noob Mg question

daplatapus · 03/07/2012, 01:01 PM

My tank's been up and running now for 6 months. I've got a few corals but have noticed very little coraline growth. I do believe some of that has to do with my MH lights being took close to the surface which I have now rectified.
Anyway....
I've been dosing Ca and dkh for a couple months now, 3 weeks with my new BRS dosers. I run the Ca doser at 10 pm and my dkh at 10 am. Everything seems to have been good until about a week ago when I started noticing my Mg levels starting to drop. Ever since my tank was set up my Mg tests always read 1450-1500 with a Salifert test. In the last week it dropped to around 1300 and I've started dosing keeping it around 1350 or so. Looks like something has kicked in and using it. So my question is, does it matter when I dose Mg? Can I dose it in the morning close to when the dkh is dosing or should I be doing it later? Guess I might need another doser, du'oh!

Habib · 03/07/2012, 01:17 PM

It doesn't matter when you dose the magnesium. However, magnesium is normally not depleted at a fast pace.

I would test it say once a week during a month, without dosing and see what happens.

A large decrease could be a measurement error, water changes with a low magnesium to start with or excessive precipitation.

03/07/2012, 01:01 PM	#1
daplatapus Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Port Alberni, B.C., Canada Posts: 895	noob Mg question My tank's been up and running now for 6 months. I've got a few corals but have noticed very little coraline growth. I do believe some of that has to do with my MH lights being took close to the surface which I have now rectified. Anyway.... I've been dosing Ca and dkh for a couple months now, 3 weeks with my new BRS dosers. I run the Ca doser at 10 pm and my dkh at 10 am. Everything seems to have been good until about a week ago when I started noticing my Mg levels starting to drop. Ever since my tank was set up my Mg tests always read 1450-1500 with a Salifert test. In the last week it dropped to around 1300 and I've started dosing keeping it around 1350 or so. Looks like something has kicked in and using it. So my question is, does it matter when I dose Mg? Can I dose it in the morning close to when the dkh is dosing or should I be doing it later? Guess I might need another doser, du'oh! __________________ 130 lbs Tonga LR, GFO and Carbon reactors, Tunze ozmolator ATO, 2- 20 gal QT tanks, Current Tank Info: 80 gal display 48L X 24H X16D, 2 MP-40's, Odyssea 2-250W MH 4-HO T-5 Actinic's, 80 lbs Aragonite sand, 4 - 150W titanium heaters, Reeflo Baracuda return pump, 150gal sump, Filter Guys Reef Miser 6 stage + 1 Dual RO/DI, LifeReef 48" Skimmer

03/07/2012, 01:17 PM	#2
Habib CEO of Salifert Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Holland (Europe) Posts: 19,447	It doesn't matter when you dose the magnesium. However, magnesium is normally not depleted at a fast pace. I would test it say once a week during a month, without dosing and see what happens. A large decrease could be a measurement error, water changes with a low magnesium to start with or excessive precipitation. __________________ Proud owner of the very rare YET (Yellow Elephantis Tang) from the Lord Bibah Islands. "Ice cream, steaks, and Bailey's Irish Cream all help promote healthy immune systems. Why else would I love to naturally eat them packed with fat as they are?" - R. Holmes-Farley, 2012