Getting the ions right: Do you dose magnesium?

[Peace River]

Getting the ions right: Do you dose magnesium?

Magnesium helps with the balance of alkalinity and calcium, supports the health and growth of our corals, limits calcium carbonate precipitation, and more. One recommendation is to keep the magnesium levels between 1250 and 1350 although that may vary slightly. When trying to dial in your magnesium level, do you dose magnesium? Any tips to share on getting the magnesium correct in your reef tank? Let us know your thoughts on magnesium and any tips that you would like to share in the following discussion thread.

Photo by @FugeTown

 

[stoney7713]

I use IO reef crystals and do water changes, maybe not regularly but it keeps my Magnesium up just fine.

In the future that may change and I'm already prepared for it.

 

[exnisstech]

I have never had to dose magnesium. I don't check often but when I do it's always been 1400ish. I use a 50/50 mix of instant ocean and reef crystals

 

[ReefGeezer]

I dose All For Reef which has a magnesium in it. I also boost it separately from time to time because it seems to fall even with the All For Reef dosage needed to maintain alkalinity. That's not a complaint. It's just the way it works in my tank.

 

[Ef4life]

When I did just soda ash/ calcium chloride, I also dosed magnesium (brs mix) I did a small daily dose of magnesium.

when I added the tropic Marin a and k trace, and the part c to my regimen, I stopped the mag dose as it seems to be included in that mix.

 

[nereefpat]

I have a Mg kit. My tank doesn't consume enough Mg to need dosing. I do roughly 4% weekly water changes.

 

[TheDuude]

I dose AF 1+2+3+ using the recommended ratios. Been pondering bumping up the amount of mag in my mix as I have been hearing a lot about LPS liking elevated mag

 

[uhgster1]

I started keeping my mag at 1500 after watching a YouTube video from fragbox tv about 2 years ago to help with my euphylias. It worked like a charm and I’ve kept it at that level since. My frogspawn and hammers reacted to a point that they were almost invasive. I don’t understand the science but I can’t argue about the results. I also keep my 13,5 gallon at 1500

 

[X-37B]

Yes I dose mag daily. My carx supplies alk and cal via coral bones.
I use DSR ez-trace and it keeps all my tanks at 1350. It also keeps K at 410.

 

[shwareefer]

I don't think the magnesium needs to be as stable as calcium and alkalinity, but I too like it near 1500 in an LPS heavy system. For this reason I keep magnesium in my ATO water and use kalk on a doser instead.

 

[Fish Styx]

I don't dose mag, per se. i have a secondary media chamber on my CaRx with dolomite that I run the effluent through for off gassing and raising the ph before dripping back into the sump. It keeps mag in range.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

My Mg is mixed with Ca in Reef Fusion 2 part. I know lots of people hate seachem reef fusion, but it works great for my sps tank. My other tanks get regular water changes to keep elements up, and nitrates down.

 

[PensacolaReefKeeper]

I don't dose mag, per se. i have a secondary media chamber on my CaRx with dolomite that I run the effluent through for off gassing and raising the ph before dripping back into the sump. It keeps mag in range.

You sir sound like a chemical engineer. Would like to hear about your water management strategy

 

[TheDuude]

I started keeping my mag at 1500 after watching a YouTube video from fragbox tv about 2 years ago to help with my euphylias. It worked like a charm and I’ve kept it at that level since. My frogspawn and hammers reacted to a point that they were almost invasive. I don’t understand the science but I can’t argue about the results. I also keep my 13,5 gallon at 1500

Increased growth? Coloration? Or both?

 

[MnFish1]

Getting the ions right: Do you dose magnesium?

Magnesium helps with the balance of alkalinity and calcium, supports the health and growth of our corals, limits calcium carbonate precipitation, and more. One recommendation is to keep the magnesium levels between 1250 and 1350 although that may vary slightly. When trying to dial in your magnesium level, do you dose magnesium? Any tips to share on getting the magnesium correct in your reef tank? Let us know your thoughts on magnesium and any tips that you would like to share in the following discussion thread.

Photo by @FugeTown

Technically, one should dose magnesium with every gallon of use of BRS 2 part (at least I think thats the case) - a mix of MgCl and a mix of MgSO4. Since I tend to do enough water changes - I have just let it be. Mg is important in preventing precipitation of Ca and PO4 with dosing - so if you're dosing I might be more careful. Of course - the fish etc also require it - but its present in such high concentrations its unlikely to cause a deficiency in the livestock (fish)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, magnesium is consumed at most at about 1/10th of the rate of calcium consumption. Coralline causes a ratio that high. Some corals give a much lower ratio.

Thus, if you aren't dosing a lot of calcium, and especially if you do substantial water changes with a higher magnesium concentration, it may take a very long time to need to dose magnesium.

Many calcium and alk methods incorporate some amount of magneisum somehow, but it may not be enough depending on the organism mix in the aqaurium.

I used limewater (kalkwasser) which does not deliver magnesium, so I boosted the magnesium in the normal IO I used for automatic water changes, rather than ever dosing it directly to the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Technically, one should dose magnesium with every gallon of use of BRS 2 part (at least I think thats the case) - a mix of MgCl and a mix of MgSO4. Since I tend to do enough water changes - I have just let it be. Mg is important in preventing precipitation of Ca and PO4 with dosing - so if you're dosing I might be more careful. Of course - the fish etc also require it - but its present in such high concentrations its unlikely to cause a deficiency in the livestock (fish)

Just to add that one reason to dose it independent of "need" is that such a mix maintains the chloride/sulfate balance, and by not dosing it, chloride will rise over time and sulfate will fall.

IMO, using Balling Part C is an even better option than that third part.

 

[Spicy Reef]

I dose kalkwasser every night which has no mag my coralline algae growth is out of control so I have to dose mag...
Will that ever taper off?

 

[Fish Styx]

You sir sound like a chemical engineer. Would like to hear about your water management strategy

Nope. I have a background in the hard sciences (biology and chemistry), but am a social scientist. As for water management, what would you like to know? The term is fairly broad.

 

[fish farmer]

I don't think the magnesium needs to be as stable as calcium and alkalinity, but I too like it near 1500 in an LPS heavy system. For this reason I keep magnesium in my ATO water and use kalk on a doser instead.

I've been doing the same, doser for kalk, week's supply mag in ato.