Dosing Mg

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

A cheap easy alternative is
50lb bag of Easy Start brand icemelter for your driveway $40
4kg jug of Epsom Salts $5
Mix it 11-1
I use 1/2cup per 5gallons of freshwater in my top up resevoir.
Been using this for a couple of years now. You can't really argue that it's unsafe for reef tanks as I learned this from whatcaneydo and well, look at pics of his tank

Well, my Mg didn't stay up for very long, back down to 1260 now. So I think I am going to have to get serious about dosing.

Where do you buy this Easy Start ice melter? And where is a good place to get a 4 kg jug of Epsom salts?

I don't use a top off reservoir. After mixing the Easy Start and Epsom Salts (11:1), can I add that mixture (after figuring out the appropriate amount) to my Ca dosing? Or do I need to set up a 3rd dosing pump? And what time of day is it best to dose Mg? Currently I dose Ca during the day and Alk at night.

[Madreefer]

I picked up mine from Amco. The epsom salts from Shoppers Drug Mart. I add a half a cup of the mixture to 5G of freshwater for my reservoir. Stays consistant at 1350. Whatcaneyedo is the dude that got me on to this. I'm pretty sure he adds a cup of the mixture to his water change but dont quote me on that. Shoot him a PM he's pretty helpful. Good luck bro

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

I picked up mine from Amco. The epsom salts from Shoppers Drug Mart. I add a half a cup of the mixture to 5G of freshwater for my reservoir. Stays consistant at 1350. Whatcaneyedo is the dude that got me on to this. I'm pretty sure he adds a cup of the mixture to his water change but dont quote me on that. Shoot him a PM he's pretty helpful. Good luck bro

Thanks. Don't think we have an Amco wholesale in the lower mainland. Anybody know where I can get the Easy Start here?

[Aquattro]

Every time I read these threads, I'm almost tempted to measure my Mg

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Every time I read these threads, I'm almost tempted to measure my Mg

Are you suggesting I should hold off? I sure would like to.

What gets me is my Mg was running at 1260 before I raised it to 1350, and then a month+ later it is back to 1260??

And I should add that my Ca and Alk have been stable all along with my dosing. Maybe I should leave the Mg alone?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Are you suggesting I should hold off? I sure would like to.

No, suggesting I should get off my lazy ass and test my Mg

[Madreefer]

I've overdosed my Mg before and played around with it alot trying to combat bryopsis. I've also brought it up by way over 100ppm in a day. It's really not a big deal as if you were dosing Ca. Worrying just makes you lose sleep. Unrelated to you but on side note, I might add that this wont work on bryopsis thats just the Kent stuff.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

can I add that mixture (after figuring out the appropriate amount) to my Ca dosing? And what time of day is it best to dose Mg? Currently I dose Ca during the day and Alk at night.

Not a good idea to mix the Mg and Ca. The Mg will cause Ca sulphates to precipitate and ruin your Ca mix so you'll need a third doser. But many get by with hand dosing as it's not so much once balanced
You can dose the Mg anytime between your other dosing. Just pick a time dead center between your Ca and Alk timers - day or night is fine as far as I know
And if you're not needing to add much (once balanced), you could get by with a cheap daily drip setup, or just dump it in
I don't even know anyone with a dedicated Mg doser ... but I'm sure there's lots out there
I know if I had to dose it I'd have another pump

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Not a good idea to mix the Mg and Ca. The Mg will cause Ca sulphates to precipitate and ruin your Ca mix so you'll need a third doser. But many get by with hand dosing as it's not so much once balanced
You can dose the Mg anytime between your other dosing. Just pick a time dead center between your Ca and Alk timers - day or night is fine as far as I know
And if you're not needing to add much (once balanced), you could get by with a cheap daily drip setup, or just dump it in
I don't even know anyone with a dedicated Mg doser ... but I'm sure there's lots out there
I know if I had to dose it I'd have another pump

Well, I did just buy a 3rd doser (50ml/min high speed type), so I could do that. But that brings me back to the question of what type of Mg to buy. I could not find that East Start stuff around here. And not sure if I can trust some of the ice melters that I saw online, as they don't list ingredients.

I guess I could just buy more of that Seachem Advantage Mg from J&L, but it is not cheap for the amount I would require on an ongoing basis.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Well, I did just buy a 3rd doser (50ml/min high speed type), so I could do that. But that brings me back to the question of what type of Mg to buy. I could not find that East Start stuff around here. And not sure if I can trust some of the ice melters that I saw online, as they don't list ingredients.

I guess I could just buy more of that Seachem Advantage Mg from J&L, but it is not cheap for the amount I would require on an ongoing basis.

Thats what I used before. I now have bulk dosing from BRS. I find I dont have to add much magnesium to keep it close to 1400ppm.