Rst
Active Member
WARNING: this subject may not be of interest to most here, so please feel free to ignore this post.
My current sulfate level is over 3100mg/L and continues to climb after each ICP test taken. I have been corresponding with another reefer at Polo Reef. From their experience, they say that their corals react very negatively when their sulfate level climbs up to 3200mg/L. They have worked out a way to only need to change a small fraction of their huge tank’s water volume and are then able to lower the sulfate level significantly. Their method needs to change only 15% of their total water. They have developed a very specialized list of ingredients to make their salt water changes greatly reduce their sulfates by using some of ESV’s special components. I was hoping to do the same.
I am told that I could purchase ESV’s 4part salt and then substitute one of its supplied parts, a bag of Magnesium Sulfate, with the same quantity of Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate MgCl2.6H2O instead to make this reduced sulfate salt.
I have now received ESV’s 4 part salt. Unfortunately, I have tried to purchase a small quantity of reagent grade of MgCl2.6H2O, but the one reasonable costed Canadian company (BioShop Canada) that I found refuses to ship this to individuals – only corporations. There were a few other sellers that I found, but others wanted over $2000 for 1Kg vs $38canadian if I could have purchased through a corporation.
I do happen to have a 50lb bag of MAG® flakes with the following specs:
MAG® Flakes does contain a small percent of Sulfate, up to 2.45%. I am obviously not a chemist, so I am asking the chemists here if this substitution seems like a reasonable alternative.
My current sulfate level is over 3100mg/L and continues to climb after each ICP test taken. I have been corresponding with another reefer at Polo Reef. From their experience, they say that their corals react very negatively when their sulfate level climbs up to 3200mg/L. They have worked out a way to only need to change a small fraction of their huge tank’s water volume and are then able to lower the sulfate level significantly. Their method needs to change only 15% of their total water. They have developed a very specialized list of ingredients to make their salt water changes greatly reduce their sulfates by using some of ESV’s special components. I was hoping to do the same.
I am told that I could purchase ESV’s 4part salt and then substitute one of its supplied parts, a bag of Magnesium Sulfate, with the same quantity of Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate MgCl2.6H2O instead to make this reduced sulfate salt.
I have now received ESV’s 4 part salt. Unfortunately, I have tried to purchase a small quantity of reagent grade of MgCl2.6H2O, but the one reasonable costed Canadian company (BioShop Canada) that I found refuses to ship this to individuals – only corporations. There were a few other sellers that I found, but others wanted over $2000 for 1Kg vs $38canadian if I could have purchased through a corporation.
I do happen to have a 50lb bag of MAG® flakes with the following specs:
| MgCl2 | % | 47.3 | 43.4 – 51.2 |
| Potassium (K) | % | 0.05 | 0.0 – 0.14 |
| Sodium (Na) | % | 0.48 | 0.0 – 1.23 |
| Sulfate (SO4) | % | 0.64 | 0.0 – 2.45 |
| Calcium (Ca) | % | 0.22 | 0.0 – 0.68 |
| H2O | % | 51.3 | 44.3 – 56.6 |
| As | mg/kg | – | 3.5 max |
| Cd | mg/kg | – | 0.1 max |
| Pb | mg/kg | – | 1.0 max |
MAG® Flakes does contain a small percent of Sulfate, up to 2.45%. I am obviously not a chemist, so I am asking the chemists here if this substitution seems like a reasonable alternative.
