Need help with AFR dosing - not enough mag but too much Alk ?

[Idech]

Hello, I’ve been using All for reef (powder) for about 2 1/2 months and the tank is 5 months old (some of the rocks are 12 months old).

I started at 4 ml and slowly increased to get the right amount of nutrients. Right now I’m at 9,0 ml per day. It’s doing a good job at maintaining calcium but I can’t seem to get magnesium higher without also raising alkalinity.

Here is my question : should keep upping the AFR daily dose, despite the alkalinity rising, or find another separate supplement just for magnesium ?

Here are my parameters :
Nitrates : 22
Phosphates : 0,11
PH : 8,0
Salinity : 1,0255
Alk : 9,0 (was 8,5 last week, before I upped my dose from 7,0 ml to 9,0 ml)
Calc : 440
Magnesium : 1180 (was 1160 last week before upping the AFR dose)

Thanks for your help !

 

[Idech]

@ReefSquad can you help me ?

 

[Spare time]

I find that I need to supplement a little extra magnesium occasionally while using all for reef. I blame my refugium. Dose the all for reef according to calcium and alk intake, and supplement the magnesium. It might be possible to add more magnesium to the mix but I would double check with tropic marin.

 

[Idech]

I find that I need to supplement a little extra magnesium occasionally while using all for reef. I blame my refugium. Dose the all for reef according to calcium and alk intake, and supplement the magnesium. It might be possible to add more magnesium to the mix but I would double check with tropic marin.

Great, thanks ! Is Seachem reef advantage magnesium okay ? I’ve read it was a good choice.

 

[Spare time]

Great, thanks ! Is Seachem reef advantage magnesium okay ? I’ve read it was a good choice.

Any of them should be fine. I use brightwell's as it was pretty cost efficient and pure. I've also used brs and tropic marins. However, those impurities shouldn't really matter unless you don't do water changes like me.

 

[Oldreefer44]

Always a good idea of getting a second opinion, so to speak, either by taking to an LFS or get a second test kit. Have used AFR since it became available on a heavily stocked tank and Mg was never an issue.

 

[Idech]

Always a good idea of getting a second opinion, so to speak, either by taking to an LFS or get a second test kit. Have used AFR since it became available on a heavily stocked tank and Mg was never an issue.

Good idea, I’ll see if my LFS can test my water. Better safe than sorry.

 

[Waynerock]

Hello, I’ve been using All for reef (powder) for about 2 1/2 months and the tank is 5 months old (some of the rocks are 12 months old).

I started at 4 ml and slowly increased to get the right amount of nutrients. Right now I’m at 9,0 ml per day. It’s doing a good job at maintaining calcium but I can’t seem to get magnesium higher without also raising alkalinity.

Here is my question : should keep upping the AFR daily dose, despite the alkalinity rising, or find another separate supplement just for magnesium ?

Here are my parameters :
Nitrates : 22
Phosphates : 0,11
PH : 8,0
Salinity : 1,0255
Alk : 9,0 (was 8,5 last week, before I upped my dose from 7,0 ml to 9,0 ml)
Calc : 440
Magnesium : 1180 (was 1160 last week before upping the AFR dose)

Thanks for your help !

Like someone else does I also supplement a little extra magnesium. I use the bio active magnesium and add whatever I need to the mix when I make my 5 L batch and it’s not much usually. I start out at 1460 and it only drifts down to 1410-1420ish over a month. Do a 5 gal WC on a 65 every week. Little tip if you do it that way heat the water up and add the powders. The mg takes a while to dissolve but I use a mag stirrer from Amazon and let it go for a couple days. I have been an AFR junkie for 2 years now and I dose 28 ml a day for a 65 gallon tank. It’s totally full and everything looks amazing. Side note AFR IS the secret sauce. Besides fish food and rarely remembering to dose iodide that’s all I add to the tank. Love it!

 

[Idech]

I use the bio active magnesium and add whatever I need to the mix when I make my 5 L batch and it’s not much usually.

You mean you add the magnesium powder directly into the AFR mix ? What brand, do you have a link ?

And you let it stir for a few days ? That seems like a lot. I do also have a magnetic stirrer and I love that thing…

Thanks for the tip !

 

[Lou Ekus]

Hello, I’ve been using All for reef (powder) for about 2 1/2 months and the tank is 5 months old (some of the rocks are 12 months old).

I started at 4 ml and slowly increased to get the right amount of nutrients. Right now I’m at 9,0 ml per day. It’s doing a good job at maintaining calcium but I can’t seem to get magnesium higher without also raising alkalinity.

Here is my question : should keep upping the AFR daily dose, despite the alkalinity rising, or find another separate supplement just for magnesium ?

Here are my parameters :
Nitrates : 22
Phosphates : 0,11
PH : 8,0
Salinity : 1,0255
Alk : 9,0 (was 8,5 last week, before I upped my dose from 7,0 ml to 9,0 ml)
Calc : 440
Magnesium : 1180 (was 1160 last week before upping the AFR dose)

Thanks for your help !

You can just use the calcium (or some people use the alkalinity) to regulate your AFR dose. Then if any one parameter is falling behind, do a periodic addition of that one thing. If you need extra magnesium we suggest using our Tropic Marin Bio-Magnesium. If you need extra alkalinity you can use the Balling Part B solution. And if you need extra calcium you can use the Balling Part A solution. In general, these are usually small adjustments that are only needed once in a while. But your parameters will clearly tell you what is needed and when.

 

[t5Nitro]

Did you get yours under control with the additional supplementation? I have a different parameter low in my AFR powder, or my tank consumes it at a higher rate. Ca is low at 410 ppm with persistent rise in alkalinity to 8.6 dKH from my usual 7 after increasing the AFR dose. This happened slowly over the course of a few months probably, but I dose 64 mL of AFR (75 gallon mixed reef predominantly SPS/LPS) during the day now. I'll probably back the volume down and add Randy's 2-part calcium component on a single dosing pump (I have been dosing it by hand 5-10mL a day but clearly not enough).

I know Lou recommends watching calcium numbers to regulate your AFR dose, but when your alkalinity climbs that high that quickly it gets the SPS fans nervous.

 

[Lou Ekus]

Did you get yours under control with the additional supplementation? I have a different parameter low in my AFR powder, or my tank consumes it at a higher rate. Ca is low at 410 ppm with persistent rise in alkalinity to 8.6 dKH from my usual 7 after increasing the AFR dose. This happened slowly over the course of a few months probably, but I dose 64 mL of AFR (75 gallon mixed reef predominantly SPS/LPS) during the day now. I'll probably back the volume down and add Randy's 2-part calcium component on a single dosing pump (I have been dosing it by hand 5-10mL a day but clearly not enough).

I know Lou recommends watching calcium numbers to regulate your AFR dose, but when your alkalinity climbs that high that quickly it gets the SPS fans nervous.

I do "usually" recommend using the Ca as the indicator for AFR dosage. I do this because most systems I help people with seem to always have a higher demand for more alkalinity, then the corresponding amount of Ca for biological calcification. However, when I am working with someone who has the opposite situation, exactly like what you are describing, I do reverse the recommendation. So in cases like yours, I would recommend using the Ca as the indicator and supplementing the alkalinity. I apologize for not making that clear before this point. It just almost always runs the other way around.
I hope that makes sense.

 

[t5Nitro]

I think you reversed the order to the typical recommendation with Ca indicator, +alkalinity as needed. With cases like mine that would result in an even greater alkalinity spike and rise. But I think I get what you mean to just reverse the recommendation. Lower the AFR dose to stop persistent alkalinity rise, until stable, and +Ca as needed.

 

[Lou Ekus]

I think you reversed the order to the typical recommendation with Ca indicator, +alkalinity as needed. With cases like mine that would result in an even greater alkalinity spike and rise. But I think I get what you mean to just reverse the recommendation. Lower the AFR dose to stop persistent alkalinity rise, until stable, and +Ca as needed.

Yes, sorry, I was typing faster than my mind was working!!! Thanks for the correction, that IS what I meant!!!

 

[Idech]

Did you get yours under control with the additional supplementation? I have a different parameter low in my AFR powder, or my tank consumes it at a higher rate. Ca is low at 410 ppm with persistent rise in alkalinity to 8.6 dKH from my usual 7 after increasing the AFR dose. This happened slowly over the course of a few months probably, but I dose 64 mL of AFR (75 gallon mixed reef predominantly SPS/LPS) during the day now. I'll probably back the volume down and add Randy's 2-part calcium component on a single dosing pump (I have been dosing it by hand 5-10mL a day but clearly not enough).

I know Lou recommends watching calcium numbers to regulate your AFR dose, but when your alkalinity climbs that high that quickly it gets the SPS fans nervous.

It took about 2 weeks because I was slowly adding the magnesium. It would test perfect, then 2 days later it had gone down so I added more.

Mind you it’s only been 3 days since I last tested, 2 days after dosing the last magnesium dose. I am hoping it’s fine when I test this week-end.

I had a bacterial bloom this morning, due to my filter being fitlthy and me not knowing. I’m hoping this wont affect any parameter. Ammonia is fine for now. Salinity is high because I forgot to turn my ATO back on for a day or two.

 

[t5Nitro]

Got it. Its a great product. I fully intend to keep using more and more of it. Keep it coming, hah.

 

[Idech]

Mag went back down to 1260 ppm. I don’t know why I can’t keep it up.

 

[Lou Ekus]

Mag went back down to 1260 ppm. I don’t know why I can’t keep it up.

I don't know if this is the case, but you said your salinity had gone up. If you corrected your salinity, and the parameters you listed above were at the higher salinity, a correction of that could have easily dropped your Mg from 1320 to 1260 ppm. If that is not the case, it could be just that the tank is using more Mg than what is in the AFR. That is sometimes the case as well.

 

[Idech]

I don't know if this is the case, but you said your salinity had gone up. If you corrected your salinity, and the parameters you listed above were at the higher salinity, a correction of that could have easily dropped your Mg from 1320 to 1260 ppm. If that is not the case, it could be just that the tank is using more Mg than what is in the AFR. That is sometimes the case as well.

Yes, I did correct the salinity so this might be the case. I’ll wait a little while and try to raise mg again. It if doesn’t hold this time, I guess there isn’t enough mg in the AFR.

Is there any product that could help me with that if that’s the case ?

Thank you for your time

 

[Lou Ekus]

Yes, I did correct the salinity so this might be the case. I’ll wait a little while and try to raise mg again. It if doesn’t hold this time, I guess there isn’t enough mg in the AFR.

Is there any product that could help me with that if that’s the case ?

Thank you for your time

Yes, if you need additional magnesium look up our Bio-Magnesium. That will help. Here is a link:

Bio-Magnesium | Produktinformationen

www.tropic-marin-smartinfo.com