Dosing magnesium

[hazmat]

Can it go in straight from the bottle or do I need to mix it in SW and pour in slowly?

 

My Mg is only 1200. Trying to get it around 1400. Thanks!

[xenon]

What type of mag are you using?

 

I use Kent TechM and I dose directly in the rear chambers.

[Sexy Shrimp]

I put it in the rear chambers. Never had a problem raising it by 100 at a time (wouldn't do more than that though...).

[hazmat]

I bought Brightwell Aquatics liquid mag. It says if your mag is less than 1288 use 10cc/20 gallons daily until your level is up to par. But it doesn't give directions as far as how to dose it. I ended up mixing the 10cc in a cup of SW and pouring it slowly in the back chamber.

 

Thanks for the responses. Someone should develop a sticky with dosing "how to's". Who is up for that job?!

[merfin70]

I used Kent Tech M and dumped in right into the back chamber. Wonder if the Brightwell stuff is really concentrated or its just going to take a bunch of days as 10cc doesn't sound like a lot for Mag dosing. With the Tech M, moving my number in a 39g tank up by 100 took over 6oz. Kind of scared me given how small my other dosing is for Ca and Alk with Bionic but it did the trick.

[Sexy Shrimp]

I know everyone here slates purple up but it is really good for bringing calcium and Mg up. It is really concentrated so you only need a capful once, maybe twice, a week...

 

When I was dosing each seperately you need so much of the chemicals it was costing me about £10 a month. Purple Up cost me £20 a bottle which should last for a year going off my current rate of use!!

[hazmat]

I know everyone here slates purple up but it is really good for bringing calcium and Mg up. It is really concentrated so you only need a capful once, maybe twice, a week...

 

When I was dosing each seperately you need so much of the chemicals it was costing me about £10 a month. Purple Up cost me £20 a bottle which should last for a year going off my current rate of use!!

 

That's exactly what happend with me trying to get my alk up. I used an entire bottle of Brightwell carbonate and dosed every day! Used an entire bottle and then started on a bottle of Seachem carbonate. Then I switched to baking soda and soda ash!

 

Brightwell says: each ml (or cc) of supliment will bring up 1US gallon of water up by 26ppm. so if I'm dosing 10 cc but it's a 34 gallon tank how does that calculate out to?

 

I dosed yesterday with 10cc and it didn't do squat to bring it up. It was 1200 today and 1200 yesterday.

[bdare]

That's exactly what happend with me trying to get my alk up. I used an entire bottle of Brightwell carbonate and dosed every day! Used an entire bottle and then started on a bottle of Seachem carbonate. Then I switched to baking soda and soda ash!

 

Brightwell says: each ml (or cc) of supliment will bring up 1US gallon of water up by 26ppm. so if I'm dosing 10 cc but it's a 34 gallon tank how does that calculate out to?

 

I dosed yesterday with 10cc and it didn't do squat to bring it up. It was 1200 today and 1200 yesterday.

 

I'd go ahead and put in about 150 - 200ml and see what that does. Problem with Brightwell is none of the online calculators have them in the list! It takes A LOT of Mg supplement to raise levels. You might just go get some Epsom salts.

[fierceseaman]

Why don't you use the reef calculator?

 

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

 

Although I don't know if it has your additive though, its worth a check. I use it all the time and it works great.

[Sctn4Elk]

I use Brightwell Magnesion and add it directly to my display tank...

[hazmat]

I'd go ahead and put in about 150 - 200ml and see what that does. Problem with Brightwell is none of the online calculators have them in the list! It takes A LOT of Mg supplement to raise levels. You might just go get some Epsom salts.

 

Whoa! Seriously?? Put in 150cc in at one time??

 

 

Why don't you use the reef calculator?

 

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html

 

Although I don't know if it has your additive though, its worth a check. I use it all the time and it works great.

 

Yeah, there is a couple of the reef calculators that I use and like but Brightwell is never on them!

[bdare]

Yeah... how many gallons is your tank again? I think it takes me 4-500ml to raise my 55 gallons 100ppm with Randy's 2 part.

[Sexy Shrimp]

Yeah... how many gallons is your tank again? I think it takes me 4-500ml to raise my 55 gallons 100ppm with Randy's 2 part.

I use 5 ml of Purple Up twice a week. I win!!!!! Why waste your time and money on something that barely raises your levels? Currently Ca - 480, Mg 1450, KH 10, pH 8.4 and my corals are loving it!

[bdare]

I use 5 ml of Purple Up twice a week. I win!!!!! Why waste your time and money on something that barely raises your levels? Currently Ca - 480, Mg 1450, KH 10, pH 8.4 and my corals are loving it!

L34NN3,

 

I hate to tell you but Purple Up is crap. You aren't getting any calcium from that stuff. It's insoluable in our tanks. I'm pretty sure if you tried to raise your levels it would take a lot as well..

 

It's the nature of the beast will Mg supplements.

[Sexy Shrimp]

Bdare - Have you ever used it? I very much doubt it or you wouldn't be trashing the product.

 

I was extremely skeptical until I tried it (because of people on here who think they know it all but actually know a lot about very little). I was dosing approx 45g of MgCl2 a week and god knows how much for calcium. All the faff of mixing it and worrying if it is going to get too hot and make the glass jug shatter

 

Seriously PU really works! WTF are you talking about saying calcium is insoluble? If that were the case no calcium supplement would work... I was really amazed by the results after dosing "properly" with 4 different chemicals for months and it getting used up really quickly. PU still gets used up but I only need 2 capfuls (10 ml) a week! It's cheap, simple reliable (as long as you shake the bottle).

 

Try it and if it doesn't work then slate it. I don't think you will though...

 

EDIT - and for the record I raised my levels with it... Ca from 340 to 480 and Mg from 980 to 1450. Better results than I ever got with other stuff.

 

Just another addition - for anyone using MgSO4 (epsom salts). Make sure you keep up with your water changes - or face sulphate problems

[bdare]

The fact is I have tried it. When I set up my first reef tank I bought it thinking it would work as a coraline accelerator. Cacium is soluable, but the pulverized aragonite in Purple Up is not. You are basically just adding dust to your tank. Also what else is in there? Why not just dose PURE elements to your tank.

 

Here's an article that discusses supplments like Aragamilk and Purple Up.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2002/chem.htm

[Sexy Shrimp]

When I set up my first reef tank I bought it thinking it would work as a coraline accelerator.

There's where you failed - you tried to boost your coraline in a new tank. It is used as a supplement to replace lost chemicals not as an "accellerant".

 

Did you keep detailed checks of all your params while doing this?

 

I have been testing various magnesium supplements for my LFS and purple up is far superior. There is an initial clouding of the water that disappears after about 1 minute then the water is crystal clear. There is nowhere for "dust" to settle in my tank as my turnover is 45x.

 

No disrespect but I trust my own studies on its usage. I have done it systematically and scientifically monitoring actual levels not just the colour of my rock

[bdare]

L34NN3,

 

Read the ingredients on the bottle then read the article I sent.

 

Ben

 

PU may in fact help you raise your Mg, but what about all the other stuff you're putting in there that you don't know what it is or it's effect?

[Sexy Shrimp]

Hmmm it's talking about solid state (I had that in the back chambers of my first tank - never had a drop in Ca lol - didnt have many corals either) and slurry. PU is much smaller than a slurry size. I have a good mind to take some to work, whack it under a x1000 objective and measure the size with a graticule. Don't try and baffle a scientist with science it wont work . The article is mainly irrelevant for PU.

 

CBA checking the ingredients as I am in bed. It is now 2:15 pm and I have still not got to sleep after working a 12h night shift. I have been up since 8:30 yesterday morning and can no longer think straight lol It was a cr*ppy shift too. Wasted 40 pints of blood, 12 pints of FFP and 4 doses of platelets trying to keep a herione addict alive (who died anyway). All those people who think they are doing good don't realise probably of it gets used on alcoholics and druggies! Pregnant women are high on the list too so I am still a donor. I have an exclusion on my organ donor card for liver - I'm not having some alki ruining my lovely liver. I have it written into my will that it will go to hospital laboratories for control testing of patient tests. There is a global shortage of liver since all the organ retention hoo-har. Rat liver doesn't work the same (but labs do now use rat kidney, heart, lung and brain instead of leftover biopsies - poor rats ).

 

Anyways time for bed after waffling

[bdare]

Well...

 

I suppose if you still don't believe me you could go post in the Chem Forum at Reef Central and tell them you are using Purple Up for a Ca and Mg supplement, but be prepared for a flaming!

 

Ben

[masterbuilder]

Just another addition - for anyone using MgSO4 (epsom salts). Make sure you keep up with your water changes - or face sulphate problems

 

Dont know about the PU discussion...but.... the quote above is right on. Dont like the idea of epsom salts

[bdare]

Dont know about the PU discussion...but.... the quote above is right on. Dont like the idea of epsom salts

That's why Randy's 2 part recipie uses Mg chloride and Mg Sulfate!

[hazmat]

A lot has been discussed since I was last here!

 

Getting ready to test my Mg this morning. I'm sure it will be 1200 again!

 

bdare: just to make sure I'm understanding....I'm going to take my 250ml bottle of Brightwell Magnesium and pour half of it right into my tank. Is that correct? For some reason that sounds REALLY scary!!! If my fish die to I get to come over to Rockwall and pick some things out of your tank?! LOL!!

[merfin70]

Yep, its scary but it works like he said. I cringed when I did 7 oz of Kent Tech-M in my 39g as it looked like a HUGE amount of anything to be dosing but I went up 100 spot on. Thankfully its very stable now, otherwise I'd have to buy the stuff by the drum.

[bdare]

I promise... you'll be OK. And tomorrow you'll wish you purchased your Mg supplements from bulkreefsupply once you realize how much it's gonna cost you in the end.