Adjusting Mg, Alk, and Ca

[Kaidman]

My tank size is 125g with approx 20-30gal water in the sump. I'm looking to get my water parameters in line so I can try some SPS in the future. For the past 5 years or so I've only kept zoos, frogspawn, mushrooms, and some other misc soft/LPS corals. I never tested the Mg/Alk/Ca of the water because everything appeared happy. Now that I'm wanting to try SPS I got some new test kits and checked my levels.

Mg - 1260
Alk - 7 dKH
Ca - 390

Not nearly as bad as I expected since I hadn't been monitoring them before, but I do need to get them adjusted. I've been trying to find the best way of going about this and what order Mg, Alk, and Ca should be adjusted in. I seem to remember reading an article which stated to first get magnesium adjusted, then adjust Alk and Ca. Unfortunately I'm having problems finding that article and all the others I read are getting into the chemistry too much and getting me a bit confused.

In what order should I work on adjusting the big 3?

Can you give some recommendations/products for getting them back in line? I'm currently looking at using BRS 2 Part and would like to know how well others got along with that product (link (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-2-part-calcium-alkalinity-total-package-bulk.html)). For starters I'm planning to add them manually/daily. In the long run I will be looking into other options such as dosing pumps, kalkwasser, and/or a calcium reactor. If the BRS 2 Part is a good solution for me, will the 1/2 gallon package be good for now or should I get the 1 gallon package?

Thank you,
Josh

[downbeach]

Your numbers are all withing acceptable ranges (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php). What salt mix are you using? Where do you keep your SG?

[Kaidman]

I use instant ocean, not reef crystals, but planning to give it a try. My SG is at 1.024.

I was surprised at the current levels, but they are lower than most people run so I do need to get them up.

[ryeguyy84]

I agree with downbeach you could bump your levels up slightly but consistency is what really matters.

I have multiple SPS and my levels are:
MG - 1300
ALk - 7.5 DKH
Cal - 420

BRS stuff works great or you can make your own if you're a DIY'er.

I can't help you much with the sizes but one gallon of BRS soda ash makes 8 gallons of mix. I have a 60G tank and use 1 mixed gallon a month. you would probably use less to start until your SPS starts to grow.

[downbeach]

I use instant ocean, not reef crystals, but planning to give it a try. My SG is at 1.024.

I was surprised at the current levels, but they are lower than most people run so I do need to get them up.

You could try increasing your SG to 1.026, and recheck those numbers as they will go up a bit to. You may find that by increasing your SG, regular WC's may be enough to keep up with your needs for now. You might also consider using some kalk in your top off, which will help keep those numbers within acceptable ranges between WC's. I kept a 180 gal. predominantly SPS, mixed reef for many years with my param's near NSW, and had great results with good growth and color.

[Kaidman]

You could try increasing your SG to 1.026, and recheck those numbers as they will go up a bit to. You may find that by increasing your SG, regular WC's may be enough to keep up with your needs for now. You might also consider using some kalk in your top off, which will help keep those numbers within acceptable ranges between WC's. I kept a 180 gal. predominantly SPS, mixed reef for many years with my param's near NSW, and had great results with good growth and color.

I'll increase my SG this week and see where my numbers are. I may give kalk a try in the future, for now I ordered the BRS 2-part mix. I didn't realize my numbers were so close already. Thanks!

[downbeach]

Use your freshly made SW @ 1.026 in your top off until you get the DT up to where you want it, then go back to plain RO/DI.