Magnesium Chloride and Sulfate

[CoryZipperle]

Reading some of the posts around here, it seems that if I use the BRS Magnesium Chloride + Sulfate mixture then I'll get close to what is found in typical sea water. Do I understand correctly?

Also, if I was going to do only one, which would you recommend? Or is dosing only one kind silly?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Reading some of the posts around here, it seems that if I use the BRS Magnesium Chloride + Sulfate mixture then I'll get close to what is found in typical sea water. Do I understand correctly?

Also, if I was going to do only one, which would you recommend? Or is dosing only one kind silly?

I discuss my various recipes (including the one BRS sell) here:

Do-It-Yourself Magnesium Supplements for the Reef Aquarium by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Some of these recipes (and even some commercial supplements) may skew the aquarium's ionic balance over time. Using Epsom salts alone, for example, can cause sulfate to rise. While the exact effects of elevated sulfate have not been clearly established, it presents unnatural ionic chemistry to the aquarium's inhabitants. A recipe using magnesium chloride alone or, better yet, a combination of magnesium chloride and Epsom salts, can produce a DIY recipe that is adequately ionically balanced, easy to obtain and easy to use.