What Mg do you use?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So I re read it again and again lol so let’s see if i understand also tagging along with my other thread of ATI dosing... my calculations from switching from F1&2 to ATI would be 300ml each monthly, so basically 10ml each a day. Now I’m choosing your recipe 1 being I’d like the help in ph boost so I don’t have to add buffer. So would the recipe 1 Mg 3a or b work better for my system?

3A is always better than 3B if you can get the ingredients.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley
Can I use your recipe 1 Mg3b recipe with ATI dosing? If so, is there a calculator for that?

The ATI product is not maintaining magnesium? Might that just be because your salt mix is lower than your tank target?

If so, use this recipe:

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

 

[Lou Ekus]

I moved over to Randy's 2/3 part solution and I'm currently using the Mg solution outlined there

Second New DIY Two Part Recipe with Higher pH Boost

In a previous thread, I posted a true two part DIY recipe: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/new-diy-two-part-recipes-with-higher-ph-boost.344500/ But some folks may want to just swap the new ingredient into my 2/3 part recipe (as used by BRS, for example). Here's the original recipe link...

www.reef2reef.com

Previously I was mixing my own Mg solution using Brightwell's Magnesion-P.

I will be switching over to the Tropic Marin Part C of their balling method which has Mg as well as trace elements.

The Balling Part C is not the best option for supplementing Mg. It does have Mg in it, but not in a supplemental concentration. Yes, it does include trace elements. But it includes ALL 70 trace elements found in natural sea water. When you are supplementing traces, you would want to supplement the traces that you know are being used, and not supplement ones that are not. We do not recommend Balling Part C as a Mg supplementation. Even in the full, true Balling Method, the Part C does NOT supplement for Mg. It is used to ionically balance the remaining sodium chloride that is a biproduct of the use of the Balling A and Balling B.

If you would like a Tropic Marin product for supplementing Mg, please try the Tropic Marin Bio-Magnesium instead. Here is a link to the recommended product: https://www.tropic-marin.com/minerals/bio-magnesium/?lang=en

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The Balling Part C is not the best option for supplementing Mg. It does have Mg in it, but not in a supplemental concentration. Yes, it does include trace elements. But it includes ALL 70 trace elements found in natural sea water. When you are supplementing traces, you would want to supplement the traces that you know are being used, and not supplement ones that are not. We do not recommend Balling Part C as a Mg supplementation. Even in the full, true Balling Method, the Part C does NOT supplement for Mg. It is used to ionically balance the remaining sodium chloride that is a biproduct of the use of the Balling A and Balling B.

If you would like a Tropic Marin product for supplementing Mg, please try the Tropic Marin Bio-Magnesium instead. Here is a link to the recommended product: https://www.tropic-marin.com/minerals/bio-magnesium/?lang=en

As a replacement for the "magnesium part" in my 2/3 part, though, Balling Part C is perfect.

 

[sealife4life]

The ATI product is not maintaining magnesium? Might that just be because your salt mix is lower than your tank target?

If so, use this recipe:

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

Well I don’t know for sure. I just set up the doser and containers this weekend. So I’m trying to figure out the dosage daily which I think i got it down for now until I need to tweak later on with testing. But for salt mix I was using a synthetic blend from LFS which did the job until now. I’ve done some research on salts and the red box fritz or Red Sea coral pro are better which are closer to my parameters. LFS opens up in a hour need to pick some up for a WC today. I like to keep Mg around 1400, seems like mangroves consume most of it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Well I don’t know for sure. I just set up the doser and containers this weekend. So I’m trying to figure out the dosage daily which I think i got it down for now until I need to tweak later on with testing. But for salt mix I was using a synthetic blend from LFS which did the job until now. I’ve done some research on salts and the red box fritz or Red Sea coral pro are better which are closer to my parameters. LFS opens up in a hour need to pick some up for a WC today. I like to keep Mg around 1400, seems like mangroves consume most of it.

I doubt you have much demand beyond ATI two part unless the salt mix is lower than your target, but its fine to use the DIY if you need to.

Make sure the salinity is about 35 ppt. Lower than that makes you need to boost magnesium needlessly.

 

[sealife4life]

As a replacement for the "magnesium part" in my 2/3 part, though, Balling Part C is perfect.

I doubt you have much demand beyond ATI two part unless the salt mix is lower than your target, but its fine to use the DIY if you need to.

Make sure the salinity is about 35 ppt. Lower than that makes you need to boost magnesium needlessly.

I ran test yesterday with Red Sea kit and refractometer.

sal 1.026
Ca 430
Alk 12
Mg 1320
Ph 8.1
Am <.25
No2 0
No3 0

so you’re saying I’ll be good and I think you’re right being a lightly stocked (30 frags). I’ll do 25% WC today and test parameters after and before I start dosing with doser. But if I end up needing a Mg supplement, can I use you’re recipe 1 3a with ATI?

 

[BiggestE222]

I still don't get it all this voodoo over magnesium.

I have a 20L that's wall to wall SPS and consumes 1 to 2 TSP of dry calcium chloride per day.

Before incorporating mag in my calcium I would test it once a month, then use the online reef calculator to top off mag to bring it to around 1200. Takes a few minutes at most and two brain cells. Ive also never seen SPS really care much about mag as long as its not so low as to cause precipitation.

Brightwell Magnesion. 5 ml daily. Keeps magnesium at 1300

 

[LuisPerez711]

The Balling Part C is not the best option for supplementing Mg. It does have Mg in it, but not in a supplemental concentration. Yes, it does include trace elements. But it includes ALL 70 trace elements found in natural sea water. When you are supplementing traces, you would want to supplement the traces that you know are being used, and not supplement ones that are not. We do not recommend Balling Part C as a Mg supplementation. Even in the full, true Balling Method, the Part C does NOT supplement for Mg. It is used to ionically balance the remaining sodium chloride that is a biproduct of the use of the Balling A and Balling B.

If you would like a Tropic Marin product for supplementing Mg, please try the Tropic Marin Bio-Magnesium instead. Here is a link to the recommended product: https://www.tropic-marin.com/minerals/bio-magnesium/?lang=en

Thank you for the explanation. If I need to raise my Mg, then I will use a Mg supplement. That makes sense. Same goes for the trace elements; only adding what is depleted.

I do have a question about the dosing of part C though. On the BRS video, they recommend dosing twice as much of part C if using the BRS method. Is this your recommendation as well to keep the solutions ionically balanced? I currently dose 50ml/day of parts a and b. This means that I will be dosing 100ml/day of part c?

As a replacement for the "magnesium part" in my 2/3 part, though, Balling Part C is perfect.

I've never really had an issue with low Mg. Seeing that your 2/3 part recipe uses Mg to replace sulfate, should I dose Mg anyways at the ratio you outline in your method? My Mg has been solid at 1360 (salifert) for months and I believe the small water changes are what replenishes the minor amounts used.

 

[Lou Ekus]

Thank you for the explanation. If I need to raise my Mg, then I will use a Mg supplement. That makes sense. Same goes for the trace elements; only adding what is depleted.

I do have a question about the dosing of part C though. On the BRS video, they recommend dosing twice as much of part C if using the BRS method. Is this your recommendation as well to keep the solutions ionically balanced? I currently dose 50ml/day of parts a and b. This means that I will be dosing 100ml/day of part c?



I've never really had an issue with low Mg. Seeing that your 2/3 part recipe uses Mg to replace sulfate, should I dose Mg anyways at the ratio you outline in your method? My Mg has been solid at 1360 (salifert) for months and I believe the small water changes are what replenishes the minor amounts used.

The recommendation to dose twice as much of the Part C is in relation to the use of sodium bicarbonate or sodium carbonate. Many of the people using the BRS system are using sodium carbonate as the alkalinity. In that case you would use twice as much of the Part C in volume as you are using of sodium carbonate. If you are using sodium bicarbonate, then the volumes are equal.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

But if I end up needing a Mg supplement, can I use you’re recipe 1 3a with ATI?

Yes, but even better would be this recipe:

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

3. A certain mixture of magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate has no net effect on seawater's major anions (chloride and sulfate). All that is necessary for such a recipe is to add these two ingredients in such a ratio that they add chloride and sulfate in the ratio naturally present in seawater (which is 7.1 to 1 on a weight basis and 9.6 to 1 on a per ion basis).

To perfect such a recipe, it's imperative to know the amounts of sulfate in Epsom salts (39%), the amount of chloride in magnesium chloride hexahydrate (34.9%), and their bulk densities, because most aquarists will use a volume based measurement (1.05 g/cm3 for Epsom salts and 0.85 g/cm3 for magnesium chloride hexahydrate solids). Taking all these factors into account, the desired volume ratio is 10:1, MAG flake to Epsom salts, as a supplement; for instance, 10 cups MAG flake and 1 cup Epsom salts.

 

[DrZoidburg]

Yes, but even better would be this recipe:

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

3. A certain mixture of magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate has no net effect on seawater's major anions (chloride and sulfate). All that is necessary for such a recipe is to add these two ingredients in such a ratio that they add chloride and sulfate in the ratio naturally present in seawater (which is 7.1 to 1 on a weight basis and 9.6 to 1 on a per ion basis).

To perfect such a recipe, it's imperative to know the amounts of sulfate in Epsom salts (39%), the amount of chloride in magnesium chloride hexahydrate (34.9%), and their bulk densities, because most aquarists will use a volume based measurement (1.05 g/cm3 for Epsom salts and 0.85 g/cm3 for magnesium chloride hexahydrate solids). Taking all these factors into account, the desired volume ratio is 10:1, MAG flake to Epsom salts, as a supplement; for instance, 10 cups MAG flake and 1 cup Epsom salts.

10 cups soluble in a gallon though? nvm I see hexahydrate most people are getting di hyrdrates though.

 

[attiland]

Hey guys, I’ll be dosing Mg with a doser and was wondering what you use with your doser. Which product you use? I have an extra spot in my container for it. I have 26 mangroves in sump as refugium started from pods growing for almost a year now.

Aquaforest Magnesium​

 

[Billldg]

@Bulk Reef Supply Mag mix.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

10 cups soluble in a gallon though? nvm I see hexahydrate most people are getting di hyrdrates though.

Most people are not using dihydrates. I'm not even sure such a compound is stable. Hexahydrates are the most commonly available material for magnesium chloride, and heptahydrates for the magnesium sulfate.

 

[sealife4life]

Can any magnesium flake work?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can any magnesium flake work?

Any can raise magnesium, but that may not apply to purity.

 

[sealife4life]

I’m sorry for all the questions and thank you all so much for your help! I’ll keep the Dead Sea or mag flake ready for order then. My plan of attack today then is a 25% wc and get doser pumping. I finally got everything mounted. I’m curious to see if the new salt I bought (Red Sea Coral Pro) will keep magnesium in check with 2 part dosing.

 

[DrZoidburg]

Most people are not using dihydrates. I'm not even sure such a compound is stable. Hexahydrates are the most commonly available material for magnesium chloride, and heptahydrates for the magnesium sulfate.

I'm pretty confident that is what brs uses. A lot of people use their calculators. I crunched some numbers in the past and their dosing calculators matched what dosing the dihydrae would result in. Maybe you can find to this yourself?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm pretty confident that is what brs uses. A lot of people use their calculators. I crunched some numbers in the past and their dosing calculators matched what dosing the dihydrae would result in. Maybe you can find to this yourself?

No, they use my exact DIY recipes, and their calculator matches it correctly, both for the solutions and the the "dry" magnesium chloride hexahydrate.

They use hexahydrate for magnesium chloride and heptahydrate for magnesium sulfate.

Aside from anhydrous materials, those are what is commercially available in the chemical industry.

Many people do use calcium chloride dihydrate. Maybe that is what you are thinking.