How do you maintain your MAG / CALCIUM levels

[The Grizz]

I am getting 20lbs of mag mix from him and have some calcium and kalk still from last order. I was looking at J&L's site and ZeoVit has a mag complex anyone try it?

Once you have your tank to the level you want how much do you dose per day / week?

[Lampshade]

I run a calcium reactor for calc/alk. For Mg I picked up MgCl from walmart, found the MSDS sheet for it and it's got the same or less in terms of "extras" as the MagFlake posted on randy's DIY recipie. I add that + epsom salts(MgSO4). I use IO salt, and it's natuarally low in mag, so I'll be adding some of my Mg mix in every water change.

[Ian]

lampshade which product is that precisely that you use...interested in looking at it myself?

[Lampshade]

I used Gro-Well Ice Vaporizer. Came in a 15lb tub at walmart for $18. Decent stuff, here's the MSDS for the flakes that has more info than the pellets. The pellets have the same general MSDS, without the extra info at the top of this one:

http://www.buckmansinc.com/pdfs/mag_chl_flakes.pdf

[Lampshade]

I should add that people on RC and other threads say not to use anything that isn't Mag Flake, or made by dead sea works. They've done tests on the DSW stuff and it's good. They have not done tests on this, so i'm trusting the company that makes it to provide decent information.

Here';s the thread on boston reefers that gives all the stats of Dead Sea Works magflake:
http://www.bostonreefers.org/forums/...OR-NOV-MEETING

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by Lampshade

I run a calcium reactor for calc/alk. For Mg I picked up MgCl from walmart, found the MSDS sheet for it and it's got the same or less in terms of "extras" as the MagFlake posted on randy's DIY recipie. I add that + epsom salts(MgSO4). I use IO salt, and it's natuarally low in mag, so I'll be adding some of my Mg mix in every water change.

using a Ca Reactor you will maintain your MAG at the proper levels of 1350.

[Lampshade]

I use ARM media and even with their new high Mg mix i notice i'm usually still only at 1100-1200 ppm Mg. It may be the same as with Ca/Alk where a calcium reactor will maintain levels, but building them individually will never work. I just started adding Mg, i'll see how everything stays balanced for the next while before adding more.

[Mandosh]

I mix ARM media with zeomag. It seems to be keeping all my levels in check.

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by The Grizz

I was looking at J&L's site and ZeoVit has a mag complex anyone try it?

No experience with that one specifically but I've found with other liquid additives that it was too expensive to maintain 1400 in the tank. It shocked me how much "product" (of any kind) was required to raise Mg by 100 points. So I switched to bulk, I buy like 20-30 lbs at a time and it lasts around a year.

Once you have your tank to the level you want how much do you dose per day / week?

I find it depends on what you have, some things seem to deplete it faster. Anemones of all things I found seem to benefit from Mg a lot, I can always tell when my tank Mg is low by looking at the anemones and how open they are. So I test and adjust as needed but I tend to just adjust the new SW and then do a water change. Eg. if it's low in the tank then I adjust the incoming tank water to be higher and it sort of evens out.

I think I did once hear though that if you track your Alk depletion, your weekly dosage of Magnesium is similar to a daily dosage of Alk. Not sure if that's true all the time and I never bothered to test that hypothesis on my own tank. I just test Mg on occasion and then adjust as needed.

[Palmer]

I use a Dow pellet for Calcium Chloride and run of the mill baking soda for Alk. I supplement Mag with Epsom salt.