EXTREME Magnesium Consumption

[gizmodo]

System Volume: 20 Gallons
Alk: 8.8
Calc: 400
Mg: 1080-980
PH: 8.2
-Mg consumption of ~50ppm a day
-Daily dosing 80ml of 460g/L solution
-All other parameters stable.
-Upping to 100mL/day
Help!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You may have had a bad batch of salt in the past that lowered magnesium.

In any case, I'd just raise it to 1300 ppm or so with water changes or dosing, and you should be good to go.

I'm certain you will not find ongoing consumption of more than 1 ppm per day.

 

[gizmodo]

Whould that explain the need for 80mL per day of Red Sea Foundation Magnesium (HIGH CONCENTRATION)? I switched to it this week. 1mL is supposed to raise the level by 1ppm in 100L. So 80ppm a day to maintain 1040-1120 seems odd. I had to dilute yesterday because salinity was going past 1.029sg from all the dosing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Whould that explain the need for 80mL per day of Red Sea Foundation Magnesium (HIGH CONCENTRATION)? I switched to it this week. 1mL is supposed to raise the level by 1ppm in 100L. So 80ppm a day to maintain 1040-1120 seems odd. I had to dilute yesterday because salinity was going past 1.029sg from all the dosing.

Either test error, or the product is not what you think it is. There’s no rocket science here that might explain in tank consumption of 50 ppm of magnesium per day.

Take a gallon of tank water, measure magnesium, add some supplement to boost mag by 100 ppm, and measure again. You can add that back to the tank if you want to not waste it.

 

[biom]

Just do some big water changes as Randy suggested with this new batch salt. C'mon you have only 20 gal of water . This is cheapest and easiest solution of your problem I dont see reason to buy so many different additives and run so many tests. I agree with Randy it is not possible to lose 50 ppm of Magnesium per day and salinity, calcium and alk to stay stable for months. I am pretty sure there is no new chemistry emerging in your tank

 

[gizmodo]

Just do some big water changes as Randy suggested with this new batch salt. C'mon you have only 20 gal of water . This is cheapest and easiest solution of your problem I dont see reason to buy so many different additives and run so many tests. I agree with Randy it is not possible to lose 50 ppm of Magnesium per day and salinity, calcium and alk to stay stable for months. I am pretty sure there is no new chemistry emerging in your tank

Alk and Calcium are not stable without help. I am dosing substantial amounts for the tank size. 23mL on calc and 5.3mL Alk. I've bumped up to 80mL of Red sea Mag and it's still dropping. I've also done two 50% WCs 2 weeks ago and it didn't solve the issue. I'm already trying again, mixing 4 five gallon buckets. I was hoping the auto w/c with the new salt mix would help but it didn't. Something in my tank is consuming crazy amounts of Mg. I did notice that when I stopped dosing Mg (several times due to technical issues), coraline algae would start to die back rapidly in 24-48hrs.

Either test error, or the product is not what you think it is. There’s no rocket science here that might explain in tank consumption of 50 ppm of magnesium per day.

Take a gallon of tank water, measure magnesium, add some supplement to boost mag by 100 ppm, and measure again. You can add that back to the tank if you want to not waste it.

For the sake of easy math I took 10L and added roughly 0.1 mL with a syringe. Not ideal but best I could do. Mg was 1050 and it raised to ~1130-ish

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Alk and Calcium are not stable without help. I am dosing substantial amounts for the tank size. 23mL on calc and 5.3mL Alk. I've bumped up to 80mL of Red sea Mag and it's still dropping. I've also done two 50% WCs 2 weeks ago and it didn't solve the issue. I'm already trying again, mixing 4 five gallon buckets. I was hoping the auto w/c with the new salt mix would help but it didn't. Something in my tank is consuming crazy amounts of Mg. I did notice that when I stopped dosing Mg (several times due to technical issues), coraline algae would start to die back rapidly in 24-48hrs.

For the sake of easy math I took 10L and added roughly 0.1 mL with a syringe. Not ideal but best I could do. Mg was 1050 and it raised to ~1130-ish

Which exact product? Red Sea Foundation will have a far smaller effect.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

For the sake of easy math I took 10L and added roughly 0.1 mL with a syringe. Not ideal but best I could do. Mg was 1050 and it raised to ~1130-ish

If what is written above is exactly correct, you have wildly inaccurate testing. Not even the most concentrated solid magnesium material can raise magnesium that much.

 

[CoralB]

I’m following as well

 

[gizmodo]

Nevermind. I made a typo.

 

[gizmodo]

If what is written above is exactly correct, you have wildly inaccurate testing. Not even the most concentrated solid magnesium material can raise magnesium that much.

I types 0.1 on my post but dosed 10mL from the doser. I didn't realize I dosed that much

 

[gizmodo]

I think I'm going to step away from this problem for a few days and come back to it later.

Edit: I'm going to try the test mentioned by randy but with my old MG solution

 

[gizmodo]

I have have high silicate and a constant supply of it due to the auto WC. Would MgO3Si show on a test?

 

[TokenReefer]

I have have high silicate and a constant supply of it due to the auto WC. Would MgO3Si show on a test?

Why does an auto water change system add si? What am I missing here?

 

[gizmodo]

Why does an auto water change system add si? What am I missing here?

I have really bad city water. Around 400tds. Currently I can only afford a 4 stage RODI system. I know for a fact I have high silicates. Salt mix also has high silicate. I've always had diatoms because of it. 7 stage is in the works.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have have high silicate and a constant supply of it due to the auto WC. Would MgO3Si show on a test?

I do not believe there is any significant formation of magnesium silicate in the tank.

 

[biom]

Just re-calibrated my equipment. One refractometer was 1 point off the other was dead on. Current salt mix for the auto WC with the same test kit is reporting 1500ppm+ Mg (46PPT)
Tank is 1050 (37PPT)

Why the water for WC is this high salinity 46 PPT???? if you have 1500 Mg in 46 PPT explains why you have 1050 in 37 PPT. And not sure why need an auto WC in such a small tank with this bad city water.... My guess is something wrong with this auto WC stuff /water

For the sake of easy math I took 10L and added roughly 0.1 mL with a syringe. Not ideal but best I could do. Mg was 1050 and it raised to ~1130-ish

I types 0.1 on my post but dosed 10mL from the doser. I didn't realize I dosed that much

0,1 ml with syringe instead of 10 ml with a dosser is not a typo... we are trying to help here.

 

[gizmodo]

I do not believe there is any significant formation of magnesium silicate in the tank.

Noted

 

[gizmodo]

Why the water for WC is this high salinity 46 PPT???? if you have 1500 Mg in 46 PPT explains why you have 1050 in 37 PPT. And not sure why need an auto WC in such a small tank with this bad city water.... My guess is something wrong with this auto WC stuff /water



0,1 ml with syringe instead of 10 ml with a dosser is not a typo... we are trying to help here.

You're right. I'm tired of testing Mg over and over and got lazy. I know the new stuff works works and I did actually try it last night. I did a 50% WC with the red sea coral pro salt last and my Mg went from 1050 to 860. I freaked and dosed 200mL and it climbed to 1260. So I thought it was the salt so I got a new salt mix today and did another WC. Same darn problem. It went from 1260 to 1125. Calc and Alk are dropping too. The salt mix itself was 420 Calc, 1300Mg and 7.8dKH. I'm losing my mind. I want to trow the tank out the window. Salinity was matched between tank and WC MIX.

 

[gizmodo]

You're right. I'm tired of testing Mg over and over and got lazy. I know the new stuff works works and I did actually try it last night. I did a 50% WC with the red sea coral pro salt last and my Mg went from 1050 to 860. I freaked and dosed 200mL and it climbed to 1260. So I thought it was the salt so I got a new salt mix today and did another WC. Same darn problem. It went from 1260 to 1125. Calc and Alk are dropping too. The salt mix itself was 420 Calc, 1300Mg and 7.8dKH. I'm losing my mind. I want to trow the tank out the window. Salinity was matched between tank and WC MIX.

I bought another pale and the problem is persisting. Spoke to 2 LFSs and they say that 80mL a day is normal. I can't understand how that's normal on a 20G

 

[gizmodo]

Why the water for WC is this high salinity 46 PPT???? if you have 1500 Mg in 46 PPT explains why you have 1050 in 37 PPT. And not sure why need an auto WC in such a small tank with this bad city water.... My guess is something wrong with this auto WC stuff /water



0,1 ml with syringe instead of 10 ml with a dosser is not a typo... we are trying to help here.

Auto WC is to help stability but I'm trying to work out the kinks in the process. Hence why I'm here.