magnesium in relation to RTN

[elaminator]

Would a low level of magnesium cause RTN ? Please chime in........

 

[frank180reef]

Alk first

 

[elaminator]

Kh at 10 and calcium at 420ppm but my mag at 1050ppm.

 

[drsalomon]

Param swings can cause it in my tank. Especially alk. I am not aware that anyone has a scientific understanding of what causes rtn.

 

[Marshall O]

I am not an expert, but you need to get Magnesium in line to stabilize both Calc & Alk. Mag should be about 3 times your calcium, so in your case, ~1300PPM.

 

[cilyjr]

At 1050 I would doubt it.

 

[reefstarter]

I am not an expert, but you need to get Magnesium in line to stabilize both Calc & Alk. Mag should be about 3 times your calcium, so in your case, ~1300PPM.

+1 , Magnesium is what helps calcium and alkalinity "bond" with anything . in other words if it is off it MAY cause problems . craig bingman talked about it at one of our meetings its a buffers helper as he described But as stated above there is not a lot of scientific evidence of it

 

[JasonandSarah]

Mag helps slow calcium from bouncing into alk and percepitating out of your water. Also some corals use it a lot and others not so much.
Like stated above it's always good to keep your mag around 3 times your Cal but shouldn't cause stn or Rtn unless the swing is dramatic and fast.
Are you testing regularly and are you getting large swings in parameters?

 

[dz6t]

There are actually quite a few studies on Magnesium's role in coral growth.
Magnesium is known to play a crucial role in regulating the formation of different calcium carbonate phases
[Davis et al., 2000; Raz et al., 2000].
But Magnesium is only accounted for less than 2% by weight in coral skeleton, some as low as 0.1%.
It means Magnesium is not being consumed as fast as calcium despite its concentration in natural sea water is three times higher than Calcium.
So Magnesium is acting more like a regulator in addition to a minor participant in coral skeleton formation.