Magnesium not raising or what ??

[Exotic Reef]

So I have a 75 g with a 40b sump so average 100g of water .. My mag is at 1000 tested with Red Sea .. I dosed about 940 of esv yesterday tested today still 1000 does it take a few days for the test kit to detect it alk is at 8 and cal 490 never dosed anything to my tank just wc for the last few years and just recently stop wc and started to dose

 

[vio]

So I have a 75 g with a 40b sump so average 100g of water .. My mag is at 1000 tested with Red Sea .. I dosed about 940 of esv yesterday tested today still 1000 does it take a few days for the test kit to detect it alk is at 8 and cal 490 never dosed anything to my tank just wc for the last few years and just recently stop wc and started to dose

If I was you, I will try to keep the Ca at 425 ppm, Alk 9, there is a good relationships between those, Ca, Alk ,Mg, NOT sure if you dose or Calcium Reactor, but the safe way to got the right # will be ,water change. I like Salifert test vs Red Sea.

 

[greg 45]

First you haven't stated the mag number you started out with and the final number you want to be at. A quality product will give you a dosage chart to use there chemicals. They all are not mixed equally. This is why I switched over to MECOAL also he includes a sheet to insure the products are top quality and not drive way ice melting solutions. As with any mag it takes quite a large amount to raise . Hope this helps . Mag keeps all the others stable .

 

[Exotic Reef]

I've never dosed always water changes water change bring my levals up but not for long ... Mag as at 1100 and dosed 1000 ml still at 1100 I can't bring down my cal it's just that high from wc and my alk is around 7.7 but I dosed it up to 8.0 and to 9.0 slowly ...

 

[Exotic Reef]

I'm useing esv mag ... And I want my mag to be 1300 .. Tested had 1100 dosed 1000 ml tested 24 hrs later still had 1100 mag

 

[lrasser]

how old is your system? You can consume a lot a mag in the first year while things stabilize. I was dosing 80 ml daily for almost 6 months until it finally became saturated. The sand and rock will absorb it until it becomes saturated. I wouldn't do anything until you try another test kit.

 

[Exotic Reef]

4- years I've had the tank running I'll try a differnt test kit I'm almost out of the one I have any way

 

[lrasser]

If it's been running that Long and stable I would definitely try a new kit.

 

[Exotic Reef]

I keep up with my wc every week never slacked but now I'm trying to be pin point and have the correct levals to have my sps happy and have not stop growth ... But as you can see I'm working on it.. I just tested again my mag is at 1200 but again .. Test kit is like 1-2 uses of being completely done so I will be geting salifert like my alk and cal .

 

[Boomer]

Corals use very little Mg++ as it does not fit into the Aragonite crystal lattice very well. it Is mostly Coralline Algae that pulls down Mg++. Irasser is quite correct on high Mg++uptake in new tanks. This is mostly due to using carbonate substrate, that cause the precip of Hi-Magnesium Calcite onto their surface. The amount you have and the type is dependent on the absorption rate of the media you are using. The higher the porosity and the smaller the grain size the worse it is. The media actually debuffers the water, pulling down Alk, Mg++, Ca++ and lowers the pH.

 

[Exotic Reef]

As for coralline I have none .. Are you talking about the sand .. My sand is fine grade and I only have about 20 pounds in my 75 .... I don't see my corals grow .. When I do wc I notice growth within the 2nd of the wc . But I have since stoped because I have 0 phos and 0 nitrate I want to bring it up just a bit for my sps ... Could it be that the coralline is trying to grow now and is sucking everything up ?

 

[Boomer]

Yes, your sand. Check it to make sure it is not sticking together in clumps. At times sand bottoms can turn into cement and you actually need a hammer to break it up. You say you are adding ESV Mg++ and no or little change in the Mg++ level. So, you are losing the Mg++ somewhere or your kit is off or you are using it wrong and the kit is giving you false readings. What is the Ca++ and Mg++ of your salt?

SPS are very sensitive to change and set conditions. At times they will respond to even small changes, which may give either a positive or negative result. If yours are changing in the growth rate, it is because they are set to that newer water or the WC has added a element they are set to that ends up getting depleted. Phosphate and Nitates are rarely the issue. Coral reefs would measure zero on your kit but they are really not zero. Second, there could be high phosphates or nitrates but your live forms that use it are sucking it up as fast as it is released. You will see and there are reef tanks that show high levels of both or zero but the corals can still grow like weeds. It depends on the tank and how it is carried for and how well you understand your tank and its needs.

 

[greg 45]

When you do your next mag test and you have your result put one drop of the mag solution you are using to see if you are actually adding mag or is the test kit not working.