Silica precipitation?

[Nordy]

Bought Brightwell sponge excel. Getting a Salifert test kit in mail soon. Added some sponges yesterday. Added 2 drops of sponge excel today. Very strange appearance of the supplement, cloudy and some solids. Is this normal? The two drops I added to my tank precipitated in good flow. Is that normal? Fish went after it thinking it was food. Should I add some first in RODI water?

 

[Dan_P]

Bought Brightwell sponge excel. Getting a Salifert test kit in mail soon. Added some sponges yesterday. Added 2 drops of sponge excel today. Very strange appearance of the supplement, cloudy and some solids. Is this normal? The two drops I added to my tank precipitated in good flow. Is that normal? Fish went after it thinking it was food. Should I add some first in RODI water?

The silica additive is likely silicate, a very basic compound. And if it is very concentrated, as it hits the water it precipitates things like magnesium hydroxide. Dilute it in RODI before adding it in high flow area.

 

[Nordy]

The silica additive is likely silicate, a very basic compound. And if it is very concentrated, as it hits the water it precipitates things like magnesium hydroxide. Dilute it in RODI before adding it in high flow area.

Would using a Silicate product daily cause Magnesium consumption to decrease? I use Neo Bright salt and my tanks Magnesium was in the 1200’s first few months. I dosed Magnesium twice a week. I was at the 1350 mark a couple of months ago, but now I’m around 1500. Haven’t dosed magnesium in 6 weeks, just using Seachem Reef fusion 1&2. Going to do a mag test tomorrow, and also going to do my Triton ICP same time to compare.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would using a Silicate product daily cause Magnesium consumption to decrease? I use Neo Bright salt and my tanks Magnesium was in the 1200’s first few months. I dosed Magnesium twice a week. I was at the 1350 mark a couple of months ago, but now I’m around 1500. Haven’t dosed magnesium in 6 weeks, just using Seachem Reef fusion 1&2. Going to do a mag test tomorrow, and also going to do my Triton ICP same time to compare.

I don't think silicate dosing could cause a long term magnesium decline. It does locally precipitate magnesium hydroxide at the point of addition, like all high pH additives, but that is soluble again in normal reef tank water.