Water Test

[Kopitar]

hey guys im a begginer at corals

today i purchased a "red sea" reef test kit and tested my water for the first time since i have added lots of corals last month and never did the testing before, the person at the LFS recommended me to do that asap.

so he told me that normal results should be
Kh = between 8 and 12
CA= between 400 and 500
MG= 1340

and my results were.

Kh 8.5
CA 425
MG= 1280

now im just wondering is 1280 MG dangerous ? is it too low and how do i bring it up to 1340 ? and is 1340 where iv got to be at all time ?
and am i fine with Kh and Ca at these levels ?

thanks for the answers

 

[Convict2161]

hey guys im a begginer at corals

today i purchased a "red sea" reef test kit and tested my water for the first time since i have added lots of corals last month and never did the testing before, the person at the LFS recommended me to do that asap.

so he told me that normal results should be
Kh = between 8 and 12
CA= between 400 and 500
MG= 1340

and my results were.

Kh 8.5
CA 425
MG= 1280

now im just wondering is 1280 MG dangerous ? is it too low and how do i bring it up to 1340 ? and is 1340 where iv got to be at all time ?
and am i fine with Kh and Ca at these levels ?

thanks for the answers

Here's a good read.

http://www.thereeftank.com/articles/understanding-reef-tank-water-testing-and-parameters/

 

[Kopitar]

Good read thanks


Seems like MG 1280 is in the norm

 

[Convict2161]

Good read thanks

Seems like MG 1280 is in the norm

Your very welcome!

 

[MikeYQM]

I would suggest bumping up your magnesium levels. Many salts are low in Mg so your levels could keep dropping. Adequate is only adequate if you resign yourself it. It is often farther from ideal than you think.

 

[Kopitar]

What should i be using to bump my magnesium up ? You recommend a product ?

Is 1340 what i should be aiming for ?

 

[MikeYQM]

I keep mine at 1350 using Magnesium Chloride flakes and Magnesium Sulfate. Any Mag supplement will work, but don't increase your level by more than 50ppm in a day. Dry form supplements tend to be cheaper than liquid, but whatever you can get your hands on will work.

There's no huge rush, your levels aren't dangerously low, just somewhat less than ideal. Most important is ensuring they don't drop farther and retard coral growth.

 

[MikeYQM]

Ill also point out that it takes a lot of supplement to raise your magnesium, but it isn't consumed as quickly as Ca or Alk so Mag requires less input to maintain.

I'd add enough to get to 1340, 1350 over 2 days then test to verify. Then a week later I'd test to see how quickly it drops. Once you have an idea of how fast it's consumed, scale back to biweekly then monthly.

 

[Kopitar]

Sounds good thanks for the help