Coraline & magnesium consumption

[Aquariumaddictuk]

Within the last two months I've noticed a huge takeover of coraline algae in my tank.aside from having to clear it off the glass daily I'm happy it's arrived.
Calcium consumption has increased along with alk(tank is SPS dominant & consumes 2 DKH per day) but tweaking of 2 part has mitigated that.
Magnesium however I'm having to regularly supplement.currently using magnesium sulphate.
I switched to aquaforest reef for its low alk & good K values(tank is ZEOVIT) & mag matches the test data on bag.

Is coraline really capable munching through this much mag?
Also, is good old epsom salt an acceptable supplement or is chloride a better option?

 

[Timfish]

It's really pretty difficult to guess what ratios of alkalinity, calcium and magnesium are used by a system. Generally aquarists only think in terms of araganite but in reef systems corals and other calcifying organisms may also be making calcite, high magnesium calcite, dolomite, magnisite, vaterite and brucite. It's nice when a single dosing protocal covers everything but reef ecosystems are dynamic and we need to adjust dosing to compensate as needed. Here's a data bomb if you feel like going down this particular rabbit hole:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/adfm.201707321

Mg-rich calcite-producing marine bacterium Pseudovibrio sp. isolated from an ascidian in coral reefs at Okinawa, Japan - Fisheries Science

Since the beginning of the last century, bacteria, including cyanobacteria, have been known to be involved in the extracellular formation and precipitation of CaCO3. It is also known that some marine bacteria form calcite granules in Ca-containing artificial media. However, a detailed analysis...

link.springer.com

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jpy.13098

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016703715007140

Coral acid rich protein selects vaterite polymorph in vitro

Corals and other biomineralizing organisms use proteins and other molecules to form different crystalline polymorphs and biomineral structures. In cor…

www.sciencedirect.com

Coral acid rich protein selects vaterite polymorph in vitro

Corals and other biomineralizing organisms use proteins and other molecules to form different crystalline polymorphs and biomineral structures. In cor…

www.sciencedirect.com

Dolomite-rich coralline algae in reefs resist dissolution in acidified conditions - Nature Climate Change

Wave-resistant algal rims—chiefly composed of carbonate from crustose coralline algae—form critical structures for the survival of many shallow coral reefs, raising concerns about the susceptibility of these protective structures to ocean acidification. Research now shows that dolomite-rich...

www.nature.com

BG - First discovery of dolomite and magnesite in living coralline algae and its geobiological implications

bg.copernicus.org

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Within the last two months I've noticed a huge takeover of coraline algae in my tank.aside from having to clear it off the glass daily I'm happy it's arrived.
Calcium consumption has increased along with alk(tank is SPS dominant & consumes 2 DKH per day) but tweaking of 2 part has mitigated that.
Magnesium however I'm having to regularly supplement.currently using magnesium sulphate.
I switched to aquaforest reef for its low alk & good K values(tank is ZEOVIT) & mag matches the test data on bag.

Is coraline really capable munching through this much mag?
Also, is good old epsom salt an acceptable supplement or is chloride a better option?

Coralline can consume a lot of alk and calcium, and magnesium consumption in such a scenario is about 1/10th of the calcium consumption. Anything greatly more than that is test error.

Epsom salt alone is not the best bet, as it raises sulfate too much if used extensively.

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

Coralline can consume a lot of alk and calcium, and magnesium consumption in such a scenario is about 1/10th of the calcium consumption. Anything greatly more than that is test error.

Epsom salt alone is not the best bet, as it raises sulfate too much if used extensively

Coralline can consume a lot of alk and calcium, and magnesium consumption in such a scenario is about 1/10th of the calcium consumption. Anything greatly more than that is test error.

Epsom salt alone is not the best bet, as it raises sulfate too much if used extensively.

I've found some chloride in the back of my seemingly endless "aquarium cupboard" so currently mixing up your recipes.
I knew the American-cup sized baking spoons that my mother gifted me one Christmas would come in handy one day!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I've found some chloride in the back of my seemingly endless "aquarium cupboard" so currently mixing up your recipes.
I knew the American-cup sized baking spoons that my mother gifted me one Christmas would come in handy one day!

Sounds good.

Happy Reefing!