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Unread 09/30/2006, 11:23 AM   #1
cyclops23
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epsom salt thread, again

how bad is it really to use only epsom salt to raise my mg? i'm going to test today, but i can almost gaurantee it's low. i have the epsom salt, and would love to uise some mag-flake, but i can't find it anywhere. the people at home depot never heard of it, and were less than helpful on seeing if they could special order it. can any of you tell me where to find it? i read all of randy's articles on raising mg, and i know it will increase the sulfate level in my tank a lot( great articles Randy, BTW). i just don't know what else to do.


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Unread 09/30/2006, 11:38 AM   #2
Spuds725
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I'm using it straight also for now-- hoping to find the mag flakes after it gets a bit colder...

I don't have a heavy calcium/carbonate load so I'm not burning through it too fast... have only added the Magnesium part 1 time so far.

But am curious as to this question too..

if you look down the article you will see the resultant concentrations of sulfate after a year based on different water change amounts per month



So increasing your water change amounts and/or frequency will help negate the amount of sulfate that accumulates....


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Unread 09/30/2006, 01:57 PM   #3
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I can't actually tell you what bad happens at what levels of elevated sulfate. I've never seen any experimental data. Sulfate is at such a high level in the ocean that it rarely varies at all, so folks wouldn't have any real reason to study it.

If cost is a substantial factor, the Epsom salts may be acceptable.


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Unread 10/01/2006, 04:29 AM   #4
cyclops23
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its not the cost, its the fact that i can't find mag-flake anywhere. my corals seem to be doing ok, but i'd really like to get the mg where it should be.


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Unread 10/01/2006, 06:33 AM   #5
Randy Holmes-Farley
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If cost is not a big driver, I'd use ESV or Kent magnesium supplements before Epsom salts.


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