The way I look at it, if my numbers on a magnesium test, repeatable and reportable, if it's not necessarily "accurate", the corals tell me if they're unhappy.
My Birdsnest was "dripping" from the tips (no skeleton) because I had high alk, good calcium, and low magnesium (per my at home kit). I started dosing magnesium and the tips not only stopped "dripping" but increased DRAMATICALLY in growth and branching.
My Anacropora was small and a tightly clustered bush. Since dosing magnesium (per my at home kit) it has started growing longer branches and branching more.
Montipora cap was growing slowly and drooping at the growth edges. Since dosing magnesium (per my at home kit) it has started plating outward AND growing ridges and even some small branches upward.
My Hollywood Stunner was growing without a skeleton on the growth edges and "cascading" down like a waterfall. Now it's growing ridiculously fast, up, out, and all around.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm sure he's correct that the tests are not accurate BUT my experience says that if the at home kit says I'm low, I should probably bump it up some.
My Salifert was well within 100 points of my ICP test. Unless the ICP is wrong, my Salifert is close enough to give me a decent ballpark unless I'm shooting for a specific number.
It’s people like you that give people like you a bad name!
