AUFishGuy November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 My magnesium level in my 90 gallon reef is at 1200, is this too low? I'm leaving for 4 days and need to know if I should dose before leaving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 I like mine around 1350-1400 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUFishGuy November 25, 2015 Author Share November 25, 2015 I like mine around 1350-1400 I know that is most people's optimum. Will mine be ok for a few days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 (edited) I think it should be fine. I would be more concerned about alk then anything else. Personally I would do a water change before u go. i do water changes every 2 weeks. So 4 days shouldn't be an issue Edited November 25, 2015 by epleeds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUFishGuy November 25, 2015 Author Share November 25, 2015 AlK was 9.5 answer calcium was 450 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 1200 is fine. Magnesium doesn't deplete that quickly, so don't worry. Natural seawater (NSW) averages 1250-1300 ppm typically, but aquarists will often run anywhere from 1150-1500 ppm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 Regarding your alkalinity level, are you doing any sort of automated dosing at all? Do you know how much alk your system consumes per day? How often do you dose alkalinity to maintain your 9.5 dKH level? As Epleeds says, alk will be the parameter that seems to decline the fastest. Typically, you'll deplete 2.8 dKH of alkalinity for every 20 ppm of Calcium consumed, and about 1 ppm of magnesium, too. It's not uncommon for larger, more mature systems with a lot of SPS to consume several dKH of alk per day, and that's why they're on automated dosing schedules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUFishGuy November 25, 2015 Author Share November 25, 2015 Regarding your alkalinity level, are you doing any sort of automated dosing at all? Do you know how much alk your system consumes per day? How often do you dose alkalinity to maintain your 9.5 dKH level? As Epleeds says, alk will be the parameter that seems to decline the fastest. Typically, you'll deplete 2.8 dKH of alkalinity for every 20 ppm of Calcium consumed, and about 1 ppm of magnesium, too. It's not uncommon for larger, more mature systems with a lot of SPS to consume several dKH of alk per day, and that's why they're on automated dosing schedules. I'm glad you brought this up. I was going to ask this in its own thread but I will go ahead with it here. My system is relatively young, I have some large LPS and all of my SPS are Frags, there are about 8 of them, most have only been in the tank about a month. Some are growing extremely fast and look great while others are meh, meh meaning get little to slow growth and the color not being great. My calcium seems to be depleting pretty slowly. I haven't gotten exact daily measurements due ton traveling a lot the past few weeks but I'd say it drops anywhere from 30-40 ppm over the course of 5-6 days. My Alk does not deplete near as fast. In fact I have only had to dose 2 times in the last month. Is this normal, I thought with daily dosing of 2 part, which I'm not doing, you would dose the Ca and Alk in equal amounts. This would not work with how the 2 elements are being used at different rates in my system. Am I missing something here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 Calcium and alkalinity are used up at nearly a fixed ratio when nitrates are not accumulating. You should not see calcium being used up more quickly. Tell me more about how you maintain the system. Are you using RO/DI for topoff and when mixing up artificial saltwater? Sent from my phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUFishGuy November 25, 2015 Author Share November 25, 2015 Calcium and alkalinity are used up at nearly a fixed ratio when nitrates are not accumulating. You should not see calcium being used up more quickly. Tell me more about how you maintain the system. Are you using RO/DI for topoff and when mixing up artificial saltwater? Sent from my phone Yea using a 4 stage Rodi from BRS.. I will be able to test daily starting next week so that should give me a better idea of what's going on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami November 25, 2015 Share November 25, 2015 Daily testing is ok. Probably overkill, but we've all done it. Just chart it for a week or two and note whatever changes you make to determine the trends in your tank. As you become more experienced, you'll find that you test a lot less. Sent from my phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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