Creating a gallon magnesium

[boxgj]

I have a bag of aqua forest magnesium chloride. I also have a left over bag of magnesium sulphate from my ESV salt 4 part mix. Can I mix these two together to make a gallon solution of magnesium for dosing? You’re help would be greatly appreciated

 

[AKReefing]

Are you using a 2-part Ca/Alk to go with it?

 

[boxgj]

Yes I plan too but I want to start with kalkwasser first

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If those are the only two ingredients, you can mix them, but may see a small amount of precipitate of calcium sulfate from calcium impurity in the magnesium chloride.

 

[boxgj]

If those are the only two ingredients, you can mix them, but may see a small amount of precipitate of calcium sulfate from calcium impurity in the magnesium chloride.

Do you reccomend mixing something else to avoid impurities or just use the aqua forest alone?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you reccomend mixing something else to avoid impurities or just use the aqua forest alone?

That's always a risk mixing these materials, and is not a big concern. Just ignore any solids.

 

[boxgj]

That's always a risk mixing these materials, and is not a big concern. Just ignore any solids.

Should I still do also 6 cups of magnesium chloride and 1 cup of sulphate ?? And how much rodi water?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Should I still do also 6 cups of magnesium chloride and 1 cup of sulphate ?? And how much rodi water?

The materials are solids, right, not solutions?

How are you maintaining calcium and alk? The answer impacts the ratio desired.

 

[boxgj]

The materials are solids, right, not solutions?

How are you maintaining calcium and alk? The answer impacts the ratio desired.

Yeah they are solids. On my nano tank I plan to start off with kalk and just use magnesium on the side and on my bigger tank I’ll start with kalk but probably transition to two part when kalk can’t keep up

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yeah they are solids. On my nano tank I plan to start off with kalk and just use magnesium on the side and on my bigger tank I’ll start with kalk but probably transition to two part when kalk can’t keep up

OK, then this is the recipe:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-07/rhf/index.php
3. Using both Epsom salts and MAG flake, dissolve 7¼ cups MAG flake and ¾ cup Epsom salts in one gallon of water, and use that to supplement magnesium in amounts determined using this linked online calculator, with the entry "Randy's Recipes 1 and 2 Versions A and B," and ignore for this purpose what those designations mean. This recipe is preferred, but its advantage over recipe #2 is minimal in most cases.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The calculator:

https://reef.diesyst.com/chemcalc/chem_calc3.html

 

[dlemonz]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Where do you get the mag chloride from? Is a bag of magnesium chloride from home depot fine? Something like this -
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DSW-50l...tp1YW4WvyL5m0hd9h-RoC6FcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[mikst]

@Randy Holmes-Farley Where do you get the mag chloride from? Is a bag of magnesium chloride from home depot fine? Something like this -
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DSW-50l...tp1YW4WvyL5m0hd9h-RoC6FcQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

That's a good question. I hope you get an answer.

Here's the data from the SDS....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I thought I answered this but I guess I didn't. I'd use that material. I'd not make large additions with it until you have experience using it in small amounts and it seems to not cause issues. :)

 

[mikst]

I thought I answered this but I guess I didn't. I'd use that material. I'd not make large additions with it until you have experience using it in small amounts and it seems to not cause issues. :)

Thanks. Yes that makes sense going small.

 

[dlemonz]

Just to fill in - I used it starting with only 10 ml a day (150 gallon tank volume, so very small and titrated up). So far no issues corals seem happy and was able to raise my mg levels to where I wanted them

 

[mikst]

Just to fill in - I used it starting with only 10 ml a day (150 gallon tank volume, so very small and titrated up). So far no issues corals seem happy and was able to raise my mg levels to where I wanted them

Nice. Too bad THD website says it's out of stock. Did you buy it all? ;)

 

[dlemonz]

I bought 50 lbs so hopefully lasts me a while and I got the epsoms salts on Amazon they were cheap and “pharmaceutical grade”

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I bought 50 lbs so hopefully lasts me a while and I got the epsoms salts on Amazon they were cheap and “pharmaceutical grade”

Sounds good!