Dosing 2 Part

xraydoc · 01/09/2008, 06:16 PM

I have been out of the hobby for severeal yearsand recently decided to get back in. I decided to go with 2 part dosing (ordered from twopartsolution.com) in order to maintain Ca/Alk/Mg levels.

Problem is, I am having troble finding a Mg test kit online, every store Ive checked seems to be out of Salifert, Elos, etc... Several places have the seachem test but I dont have much experience with seachem, is this a good choice for Mg.? If not what brand is (that is available)?

Is it appropriate to begin dosing two part, just Ca and alkalinity, untill I can get a kit for the Mg. This is a new tank and I would like to get the parameters on target as soon as possible. However if the general advice is to wait for the Mg test and dose all together I can do that.

Any help, as always, is appreciated.

bertoni · 01/09/2008, 06:21 PM

I think dosing the two-part will be fine. I don't know where to find a magnesium test kit, but I wouldn't stop dosing calcium and alkalinity in the mean time.

xraydoc · 01/09/2008, 06:25 PM

Thats is what I had hoped to hear. Should I not dose any Mg, I obviously cant test for it. Call me naive, but is there a risk to overdosing Mg?

bertoni · 01/09/2008, 06:29 PM

I wouldn't dose magnesium without a test kit. People have reported problems with high magnesium, but I don't remember finding much hard data.

01/09/2008, 06:16 PM	#1
xraydoc Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 201	Dosing 2 Part I have been out of the hobby for severeal yearsand recently decided to get back in. I decided to go with 2 part dosing (ordered from twopartsolution.com) in order to maintain Ca/Alk/Mg levels. Problem is, I am having troble finding a Mg test kit online, every store Ive checked seems to be out of Salifert, Elos, etc... Several places have the seachem test but I dont have much experience with seachem, is this a good choice for Mg.? If not what brand is (that is available)? Is it appropriate to begin dosing two part, just Ca and alkalinity, untill I can get a kit for the Mg. This is a new tank and I would like to get the parameters on target as soon as possible. However if the general advice is to wait for the Mg test and dose all together I can do that. Any help, as always, is appreciated. __________________ "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." ~Loren Eiseley

01/09/2008, 06:21 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I think dosing the two-part will be fine. I don't know where to find a magnesium test kit, but I wouldn't stop dosing calcium and alkalinity in the mean time. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/09/2008, 06:25 PM	#3
xraydoc Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 201	Thats is what I had hoped to hear. Should I not dose any Mg, I obviously cant test for it. Call me naive, but is there a risk to overdosing Mg? __________________ "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." ~Loren Eiseley

01/09/2008, 06:29 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I wouldn't dose magnesium without a test kit. People have reported problems with high magnesium, but I don't remember finding much hard data. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni