Magnesium dosing???

[Holy_makerel]

I've posted several new threads over the last few days so i apologize for all my questions but this is kind of throwing me for a loop.

I have a 29 gallon biocube mixed reef.
Upgraded my lighting to an SB reeflights 16" wifi unit, added an aquamaxx hob 1 protien skimmer. I also have started running cheato in my middle compartment with some live rock rubble in media bags underneath with a JBJ refugium light. Also i do bi-weely 20% WC.

I'm still fairly new to keeping a reef (7 months) but i'm constantly doing research and trying to improve my system and husbandry.

One mistake i've made was not mixing my salt up before using. I use salinity and am just getting to the bottom 1/4 of the bucket.

My problem is that because i didnt mix the salt my alk sits at 7, cal about 400 and mag at 1140 after mixing new water.

I've been trying to raise my perameters up and have suceeded in getting my alk and cal up but the mag refuses to move.

My tank uses appox 1 DKH every 48 hours and i've been dosing with kalk through a dripline at approx 2 drops a minute. Also have been dosing magnesium with Tech M 25ML a day for the last 4 days as well as extra doses of alk to help raise my numbers up.

As of yesterday my numbers look like this:
Cal 420ppm up from about 380
Alk 8 up from 7 (was 9 on tuesday)
pH 8.4 up from 8
Mag 1140ppm never changed.
No3 5ppm
Po4 0.2ppm

So my question is do i continue dosing mag hoping to raise my levels? Also i read about sulfide possibly building up because of the MgS in the Tech M. Do i need to be concerned about this? Is my system just using all the mag to help raise my alk and cal up?

All my corals are thriving and growing so maybe i'm just overthinking it and should just let it be and keep watch on my levels every couple days?

Sorry so long winded i just wanted to get all my info down.

Thanks
Ryan

 

[Reeferdood]

If you are doing 20% biweekly water changes you should be fine. Your tank and it's critters look happy and healthy, don't overthink it.
You are on the right track except your salt mixing methods...:eek:

 

[Esquire805]

If everything is good why change you might do more harm but water changes should be fine for me I don't have corals just a lot of macros which suck up calcium magnesium and alk I dose a two part mostly part one my dkh is 12 and can be high I do 4-5 gallon change bi weekly my total volume is 60 gallons and of co use adding new water when it evaporates things are going well don't over do it

 

[Rjramos]

You didn't mention above, what is your salinity in the 29 biocube? Are you using a refractometer to measure it? And how much fresh water are you adding daily? Salt mixes tend to have buffer, calcium, and magnesium in proportions to the amount of salt you use. If your biocube salinity is low and the salt water you are mixing is low then every other parameter will be low from water changes and make up water everyday.

 

[Holy_makerel]

You didn't mention above, what is your salinity in the 29 biocube? Are you using a refractometer to measure it? And how much fresh water are you adding daily? Salt mixes tend to have buffer, calcium, and magnesium in proportions to the amount of salt you use. If your biocube salinity is low and the salt water you are mixing is low then every other parameter will be low from water changes and make up water everyday.

Knew i'd leave something out.

I use a refracrometer that is calibrated with 35ppt cal fluid once a month.
Salinity is 1.026 and my salt mix is adjusted to match the DT exactly before addition.

I top off with about .5 liters of RO water every day.

 

[Rjramos]

Ok, what about the alk, cal, and mag in your freshly mixed SW? I have a biocube 29 too. I am using natural sea water, and adding ESV v-ionic 2 part. The calcium component also contains mag, so this alone seems to maintain it pretty good. Monthly water changes, and about 1 liter per day make up water. I have the mag around 1900 now, getting rid of some bryopsis with the Kent tech M.

 

[Holy_makerel]

That is a good question and i'm planning on testing my water i'll make this weekend. I noticed this issue in just the last few weeks and it didnt occur to me to test my last WC water until after i added it.

Natural SW! Interesting, are you treating it in any way before addition to your system?

I inherited this tank from a friend that was ready to get out of the hobby and it was running but totally fallow except a very unhealthy sponge colony for months before o took it over. It essentially had to run through a cycle again and i battled GHA for several months before my system stabilized.

 

[stevo01]

You should be able to safely increase 100ppm in a single dose. Are you using the reef calc?

 

[Rjramos]

I am not filtering NSW before use. I do get 55 gal on my boat over the reef(6 miles) or in the Gulf Stream here in Miami. When I collect it, the pump intake has a sponge on it, that's it! Straight up into the tank, just diluted with RODI cause salinity is 1.026~27.

 

[Holy_makerel]

You should be able to safely increase 100ppm in a single dose. Are you using the reef calc?

Using Kent pro buffer to increase and kalkwasser to sustain levels

 

[Holy_makerel]

I am not filtering NSW before use. I do get 55 gal on my boat over the reef(6 miles) or in the Gulf Stream here in Miami. When I collect it, the pump intake has a sponge on it, that's it! Straight up into the tank, just diluted with RODI cause salinity is 1.026~27.

How cool is that!! Totally land locked here except for the columbia river but that water isnt exactly reef ready haha.

Have you run into any issues with parasites or weird hitchhikers coming in with it? How long have you been using it in your tank?

 

[Rjramos]

25years of NSW in marine aquariums! [emoji41] Honestly, I've had my runs with ich and other unknown illnesses with fish and corals being affected. However, without the use of medication and with a good diet many of my fish and corals have overcome ich, parasites, disease, and injuries. I've lost fish, but never a complete wipe out. In my 29BC set up for 2 years now,I had place 6 neon gobies that I bred myself from a wild brood stock I caught. I got an outbreak of ich and they all died.[emoji53] A royal gramma, the only other fish in the tank, got it, but survived, and is doing well today.[emoji4] Kind of a holistic approach.

 

[Holy_makerel]

Bred the neons! Awesome! Sorry you lost em.

I've got a neon in my tank that insists on squeezing his fat little body into tiny crevices in the LR and always looks beat up but he does it to himself. Other than that i've only got a bangaii cardinal and a firefish. Hoping to add a pygmy wrasse soon and thinking about a chalk basslet.

I've been keeping freshwater tanks for several decades and had a planted tank until i got into salt and my focus totally shifted. I ended up giving away my freshie tank to dive into the salt. Planning on upgrading to a 75 at some point in the future.

 

[Rjramos]

Here is a link to my 29 BC. I started this tank in a competition they had on R2R 2 years ago! It was fun to participate, wish they would do it again! The thread shows great progression in its making. I have other tanks, 2 bigger, but this is my gem![emoji106]
Rjramos 29 gal biocube
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/Rjramos-29-gal-biocube.165928/

 

[Rjramos]

Forgot to mention, your 29BC looks great! Nice job![emoji106]

 

[Holy_makerel]

Forgot to mention, your 29BC looks great! Nice job![emoji106]

Thank you

 

[stevo01]

Using Kent pro buffer to increase and kalkwasser to sustain levels

I bought I read you were using tech m to raise Mg.

 

[Holy_makerel]

I bought I read you were using tech m to raise Mg.

Yes, to raise Mg. Used the Kent to raise the alkinity as well. The reason i talk about the Mg is because i've been dosing a lot of it but my numbers have remained the same.

 

[stevo01]

Yes, to raise Mg. Used the Kent to raise the alkinity as well. The reason i talk about the Mg is because i've been dosing a lot of it but my numbers have remained the same.

What are you using to test Mg?

 

[Holy_makerel]

What are you using to test Mg?

Salifert mg test kit