bdare Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Hehe... My bad I knew it had something to do with that... Link to comment
MrAnderson Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 I think he actually knew that Ben lol. i haven't been posting out in the regular forums enough lately. yeah i was jsut giving people a heads-up in this thread, something to consider if one is looking to dissolve additional lime or lower the pH of their limewater. it was my way of saying vinegar has it's drawbacks. Link to comment
filefish949 Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 hm nobody answered the question...~SNIP~ thinking one is supplementing ravenous corals, when all you are doing is supplementing your sandbed or heater. basically, combined with other aggravating factors like pH or heat, it can screw up your Ca/carbonate balance and cause one to have to dose like a madman to keep up with the consumption. in a worst case scenario it might cause a fast drop if somehow a global precipitation event is triggered and shock your corals. I know this was not asked but it does fit right in here. the precipitation problems Mr.A is talking about are exacerbated when MG is not maintained, basically, in NSW calcium and carbonate are a supersaturated solution. the Mg works as a lubricant (perhaps Fosi can explain this better than i understand it) but if there were no MG you would precipitate well under 400ppm/8dkh. additionally with elevated hardness, you will see pumps fail prematurely and venturies on skimmers clog up quickly. the tip burn is usually the first thing a newer reefer notices. as far as kalk, it is great stuff once you work the kinks out on slow dosing. i am currently running a 180 with many small SPS colonies, a few med sized SPS colonies a few clams, mid sized LPS and coralline up the ying-yang. growth rate is nothing short of amazing. i have a complete 2-part dosing system which is in manual override OFF, my only supplementation is saturated limewater, and occasional Epsom's salt (magnesium sulfate) when needed Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 The Mg works as a lubricant (perhaps Fosi can explain this better than i understand it) but if there were no MG you would precipitate well under 400ppm/8dkh. Geochemists call it "ionic shielding". In short, in an ionic (or electrolyte) solution, the more soluble ions help keep the less soluble ones in solution. This is why, contrary to intuition, Ca2+ is more soluble in SW than it is in FW. Such shielding keeps the less soluble ions "busy" or "blocked" away from the other solution components that would otherwise combine with them and cause them to precipitate. I am contending with Mg deficiency induced CaCO3 precipitation in my tank right now. My Oceanic mixes up to only about 990 mg/l. Link to comment
filefish949 Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Geochemists call it "ionic shielding". ~snip~ I am contending with Mg deficiency induced CaCO3 precipitation in my tank right now. My Oceanic mixes up to only about 990 mg/l. thanks Fosi, that is one more piece in the puzzle for me I have been using Epsom's salt for my Mg supplementing, and had no problems with sulphate buildup Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 That's the direction I am leaning too. I looked them up yesterday and found an article by Holmes-Farley where he said that "Epsom salts actually contain about four times as much sulfate as magnesium." I am not sure where he is getting that since epsom salt is hydrated MgSO4. That looks like a 1:1 ratio to me. I'd prefer to use MgCl but I don't have any of that on hand and I'm not sure that I want to use de-icer. Link to comment
bdare Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 That's the direction I am leaning too. I looked them up yesterday and found an article by Holmes-Farley where he said that "Epsom salts actually contain about four times as much sulfate as magnesium." I am not sure where he is getting that since epsom salt is hydrated MgSO4. That looks like a 1:1 ratio to me. I'd prefer to use MgCl but I don't have any of that on hand and I'm not sure that I want to use de-icer. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/Calcium,-Alk...oduct_info.html Link to comment
filefish949 Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I'd prefer to use MgCl but I don't have any of that on hand and I'm not sure that I want to use de-icer. I have, as have many others used Epsom's with no ill effects, may others have use the de-icer, but like you, I am a bit skittish. the BRS product is de-icer, just that a lot of people are that brand/production run from them. fallowing randy, it seems the conventional wisdom is to use 50/50 Epsom's/driveway heat Link to comment
Mr. Fosi Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Well, I've never been much of a "follower". Link to comment
bdare Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 It's not 50/50. It's 5 cups of one and 3 of the other. This is what I use... Magnesium Fill the last gallon jug ¾ to 4/5th with RO/DI water. This will make shaking and dissolving the solution much easier. Take 5 level cupfuls of "Magnesium Chloride" and 3 level cupfuls of "Magnesium Sulfate" and mix together in the clean pail or bowl. Add 1/3 of this mixture to the gallon jug and shake vigorously. Repeat "Step 2" with another 1/3 of the magnesium. Add the remaining magnesium and repeat "Step 2" until dissolved. Fill the remainder of the jug with water, cap and label "Magnesium." http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-07/rhf/index.php Link to comment
filefish949 Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Well, I've never been much of a "follower". yea me too, except for cretin circumstances, for instance crossing a mine field, or adding a new supplement to my tank then i am more than gald to fallow Link to comment
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