you out a new batch free.....Make sure you're test kits are accurate and you are testing properly before you take any action

[Anemonee]

Originally Posted by outssider

it will take a lot of Mg supplement to raise from 700 to 1300. As you add the supplement it will increase your salinity. If your IO is mixing up that low on mag and dkh, Its a bad batch, If you call IO and complain, they will send you out a new batch free.....Make sure you're test kits are accurate and you are testing properly before you take any action

I’m thinking of getting a different type of test like salifert and see cause it’s now reading lower and I just have a hard time believing that it’s this low. If it still shows that low, I’ll email IO. I found a calculator that said I’d need 43 oz of the fluval sea magnesium. I’ve bought out the petsmart near me, which was A bottle. so I’m on the hunt for more.


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[billdogg]

I prefer the additives from BRS. They are a good value and work quite well. If your freshly mix water is testing that low I would agree that it is probably a bad batch of salt, but using the BRS additives you can just dump in enough to bring it up to spec and use it.

What test kit are you using? I've had great success using Salifert. I find them to be easy to use and very consistent.