Seachem magnesium dosing ?

Lovemycj7 · Feb 6, 2017

it takes a bunch to raise it as others have said. I use it and that was my experience.

BrettMallette · Feb 6, 2017

My math isnt including consumption either... but 450g over the course of a week will get it up then in theory wont have to dose much ever again. Unless your tank is consuming a ton of ca then better off getting a calc reactor and not dose.

JMM744 · Feb 6, 2017

If I understand right I need to add 30 tsp. of the crystals to get the tank up where I desire it to be? If that's right I have not been dosing much at all. Can the crystals just be added to the high flow area of the sump?

GoVols · Feb 6, 2017

JMM744 said:
Crystals. Fully dissolved in ro/RI water.

I've used it for years. Always buy the 4kg buckets

Along time ago my mag got very low too. Took a lot to buffer it up and when I finally hit my goal it would drop. My lfs said it was normal and might take a few shots to get it to buffer out and hold and it finally held

Once it holds and you keep it more inline then the Seachem calculator is dead on.

Just be patient (stay within the recommended daily dose) and test your cal to see if it is rising too.

If you see a burst of coralline algae growth then test more often.

Seems to be with my experience coralline growth burst suck in more mag.

GoVols · Feb 6, 2017

JMM744 said:
If I understand right I need to add 30 tsp. of the crystals to get the tank up where I desire it to be? If that's right I have not been dosing much at all. Can the crystals just be added to the high flow area of the sump?

No
You must keep mixing in RODI water. If the crystals are not dissolved then they will burn your corals and coralline algae

JMM744 · Feb 6, 2017

Got it. Thank you everyone for your help with this .

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 7, 2017

JMM744 said:
Ok. So just wait it out for a few days? I have put a lot of additive in the tank over the last couple weeks but the number has never reached 1300. I do appreciate the advice very much. Thank you!!

Yes, perhaps the kit is not working or there's something wrong with the additive.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 7, 2017

GoVols said:
I've used it for years. Always buy the 4kg buckets

Along time ago my mag got very low too. Took a lot to buffer it up and when I finally hit my goal it would drop. My lfs said it was normal and might take a few shots to get it to buffer out and hold and it finally held

Once it holds and you keep it more inline then the Seachem calculator is dead on.

Just be patient (stay within the recommended daily dose) and test your cal to see if it is rising too.

If you see a burst of coralline algae growth then test more often.

Seems to be with my experience coralline growth burst suck in more mag.

I don't think that "buffering" or rapid uptake idea is true for magnesium. Coralline uses a lot of magnesium relative to some other hard corals, but only about 11% of the calcium uptake. So if you think 50 ppm of magnesium was consumed, alkalinity would have to decline (or be supplemented) by about 70 dKH!

GoVols · Feb 7, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
I don't think that "buffering" or rapid uptake idea is true for magnesium. Coralline uses a lot of magnesium relative to some other hard corals, but only about 11% of the calcium uptake. So if you think 50 ppm of magnesium was consumed, alkalinity would have to decline (or be supplemented) by about 70 dKH!

Randy, You are the master

All I'm saying it took a whole long more product

to bring up and hold my low mag than what Seachem's calculator said it would take and my lfs said it was normal.

I can't rule out that I had user error either

Randy Holmes-Farley · Feb 7, 2017

GoVols said:
Randy, You are the master

All I'm saying it took a whole long more product to bring up and hold my low mag than what Seachem's calculator said it would take and my lfs said it was normal.

I can't rule out that I had user error either

Maybe their calculator isn't accurate.

GoVols · Feb 7, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Maybe their calculator isn't accurate.

I think it was probably User Error with the Red Sea Pro mag kit

JMM744 · Feb 7, 2017

GoVols said:
I think it was probably User Error with the Red Sea Pro mag kit

Well the light bulb came on...... I mixed a gallon of mag. using the crystals to dose with. I was not dosing or using the calculator properly. Will take steps to get things straightened out. Thanks all!!

GoVols · Feb 7, 2017

JMM744 said:
Well the light bulb came on...... I mixed a gallon of mag. using the crystals to dose with. I was not dosing or using the calculator properly. Will take steps to get things straightened out. Thanks all!!

Glad your bulb came on!
Welcome to being a human being