Magnesium dropping considerably. Daily dosing!

[Nanolifeuk]

I am dosing iquatics kh buffer daily (0.3g) to maintain kh 8.4

Whilst calcium stays steady at 420-400, magnesium is dropping. I am dosing magnesium salt every day to maintain at 1360.
Without this it falls to around 1200. Even a water change will lower it to 1290.

salt params are way higher and I’ve even tested fresh saltwater to make sure it’s not this.

ultimately. I read a lot that people don’t need y does mg daily. So is this normal?

*60L tank, 14month old

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am dosing iquatics kh buffer daily (0.3g) to maintain kh 8.4

Whilst calcium stays steady at 420-400, magnesium is dropping. I am dosing magnesium salt every day to maintain at 1360.
Without this it falls to around 1200. Even a water change will lower it to 1290.

salt params are way higher and I’ve even tested fresh saltwater to make sure it’s not this.

ultimately. I read a lot that people don’t need y does mg daily. So is this normal?

*60L tank, 14month old

That drop must be either test error, or a salinity drop.

To have a real drop of 100 ppm of magnesium requires consumption at the same time of at least about 140 dKH of alk and about 1,000 ppm of calcium.

 

[Nanolifeuk]

I use Salifert tests. Do u think maybe dosing kh buffer affects the reagents in the mg test kit?

 

[Nanolifeuk]

I can’t figure out the need to bump this much mag in there

 

[Lavey29]

You probably want to get a second test done at your LFS to verify results. Unless your salinity dropped dramatically there is no mechanism to reduce magnesium that much daily.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I can’t figure out the need to bump this much mag in there

There isn’t any way it’s needed.

 

[Nanolifeuk]

I think I’m gonna do an ICP :/

 

[Nanolifeuk]

There isn’t any way it’s needed.

yesterday mag = 1370
Today = 1280

Did both tests twice? Are you sure there’s nothing in the tank that can absorb it up?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

yesterday mag = 1370
Today = 1280

Did both tests twice? Are you sure there’s nothing in the tank that can absorb it up?

Absolutely positive. There’s no mechanism to allow that to happen except a large drop in salinity.

 

[jay1976]

yesterday mag = 1370
Today = 1280

Did both tests twice? Are you sure there’s nothing in the tank that can absorb it up?

Did you ever figure this out having the same issue?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Did you ever figure this out having the same issue?

Most magnesium issues are actually testing problems. Magnesium never is depleted at more than about 1/10th of the calcium depletion rate.

What exact issue are you having?

You may find this method (ignoring magnesium testing) will relieve your concern:

Just say NO to magnesium testing: RMM is born

OK, this thread has been many years in the making, and I'm posting it here since folks in the chem forum are probably already tired of all the threads relating to problematic magnesium testing. I'm going to propose a method, let's call it the Randy Magnesium Method, or RMM for short. All good...

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