chemistry question

[Hamp]

I just combined my 2 nanos into a 55, and am trying to get my parameters back in line. I kind of neglected the tanks while setting up the new one so everything was a little out of whack. Anyways, my Ca dropped to 270, and Mg was 980. So I got some Bulk Reef 2 part and Mg, and heavy dosed it over a couple days. Well, today, my Ca is 500, DKH is 9, and PH is 8.3. I havnt tested my mg in the last few days, but I am sure that it is up there as well. Does this seem OK? I dose my Alk at night, so I am assuming that it will raise when I dose it tonight. I am still trying to figure how much my tank needs daily.

[aquasport24]

Your CA is seem a liltle bit high (ideal range is around 380-440), , alk. and ph are in normal range. Next time , take it up or down SLOWLY.. 270 to 500 in a couple of days is too fast.

[gjuarez]

Parameters are good, i like my calcium to be a little less than that. Mag is very important, it should be at around 1350 or so. If mag is low, both calcium and alkalinity will precipitate at very low levels. You need good mag for calcification

[Hamp]

I would think that my mg is pretty good then as there is no precip. I used the calculator on RC(Farley-holmes I think), and went by the guidlines best that I could. Started with the smaller of the doses and waited a day, no noticable reactions, so upped it and so on. Everything looks great. I am getting some great colors back in my old corals, and some new ones that I got brown are starting to look spectacular. I guess that I will hold off dosing the Ca tomorrow, and retest. I am going to try to get my ALK a little higher tonight though.

[Hamp]

Oh, my couple of days is really a week or so. I did add about 30 oz twice, and then smaller since then. I dosed the Mg in 20oz doses for 3 days, then a few smaller ones. So there was about 4 days of heavy dosing, then smaller adjustments. I am trying to remember those numbers, so they may be a little off, but close. I read that Mg is pretty safe to add, as long as there is no precip, and tried to go by the recommended PPM. I was a little worried because I think I remember someone here saying that it is hard to get Ca above 500 without major problems in PH and Alk. Not sure how or why myself though.

[Bill S]

In a 55, the easiest way to get good parms is to do a big water change.

You noted that you haven't tested your Mg recently - if you dose, you must test.

[ErikH]

In a 55, the easiest way to get good parms is to do a big water change.

You noted that you haven't tested your Mg recently - if you dose, you must test.


If anyone can find a salifert mg kit local, please let me know!

[Hamp]

It would be nice to test my Mg, I took a sample to Aquatek the other day, but they were busy and Bruce didnt feel like doing a Mg test for me. I will take it to Rca soon as I can to get an accurate read, when I can, unless someone feels like stopping by. I have a few frags for somebody with experteze and willingness to school a newbie on reef chemestry.

[OrionN]

Just Mail order the test kit. It is so expensive when I buy them locally. I got Mg test kit but I ma in Corpus Christi.
I don't think you change was too quickly at all. However, I try not to use precipitation as guide to my dosing (actually nothing ever precipitate yet when i dose chemical in my tank because i always calculate and estimate how much to add).

[Hamp]

well I estimated my PPM and I figure that I was pretty close to the maximum increase of Mg as stated by the calculated format that I went by; but I am only a laymen and not a scientist. So I may be way off. But my results seem to be the ones that I wanted. I will try and get my favorite LFS to test my Mg tomorrow, and if they dont, I will spend the $30 or so bucks on a test kit. But, is that what will determine my success? Say that tomorrow my Mg is 1300, am I in the clear?

[OrionN]

You are successful because your coral is doing well and color up. Just that when I dose my tank, I like to see the result and also make sure I don't under or overdose. Once the Mg is up, it tank a while to come down if you use a low Mg salt, otherwise you do not need to test it. If the LFS are willing to test it for you, then don't buy the test kit for Mg.
I don't like to own favor to LFS so I get the test kits myself. You likely need to test for Ca and Alkalinity. You need to do it so often, that get a test kit is the way to go. The Mg test is expensive and you likely can do without it. Good luck. I aim for 1400-1500 in Mg, 450-500 in Ca and 4.5-5 in alkalinity. I know this is on the high side in all of these number but in my experience, these will get the fastest growth in SPS. If you do not want fast growth (I sometime do because of overcrowding) then aim lower.

[OrionN]

BTW, Mg is important because it keep Ca and CO3 from precipitate out of the solution. Without Mg or a very low level Mg, it is hard to keep Ca and CO3 up in the tank.

[ErikH]

Hamp,
Check your levels daily for a week or two and write them down. This should give you a fantastic baseline for your daily demand for CA and Alk. From there you can set up a dosing regimen.
Also, as Bill already stated, a water change in a 55 will get your Mg in check since it is used much less than CA and Alk. People that dose Mg typically have high demand systems (tanks FULL of SPS) and the rest of us just do a water change.

[Bill S]

I was assuming that you had a test kit. As noted above, unless you are specifically dosing Mg - which you probably shouldn't do - you should be OK. I had just a 55 for many years. Seriously, unless you are keeping SPS, you should be able to keep your parms in line with just regular water changes. Salt is cheap.

[Hamp]

Well I quit dosing Ca for the last 2 days and I am at 480, and my DKH is at 9. I do have a pretty heavy load of sps which is why my params got so out of what by slacking on water changes and supplements. I have been busy, so I havnt tested my Mg yet but will try to soon. I will get a full testing done soon and post it. Thanks for all the help.