What to dose? Ca high, alk low, mg low

[Goat]

I curious what I need to do to reduce Ca, raise alk and raise mg. Currently my Ca is 440, alk is 7.2 and mg is 1170. Prior to a water change today they were Ca 445, alk 7.2, and mg 1215. I don't have corals yet but want to figure this out before adding them. I do have nice coralline growth all over my rocks though. Should I go ahead and add some corals and measure how much they use daily and then determine the best route?

 

[pdt7361]

Your calcium is fine...natural usage in the tank and water changes will reduce it down slowly.
For dosing, do you plan to dose by hand or by a doser for better stability?

 

[McMullen]

I use Bulk Reef Supply 2 Part. They have calculators to get you started on how much to dose.

 

[fabutahoun]

BRS is a good option, for now forget about your calcium levels, and dose KH and mag
For KH you can use Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate) if you want to raise PH, If Not use Sodium Bicarbonate. (or just get Arm and Hammer Baking soda - that's what I Use)
For mag, you can get Magnesium Mix Aquarium Supplement, or mix your own using Magnesium Sulfate with Magnesium Chloride

All Info and direction can be found in BRS website and very useful calculator.

 

[Alfrareef]

Hi there,
Have you tried measuring with a different test kit?
What has been the trend for those in the past weeks?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I expect the magnesium drop is testing error unless it was a big water change with a very low magnesium mix.

Everything else is fine and don't worry. All values of calcium between 400 and 550 ppm are perfectly fine.

 

[Goat]

I expect the magnesium drop is testing error unless it was a big water change with a very low magnesium mix.

Everything else is fine and don't worry. All values of calcium between 400 and 550 ppm are perfectly fine.

The mg level was low in the fresh salt water. I don't know why though, maybe because it was the last of a bag. It was reef crystals and a week ago my mg was 1290 5 days after a water change. I guess it may fix it's self after next water change. But my Kh is always on the low end.

 

[watdachuck]

Numbers don't look bad. I'm a kalkwasser man myself and add Mg manually of it falls too low. I have been keeping SPS corals successfully for a decade with this method with only water changes to alter chemistry. I use IO Reef Crystals.

 

[Goat]

Numbers don't look bad. I'm a kalkwasser man myself and add Mg manually of it falls too low. I have been keeping SPS corals successfully for a decade with this method with only water changes to alter chemistry. I use IO Reef Crystals.

What mg supplement do you use?

 

[watdachuck]

What mg supplement do you use?

 

[Goat]

Ok Thanks