Extremely high Mg levels

[Hingeback]

Hi, hope someone may be able to shed some light on my problem.

Reef been running 3+ years and not once have I seen a decrease in Mg levels ie does not appear to being taken up by corals.

At present I use 1.5 syringes of reagent in salifert test kit before getting changes in colour.
I think what is happening is that no / very little Mg is being taken up and when doing 10% weekly water changes all I am doing is adding to the already high levels.
I do not add any additives to reef other than calcium and rely on 10% changes to keep other params within right levels.

Any ideas as to how to get levels down and are these levels dangerous. If I am correct my Mg level is 2250ppm. These have been double checked with new salifert kit.

[Zoanuts]

What is your Ca and dKH levels?
what salt are you using?
What is your stock level?

sorry for all the questions. I probably can help with this info. OF course water changes are the best attack.

[DonW]

Are you using Oceanic salt?

Don

[Ninong]

If I am correct my Mg level is 2250ppm. These have been double checked with new salifert kit.

Unless you have been adding magnesium or unless you somehow got a very bad batch of salt mix, I don't think it's possible for your magnesium levels to be that high.

[DonW]

Its very possible to have Mg that high. Salt mixes such as Oceanic run in the 1500 range. If conditions for precip are there then each time a water change is done mg will precip. Slowly over time Mg redisolves increasing it to extremely high levels. The more reagent it takes to change color the higher the Mg. Remember Mg is not like ca any precip will go back into the solution over time.

Don

[Hingeback]

Hi sorry for the delay in answering you had a busy couple of days.

The salt I use is Red Sea which is testing at 1500ppm fresh.

salt concentration in reef is 1.026
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
Phosphate 0
Calc 440ppm
Ph 8.2
Dkh 9

A mentioned I do not dose my reef with anything except for calcium and weeky water changes.

Thankyou for replying I very much appreciate any input and help you might be able to give me.

Neil

[DonW]

Of course verify your test, maybe have some water tested at a LFS. If is in fact that high water changes will bring it down, but its accumulating and is part of having a low consumption tank.

Don