How high would you be comfortable letting your MG go?

happyhourhero · May 15, 2017

Im halfway through a 200 gallon box of Reef Crystals and this batch has stupid high Mg. I tested my tank last night and I am at 1500 ppm. I tested some water I had brewing and it was 6 drops into a second syringe using salifert. So somewhere way over 1500.

I do a 5 gallon WC every weekend and I have not dosed any Mg in 2 months. A new batch of salt is not in my reefing budget right now. Should I stop WC until it comes down or keep doing what I have always done? How high can i let it go without needing to worry?

jsker · May 15, 2017

High Mg is not going to hurt anything. Where is your Ca and All? If your Ca, and Mg are running high then skip a week.

billwill · May 16, 2017

I ran mag higher than a test kit would measure once trying to kill off bryopsis, and had no ill effects on softies, lps, or sps

victorcan · May 16, 2017

Real question is if the Mg is that off what else is off that you aren't testing for? I mean seriously this is 1 of the reasons I stopped using reef crystals, they have become the most inconsistent salt on the market, I moved to RPM by fritz a few months ago and couldn't be more pleased, batch after batch I test and the parameters are rock solid to the 1st batch I bought. I won't trust IO or RC in my system ever again.. Guess if your a fish only system or maybe even softies who cares but SPS / LPS forgetaboutit

happyhourhero · May 16, 2017

Yeah my Alk is always 9 but i dose daily on that and my Cal is 420. Tank is mostly SPS. In 2 years, this is the only batch I have gotten that was way off like this.

So the best course of action is to just skip WC for a while and let the mg come down?

d2mini · May 16, 2017

You're ok, mine has been that high too.
Continue to avoid dosing it and it should eventually drop on its own.
Have you tested a fresh mix of saltwater to confirm its that batch of salt? If it is, might be worth complaining to the manufacturer. Assuming your test kit is correct.

happyhourhero · May 16, 2017

d2mini said:
You're ok, mine has been that high too.
Continue to avoid dosing it and it should eventually drop on its own.
Have you tested a fresh mix of saltwater to confirm its that batch of salt? If it is, might be worth complaining to the manufacturer. Assuming your test kit is correct.

Yeah i tested a fresh batch and it was 6 drops over a full syringe using salifert. Kit expires 2020. I assume its a good kit.

d2mini · May 16, 2017

Ya, sounds like it.
I had the same issue with TM Pro salt. Was testing mag at like 1780.
Told the TM rep and got a new bucket of the regular TM salt out of it, since that didn't have the elevated levels for reefing.

mtraylor · May 16, 2017

You should be ok.

steallife904 · May 16, 2017

im using kent reef salt and my mag as been 1500. doesn't seem to come down even when I skip a week of water change. Used 2 different test to confirm it.

victorcan · May 17, 2017

IO Just got bought out by a new corporation, its not the same company we used for many years.. sadly new management new methods of increasing profitability.. I was hopeful it wouldn't go this way but I like many have had to find alternative cost effective means of fueling my addiction..