When my levels are really low... do I just dose daily until??

Jonathan blackwood · Mar 13, 2016

Do I extra dose? Dose normal? Or just slowly drip until my parameters come back to normal? My calcium and magnesium we outrageously low. Everything else was in quality range

nothing in my tank is dying off, I just want to fix it before they do.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 13, 2016

How low?

Low enough that it may be testing error?

Magnesium changes VERY slowly (like 0-2 ppm per day), so if it rapidly went down, that is testing error.

Jonathan blackwood · Mar 13, 2016

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
How low?

Low enough that it may be testing error?

Magnesium changes VERY slowly (like 0-2 ppm per day), so if it rapidly went down, that is testing error.

I haven't tested it in a very very long time and haven't dosed or anything in a very long time. My tank is fully stocked with coral and one fish. So I'm guessing it is that low from them sucking all the nutrients out. I do weekly water changes, about 35%

Jonathan blackwood · Mar 13, 2016

Like calcium was 280 ish and my magnesium was 890 ish

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 13, 2016

I'm skeptical those are real, but if they are, dosing or big water changes will work.

First step is to do some reliable testing of the tank and your salt mix.

Jonathan blackwood · Mar 13, 2016

I'm using redsea test kit, and I'll do another water change tonight. But I thought they were too low to be true

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 13, 2016

Try the kits on the new salt water.

How are you measuring salinity?

Downbeach · Mar 14, 2016

Where do you keep your SG? Your SG would be the first thing I'd be suspicious of when I see numbers that are that low, especially with WC's of that amount, and frequency. If your using a swing arm type hydrometer, or a non/mis calibrated device, i.e. a refractometer calibrated with plain water instead of a 35ppt calibration solution, you may not be adding enough salt mix when you make up your water for your WC's, and by extension not enough Ca, Mg and Alk.