Why does my magnesium keep going up?

[Zizzer]

My Magnesium reads 1650 on salifert and 1720 on red sea.

1. I started out with reef safe salt and had high numbers on Magnesium.

2. I used the original instant ocean to drop my Magnesium on a water change and dosed the new water with a little alk to bring my 3 main parameters where they would be about where i wanted them to be after adding the new water to my tank.

3. Numbers looked about right and Magnesium was reading 1370 on salifert but toadstool, carnation, and gorgonian retracted. Everything recovered except the carnation. I think I may have killed that one.

4. I started using RPM reef pro mix salt and Magnesium is supposed to be 1300 to 1400. I've done 2 water changes and now my Magnesium is back up to about 1650 on salifert test kit.

5. Toadstool is starting to come back today and gorgonian is back to normal. Carnation is not out at all.

I have no idea what could be causing my Magnesium to go up like this. Is it food, corals, macro, filtering, sand or rocks, fish, crabs, shrimp or snails? I am lost at what could be causing this. Rodi water doesn't seem to have a reading of Magnesium at all. What could be causing this?

 

[KStatefan]

Is your salinity staying stable?

 

[Zizzer]

Is your salinity staying stable?

Salinity stays at 1.024 roughly. Never reaches 1.025. Never drops below 1.023 when topping off. I use hanna for salinity.

 

[Uncle99]

I have some concern in the accuracy of the 1650ppm number for MG. You are quickly changing salts and thus the chemistry of waters to varying degrees. There may have been a change in Alk between those salts depending on how much water is exchanged. A quick change in Alk will PO stuff, but will recover.

If you mix a small batch, wait 24 hours and test, does MG still come back at 1650?

A salt mixing to that would be mostly useless to reefers IMM.

 

[Zizzer]

tank:
50 gallon
2 power heads 1350gph apiece
2 heater at 77.8
3 gallon hob refugium with red ogo
Canister filter with rocks, carbon, and brown bio phosphate/nitrate foam blocks
1 inch of live sand
Live rock that was not really live

Live stock:
Galaxy pods
2 clowns
1 yellow watchman goby
1 banggai cardinalfish
5 blue hermits
1 orange hermit
1 emerald crab
1 fire shrimp
1 Boxer shrimp
1 tigar Pistol shrimp
1 Astrea snail
3 spiny astraea snails
1 cerith snail
1 Conch
1 ? Snail
1 serpent starfish
1. Mini feather duster

Corals:

1 duncan head and sprouting frag
2. Photosynthetic gorgonian frag
3. Clove polyps colony
4. Toadstool 3-4" diameter
5. 2 small mini torch corals
6. Some kind of Kenya tree looking thing
7. Xenia looking thing
8. Carnation, possibly dead or dying
9. Neon green star polyps
10. Candy Cain With 2 heads

 

[Zizzer]

tank:
50 gallon
2 power heads 1350gph apiece
2 heater at 77.8
3 gallon hob refugium with red ogo
Canister filter with rocks, carbon, and brown bio phosphate/nitrate foam blocks
1 inch of live sand
Live rock that was not really live

Live stock:
Galaxy pods
2 clowns
1 yellow watchman goby
1 banggai cardinalfish
5 blue hermits
1 orange hermit
1 emerald crab
1 fire shrimp
1 Boxer shrimp
1 tigar Pistol shrimp
1 Astrea snail
3 spiny astraea snails
1 cerith snail
1 Conch
1 ? Snail
1 serpent starfish
1. Mini feather duster

Corals:

1 duncan head and sprouting frag
2. Photosynthetic gorgonian frag
3. Clove polyps colony
4. Toadstool 3-4" diameter
5. 2 small mini torch corals
6. Some kind of Kenya tree looking thing
7. Xenia looking thing
8. Carnation, possibly dead or dying
9. Neon green star polyps
10. Candy Cain With 2 heads

 

[Zizzer]

Right, I know, but the concern is more about why does my Magnesium keep going up. But yes, you are right, however, I added the water slowly and did not change the alk more that 1.4 dkl and did not change the calcium more than 50ppm.

I have some concern in the accuracy of the 1650ppm number for MG. You are quickly changing salts and thus the chemistry of waters to varying degrees. There may have been a change in Alk between those salts depending on how much water is exchanged. A quick change in Alk will PO stuff, but will recover.

If you mix a small batch, wait 24 hours and test, does MG still come back at 1650?

A salt mixing to that would be mostly

 

[Uncle99]

Right, I know, but the concern is more about why does my Magnesium keep going up. But yes, you are right, however, I added the water slowly and did not change the alk more that 1.4 dkl and did not change the calcium more than 50ppm.

If it’s going up, then it is being added in some way.
1.4 dkh is a bit of a jump maybe.

Which salt mixes to 1650ppm?

I have zero luck with the Red Sea test, but I trust Salifert.
What Salifert say for 24hour old fresh mix with TDS water?

 

[Zizzer]

Instant oceans reef safe salt was reading high before adding and I don't know about the fritz rpm before adding. I just know that I've done 2 water changes with the fritz sense I've dropped the magnesium down to 1340ish and now it's sky rocketed back to 1600 plus.

If it’s going up, then it is being added in some way.
1.4 dkh is a bit of a jump maybe.

Which salt mixes to 1650ppm?

I have zero luck with the Red Sea test, but I trust Salifert.
What Salifert say for 24hour old fresh mix with TDS water?

 

[Zizzer]

Tds is 0

 

[Zizzer]

BTW, I've never dosed magnesium. But you are right. It is getting in there somehow.

 

[Uncle99]

Instant oceans reef safe salt was reading high before adding and I don't know about the fritz rpm before adding. I just know that I've done 2 water changes with the fritz sense I've dropped the magnesium down to 1340ish and now it's sky rocketed back to 1600 plus.

You mean you do a water change (how big) and you test to 1340ppm, then it’s jumps (how long) to 1650ppm?

What about in 24hours, then 24more, would it stay the same?

I’m really leaning towards bad test kit.

 

[Uncle99]

I’ve used Fritz, MG mixes to 1400Ppm.
It’s best to wait between tests, at least several hours.

You’ll find it, I’d rule out testing error first.

 

[Zizzer]

I’ve used Fritz, MG mixes to 1400Ppm.
It’s best to wait between tests, at least several hours.

You’ll find it, I’d rule out testing error first.

I tested with salifert and redsea today. Last water change was 3 or 4 days ago

 

[Zizzer]

I was thinking bad test kit too but I've used 2 different redsea test, 1 express in 3 months and the other expires in 2025. Salifert has a good expiration on it as well. I guess I'm just gonna have to go with hanna as soon as I can afford it.

 

[kevgib67]

I was having the opposite problem. Thought it might be my Fritz RPM salt. Mixed up 4 gallons and it tested at 1350. I’ve been dosing since.

 

[Uncle99]

I was thinking bad test kit too but I've used 2 different redsea test, 1 express in 3 months and the other expires in 2025. Salifert has a good expiration on it as well. I guess I'm just gonna have to go with hanna as soon as I can afford it.

I could never make the Red Sea kit work.

It’s either water or salt, or, just a bad kit. Had this several times.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

My magnesium tests have always seemed to be the fastest to expire/ deliver strange results. Thankfully it's mag. I've chased it before lik op because of a no longer accurate NYOS test. Reading 1500-1600, A new salifert test quickly confirmed that my NYOS kit was bad.

 

[Zizzer]

Humm, ok. My conclusion is to... throw my hands in the air. I'll just ignore these test and continue with weekly water changes.

 

[kevgib67]

Humm, ok. My conclusion is to... throw my hands in the air. I'll just ignore these test and continue with weekly water changes.

How about getting an ICP and sending it out to compare your results.