B-Ionic Users, Help Needed

[SPerry]

test your Mg if it is low you will get the precipt the globs wont hurt anything though they eventually will disolve in the water

[Weetabix7]

test your Mg if it is low you will get the precipt the globs wont hurt anything though they eventually will disolve in the water

 

Mg was 1250.

Is that low enough to cause that effect?

[SPerry]

That shouldn't be too low I dont guess. Like I said I dont dose very often I have just seen what you are talking about and read on it.

 

"Likewise, one of the problems at higher pH (anywhere above 8.2, but progressively more problematic with each incremental rise) is the abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate, resulting in a drop in calcium and alkalinity, and the clogging of heaters and pump impellers. If you push the pH to 8.4 or higher (as often happens when using limewater), make sure that both the calcium and alkalinity levels are suitably maintained (that is, neither too low, inhibiting biological calcification, nor too high, causing excessive abiotic precipitation on equipment)."

 

"Magnesium's primary importance is its interaction with the calcium and alkalinity balance in reef aquaria. Seawater and reef aquarium water are always supersaturated with calcium carbonate. That is, the solution's calcium and carbonate levels exceed the amount that the water can hold at equilibrium. How can that be? Magnesium is a big part of the answer. Whenever calcium carbonate begins to precipitate, magnesium binds to the growing surface of the calcium carbonate crystals. The magnesium effectively clogs the crystals' surface so that they no longer look like calcium carbonate, making them unable to attract more calcium and carbonate, so the precipitation stops. Without the magnesium, the abiotic (nonbiological) precipitation of calcium carbonate would likely increase enough to prohibit the maintenance of calcium and alkalinity at natural levels.

 

For this reason, I suggest targeting the natural seawater concentration of magnesium: ~1285 ppm. For practical purposes, 1250-1350 ppm is fine, and levels slightly outside that range (1200-1400 ppm) are also likely acceptable. I would not suggest raising magnesium by more than 100 ppm per day, in case the magnesium supplement contains impurities. If you need to raise it by several hundred ppm, spreading the addition over several days will allow you to more accurately reach the target concentration, and might possibly allow the aquarium to handle any impurities that the supplement contains."

 

I tried dosing, testing, calculating, for a while. Understanding all the interaction between Cal, Alk, Mg and pH made my head hurt and I couldnt see any difference in my corals. That is what prompted me to take a hands off approach. Water changes every other week and leave it alone.

[Weetabix7]

Okay, if it's not the magnesium, does anyone else have any idea what could cause this effect?

Has anyone else exerienced this?

[SeeDemTails]

Yes, I have experienced it.

 

Have you checked your alkalinity? What is it at?

 

If you keep a lot of SPS or if you just want good coralline growth, I would use some type of ca and alk system. ESV is one of the simplest I have used.