Magnesium

[stingythingy45]

Yes........the BIG "mag".
I have heard that this is VERY important.It is like #4 on the list of things to check on a regular basis.I hope someday(with more experience)to move from B-ionic 2 part to Randy's 2 part/3 part in the future.I guess my question is how important is Mag in a LPS/softy tank?
Should this be checked often?
Are test kits reliable for magnesium?
Can you overdose it?(heard it can be used to reduce HA).
Wish I could make this months meeting..........:(

[x22hockey]

i havnt heard much about magnesium i snd and bump this question
u got softies and a few sps and cretures so lets see

[fanaglethebagle]

It might be important for your LPS.
IIRC the magnesium helps the water hold and the coral use calcium carbonate to build their skeletons. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.

For your LPS they may be getting enough Mag simply from enough water changes. I dose my nano B-Ionic calcium, alk, and magnesium at the same time.

[Behrmon]

I dose my nano B-Ionic calcium, alk, and magnesium at the same time.

I do the same and I'd say mag as #4 on the list is fairly accurate (no expert here). As for kits, I've heard most with the exception of the Elos Mg are somewhat "iffy"

[chew*]

MG is very important, Although 4 on the list is probably the right spot maybe if your not counting ammonia or nitrites or nitrates, Which you should have none of the first 2 and little of the latter, strontium imho is the elusive important element though bout 6 on my list. No one pays it any mind.

[MikeG]

magnesium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

Brian, have you seen much new info on the use of strontium by corals? Not much was known when this article came out but it is 4 years old.
strontium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/chem.htm

[Greg Hiller]

Magnesium is actually pretty easy to measure accuratly since it is the dominant element. Calcium is harder to measure because of interference from magnesium. Strontium is REALLY hard to measure because of the interference from both Ca, and Mg. FWIW, the Salifert Mg test I've found to be very easy to perform and quite accurate and inexpensive.

[chew*]

magnesium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

Brian, have you seen much new info on the use of strontium by corals? Not much was known when this article came out but it is 4 years old.
strontium
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/chem.htm

I read up on it a little, experimented with it, corals seem happier, Most importantly I noted a reversal of RTN on some things that had started to recede from the base likely caused by the +16 alk swing i had, and "redbugs". Could be anything that helped reverse it maybe the fact that the bugs are gone, Seemed to accelerate most noticably a week after i got the strontium in check though.

Could be a coincidence.

[stingythingy45]

Wonder if there has ever been a test done?
Say tanks of similar size,lighting and water source.
Fill each tank with frags from the same mother corals of various species.
Then dose one tank with magnesium/strontium and compare growth rates and health.Maybe even throw in another tank and heavily dose that one.
I guess it would just be redundant though.As it's already been determined that mag and strontium are beneficial.

[chew*]

Here in lies the problem, some say strontium can be poisonous,hazardous, toxic. Some don't. Whatever the case It would require an accurate measurement. I'm using salifert but at such low concentrations I tend to doubt its accuracy versus testing stuff with 1350ppm or 450ppm. Because of this I have ballparked it somewhere in the middle at 11ppm, I dosed initially to bring level up and since it has held. It rises then settles every water change. I have an extremely large amount of SPS and a wide diversity for a 65g tank however which could explain my usage.

[MikeG]

As it's already been determined that mag and strontium are beneficial.
I guess that is my question as I have never seen any evidence saying that stontium is needed or benificial, only that it is found in low percentages in calcium carbonate skeletons of calcifying corals. What I have read states that it is unknown if they are using this to actively build skeltons, if it is confused with calcium since they are so similar, or if it is a waste product being eliminated.


Brian, I think there are too many variables to say what helped your RTN. Really can't draw conclusions from an experiment with no controls in place, basically have to chalk it up to coincidence.

[chew*]

Agreed mikeg, although It wouldn't hurt to test once a month at least to keep an eye on it.

[MikeG]

Agreed mikeg, although It wouldn't hurt to test once a month at least to keep an eye on it.
Definately no issues keeping it at NSW levels somewhere around 6-15ppm.

[stingythingy45]

It might be important for your LPS.
IIRC the magnesium helps the water hold and the coral use calcium carbonate to build their skeletons. Somebody please correct me if I am wrong.

For your LPS they may be getting enough Mag simply from enough water changes. I dose my nano B-Ionic calcium, alk, and magnesium at the same time.

I got what's called a snow storm in my QT tank.:rolleyes: The Calcium carbonate precipitated. I guess a Mg level of at least 1300 will help prevent.Mg is critical in keeping everything in solution.

[NateHanson]

I recall that you want Mg levels of about 1390.

It seems that sometimes when people are having trouble keeping stable alkalinity, low Mg can be a culprit.

It doesn't seem to change very fast (unlike Ca and Alk), so testing for it every couple months seems to be sufficient.

I always got consistent results with the salifert kit, and adjusting levels with Dowflake (MgCl2) from time to time was straightforward.

[besl]

Hear is my recent experience. I have been using IO slat for 6 years and read articles about its low Mg and Ca content. Having switch from B-Ionic to a Ca Rx last spring, I noticed that my Alk would drop over several weeks and I would have to reboost to get it back between 8 - 10 dkh. My first solution was to test Mg which I never did before - low and behold it was around 1000. I started supplementing Mg to get it up around 1300 and I noticed the Alk became easier to stabilize where I wanted it. So, having remembered the article about IO, I switched to Reef Crystals and without any Mg supplement my Mg measures around 1400 - voila! BTW, I used 2 different brand Mg test kits as I was concerned of their reliability (Salifert and Red Sea) and they measure within 50 - 100 ppm of each other. JMHE

[Greg Hiller]

>I switched to Reef Crystals and without any Mg supplement my Mg measures around 1400 <

Yup, that's one way to go, or measure out some MgCl2 from your $15, 50lb bag of MAG and pour it into each batch of IO you prep.

[stingythingy45]

>I switched to Reef Crystals and without any Mg supplement my Mg measures around 1400 <

Yup, that's one way to go, or measure out some MgCl2 from your $15, 50lb bag of MAG and pour it into each batch of IO you prep.

Gee,now I have to go compare the price of Reef Crystals to adding some MgCl2 to my I.O.:p
I would imagine MgCl2 is magflake.

[MikeG]

I would imagine MgCl2 is magflake.
Yup :)

[stingythingy45]

I guess it's a wait til ice melting season now to stock up.I also read where they use that stuff to hold down the dust in equestrian riding rings.
I checked out Tractor Supply web site but no luck.:p

[NateHanson]

It's used as an additive for concrete, and also to weight tractor tires. You should be able to find it year-round at a building yard, or maybe a masonry supply, and I'd think at a farm supply store, like BlueSeal, etc.

[chew*]

I can get the stuff all season long...mag and dow flake. The problem as I have stated in other threads is it's not what i would call a reliable source. It housed in a small warehouse with about 1000 other different chemicals............

[Rockym]

Home Depots should have several pallets of it shortly.

[stingythingy45]

Found this in my searches through the internet.
Not sure if anyone's seen this before.
I was interested in the ppm concentration of Mg. in I.O.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1/view

[Greg Hiller]

Regarding the use of Magnesium chloride or sulfate that is not made for aquarium use. I suggest that if you are going to do it that you test a batch for ammonia levels before use. I also recommend buying a Big bag, and doing one set of tests on it. Before using it for the first time it's probably a good idea to add only a tiny amount to your tank and see if there are any negative effects. Once you know the batch that you have is good then in the future you can add it without worrying (assuming it is a uniform batch of course). Neither magnesium chloride or magnesium sulfate will go 'bad', but they may adsorb water from the air, and become a kind of sloppy mess. It's best to keep them in a tightly sealed container.

[chew*]

Greg I'm glad you mentioned this. Had i said it i would have likely gotten the your crazy and overly cautious routine again.