Dosing magnesium?

[Tyguy35]

Hello, yesterday I started dosing magnesium to my 20g. I was getting a reading of 1200ppm
I calculated what I would need to dose to raise my levels to 1400 using reef hack. According to reef hack I would need to add 100ml dividing that by 4 I would need to add 25ml a day for 4 days to get 1400.

Last night I added 25ml of Red Sea magnesium but today I am getting a reading of 1400ppm in my tank. (Tested 3 times). How can this be?

Thank you

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

Hello what test kit are you using ?

 

[Tyguy35]

Aqua forest

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

Maybe check the expiration date on it I would think you would see a little change from dosing

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

I’ve used aqua forest before and now use Red Sea both showed a different reading.. I picked up the auto aqua stirrer and made the testing a lot more precise

 

[Tyguy35]

Hello what test kit are you using ?

Still has a year to go. I tested with this kit last night reading 1200- got that 2 times.
testing 24 hours later after dosing. I get 1400 three times. It’s really odd

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

Or maybe to high of a dose for 20 gallon system

 

[Tyguy35]

Or maybe to high of a dose for 20 gallon system

I followed the instruction from reef hack. It said I would need to dose 100ml to get to 1350. I dosed 25ml planned to dose for 4 days. But after one it’s gone to 1400ml and now my clams ticked about it.

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

I feel your pain clams are touchy to change maybe do a small water change and retest

 

[Tyguy35]

I feel your pain clams are touchy to change maybe do a small water change and retest

Still doesn’t make sense. The calculator was way off.

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

Agreed

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

I use the same Red Sea Mag 1ML per 25 gallons raises it by 1 PPM

 

[Tyguy35]

I use the same Red Sea Mag 1ML per 25 gallons raises it by 1 PPM

I will test again tomorrow to see if there is any change.

 

[ZoaAddiction81]

Good luck

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello, yesterday I started dosing magnesium to my 20g. I was getting a reading of 1200ppm
I calculated what I would need to dose to raise my levels to 1400 using reef hack. According to reef hack I would need to add 100ml dividing that by 4 I would need to add 25ml a day for 4 days to get 1400.

Last night I added 25ml of Red Sea magnesium but today I am getting a reading of 1400ppm in my tank. (Tested 3 times). How can this be?

Thank you

Test error.

nearly any unusual magnesium movement is test error.

 

[Tyguy35]

Test error.

nearly any unusual magnesium movement is test error.

I have tested 4 times now. The last time reading 1350.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have tested 4 times now. The last time reading 1350.

Repeated testing with an error prone kit will repeatedly produce errors.

The actual value didn't rise as much as the testing indicated. Maybe it was the first test that was in error, and all the recent ones are OK.

Magnesium testing is very common, and magnesium changes are very slow.

 

[Tyguy35]

Ya

Repeated testing with an error prone kit will repeatedly produce errors.

The actual value didn't rise as much as the testing indicated. Maybe it was the first test that was in error, and all the recent ones are OK.

Magnesium testing is very common, and magnesium changes are very slow.

Ya but I got 1200 the day before which was the reading the store got.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ya

Ya but I got 1200 the day before which was the reading the store got.

You are giving too much credence to a cheap kit test result when scientific fact says it cannot have risen as suggested (assuming you did what you report).

There is no possibility it was 1200 ppm, then you added 25 mL of the red sea supplement to 20 gallons and observed a rise of 200 ppm, to 1400 ppm.

That is actually impossible.

Red Sea's MAGNESIUM FOUNDATION C

Red Sea's MAGNESIUM FOUNDATION C - contains blended salts of magnesium and is part of Red Sea's complete Reef Care Program. Magnesium complex for balanced formation of coral skeletons

www.redseafish.com

"Liquid supplement: 1ml will raise the Mg level of 100 liters (25 gal) by 1ppm."

Red Sea says the rise would be 31 ppm.

EVEN IF YOU ADDED 25 grams of dry solid magnesium supplement, it would only rise by 40 ppm.

The additive cannot possibly have been concentrated enough to give a 200 ppm rise.

Thus, test error is by far the most likely possibility. Nothing else is even plausible overnight, IMO, if you accurately reported what you did and observed.

 

[Tyguy35]

You are giving too much credence to a cheap kit test result when scientific fact says it cannot have risen as suggested (assuming you did what you report).

There is no possibility it was 1200 ppm, then you added 25 mL of the red sea supplement to 20 gallons and observed a rise of 200 ppm, to 1400 ppm.

That is actually impossible.

Red Sea's MAGNESIUM FOUNDATION C

Red Sea's MAGNESIUM FOUNDATION C - contains blended salts of magnesium and is part of Red Sea's complete Reef Care Program. Magnesium complex for balanced formation of coral skeletons

www.redseafish.com

"Liquid supplement: 1ml will raise the Mg level of 100 liters (25 gal) by 1ppm."

Red Sea says the rise would be 31 ppm.

EVEN IF YOU ADDED 25 grams of dry solid magnesium supplement, it would only rise by 40 ppm.

The additive cannot possibly have been concentrated enough to give a 200 ppm rise.

Thus, test error is by far the most likely possibility. Nothing else is even plausible overnight, IMO, if you accurately reported what you did and observed.

I’ll try another test kit.