Help with Mag test kit

[wrimda]

hello, I feel a little stupid here.

I am using the Salifert Magnesium test kit and have a couple of questions.

The directions say " Add one spoon of MG-2 powder to the test vial." meaning level spoon? With the Salifert phosphate test kit it says "level spoon".

Also the test says " hold the syringe with the tip facing upward and read the position of the upper end of the black syringe part"
My syringe reads .2 when test vial turned blue. Does this mean my Mag level is 1200ppm?

Thank you in advance
Mike

[charlie]

Yes it does, so that means you did it correctly!!!! What were your calcium readings?

[wrimda]

Thank you

cal 360
Alk only 161
PH 8.4

Mike

[Ninong]

The directions say " Add one spoon of MG-2 powder to the test vial." meaning level spoon?

Yes, they are always talking about level spoon using their little bitty spoon.

Also the test says " hold the syringe with the tip facing upward and read the position of the upper end of the black syringe part"
My syringe reads .2 when test vial turned blue. Does this mean my Mag level is 1200ppm?
Mike

Yes, you read their magnesium test with the syringe held with the tip pointed up and then you read where the top of the black touches the markings and compare that to the chart.

You want your magnesium to be close to natural seawater, which is approximately 1290 ppm. In general, it should be approximately three times your calcium ppm number.

[Ninong]

Alkalinity is usually given as either dKH (degrees Karbonate hardness) or meq/l (milliequivalents per liter). You gave it as CaCO3 equivalents. If you take 161 and divide by 50, you get 3.22 meq/l or 9 dKH (3.22 x 2.8 = 9).

Your calcium is a little on the low side but your alkalinity is fine. You need to raise your calcium to around 425 ppm.



P.S. -- Always give the unit of measurement whenever you post numbers.

[wrimda]

My Phosphate level is .25
I am trying to get it down with ROWA phos sponge but it is not comming down so far (3 days )

My PH has stayed at 8.4 for the three weeks that we have had the tank.

Our Ca @ 360 would like to raise to 425, but would the cal sup raise the PH as well?

I am trying not to do too many things at one time.

Thank you
Mike

[Ninong]

Your pH will be lower first thing the morning just before the lights come on and highest late in the day before the main lights go off. You need to test it twice a day to see what the daily spread is. Ideally it should be around 8.2-8.3 to mimic natural seawater but anything between 8.0 to 8.4 is fine. You don't want it rising above 8.5 or falling below 7.8. NSW pH now is 8.2. It was 8.3 a hundred years ago. It is predicted that it will fall to 7.9 by the end of this century due to increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere that have to be absorbed by the ocean. Aragonite begins to dissolve at pH below 7.7, so the reefs, assuming they're still around, will begin to dissolve sometime in the middle of the next century. That assumes they haven't all bleached out by then and that they are able to keep up with rising levels in the ocean and rising water temperature.

So 8.4 is fine for your pH and if it rises to 8.5, then that's not a problem. You just don't want to let it get above 8.5. I know some people who think that 8.45 is ideal.

Your alkalinity is fine as it is. What method are you presently using to maintain calcium and alkalinity?

[wrimda]

We have been lucky enough to be at this level since we have had the tank. No additives. I am concerned about adding calcium, or Mag additives
as they might raise our PH?

What do the levels of PH, Mag, Cal, and Alk do in between water changes?

Also which is the best salt mix availible?

Thank you
Mike

[Ninong]

I still don't know what method you are using to maintain calcium and alkalinity. I need to know that in order to tell you how to raise your calcium.

[wrimda]

We have been lucky enough to be at this level since we have had the tank.

We are not using any method!

[Ninong]

Calcium and alkalinity cannot be maintained without using a regular maintenance regime. I chose to drip limewater (Kalkwasser) every night as evaporation replacement. Since limewater does nothing for magnesium, I had to add a magnesium additive about once every five or six weeks.

An even better method is to have a calcium reactor. That's an expensive initial expense and you have to have room for it. I really didn't have any place to put one. A calcium reactor maintains calcium and alkalinity AND magnesium.

Another popular method is to use one of the two-component products. One bottle is for calcium and the other bottle is for alkalinity. You would dose a measured amount of each into your sump about five minutes apart. It's very important to not allow the two components to mix. These products can even be dosed directly into the tank in there is no sump. Care has to be taken when dosing into the tank.

When I first set up my 120-gal tank, I used B-Ionic for the first five or six weeks until I had the calcium up into the 425-450 ppm range. Then I switched to limewater. That's because limewater would take forever to raise calcium. It's better at maintaining it once it's already where it's supposed to be.

Dr. Randy Holmes-Farley has written an excellent article that explains the various methods that can be used to maintain calcium and alkalinity. You need to read it: How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

You might also find this article informative: A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php

Those two articles will bring you up to speed and answer all of your questions in complete detail. After reading those, if you have new questions, then post them in this thread.

Since your calcium is too low right now, I would suggest that you start using one of the two-component products, such as B-Ionic. They are intended to be dosed in equal amounts (such as three Tbsps of each) every day. The size of the doses depends on the size of your tank and your calcium and alkalinity readings. In your case, because your alkalinity is fine and it's just your calcium that is too low, you would dose say three measures of calcium component to one measure of alkalinity component. In other words, you would dose one Tbsp of calcium additive for each tsp of alkalinity additive.

Read both of Randy's articles. One of them answers the questions you just asked about the relationship between calcium, alkalinity, magnesium and pH and the other one explains the various methods that can be used to maintain calcium and alkalinity.

[wrimda]

Thank you, I will read the articles