diy part 3 seperation

Pete polyp · Mar 11, 2016

Hey Randy, I mixed 5 cups mag flake and 3 cups Epsom salt together per the recipe instructions. Once it mixed it looked like milk and after sitting for 24 hours it separated. There's about 2" of white substance settled to the bottom and about 1" of foam on the top. Is this usual? Should I shake the solution and mix it back up before dosing?

Pete polyp · Mar 11, 2016

A picture would be helpful huh?

biom · Mar 12, 2016

The precipitate is calcium sulfate + calcium carbonate it is only slight soluble in sea water and is ok to enter your tank but you don't really needed. There is no need to mix before dosing

Pete polyp · Mar 12, 2016

Should I siphon out the clear liquid like we do with kalk?

marke · Mar 12, 2016

Use only the clear stuff! The rest wont mix with salt water and drop to the sand or get filtered out if your lucky. Go slow with industrial grade mag due to potential impurities(toxic trace metals). That is raise mag slowly. Personally I would not use that in my sps tank. Many are learning the importance of using USP or pharmaceutical grade additives that will mix clear without that gunk on the top and bottom. Do you have expensive corals in your tank? How much did you save mixing this science project?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 12, 2016

Pete polyp said:
Should I siphon out the clear liquid like we do with kalk?

It doesn't matter if you dose it or not. Calcium sulfate will dissolve in the tank water and provide some calcium and sulfate, but leaving it behind is not a problem either.

I mention it in the recipe article:

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

from it:

"Dissolve Epsom salts (3 cups) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate (5 cups) in enough purified freshwater to make 1 gallon total volume. There will likely be a precipitate that forms even if you fully dissolve both ingredients separately. That precipitate is calcium sulfate (calcium as an impurity in the magnesium chloride and sulfate from the Epsom salts). It is fine and appropriate to dose the precipitate along with the remainder of the fluid by shaking it up before dosing."