magnesium

[wlscrib]

New to this site, so hello all!

I know there is not much out there as far as concrete information on possibilities of high Mg levels and to whether they may or may not be toxic to corals- I have a 180 gallon with favias, acros, euphellias, montipora capricornis, you name it. All are doing very well. I test water every 4 days and everything is spot on stable, Alk 8.9, Ca 450, pH 8.2, Salinity 1.0255, Nitrates trace at most as same for Phosphates. I do 15% changes each week using Brightwell salt/mineral mix and my Mg levels are always constant at 1440 which seems a bit high. Just curious if anyone has relevant info on whether or not this not so out of whack level can prove to be toxic or inhibiting in the long run to coral growth or not to worry. My frags all show good growth and calcification- I use a MRC reactor which is finely tuned, heavy skimming, and an entire separate room for Berlin sump and separate refugium. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thx!

 

[marcah]

I dont think you are in any range at all that would be toxic to anything.. I have also read articles on that and what I came across was it was a ridiculously high mag level that did anything to organisms.. As long as things are showing good growth and your alk calcium and mag stay up I wouldnt worry about a thing..
and howdy welcome to the site..:D

 

[wlscrib]

Thx, reassuring to know someone else has heard the same. As 'perfect' as we all want every parameter to be, it may just not be possible. Can't complain as all is thriving in tank, knock on wood- or glass! Great site, will provide pics this week.

 

[marcah]

that would be great we all love pics and build threads...
I agree no matter how hard I try to be perfect with things it just never happens, but as long as things are growing I am happy.. I have also been reading alot about Ph lately and from everything I am reading you should try to keep it as close to 8.4 as possible for optimal growth.. I am with you always around 8.2 thinking about bringing it up. need to do more reading ..lol

 

[wlscrib]

wow, that's interesting. Will look into the pH...thanks for making me think I had covered all reading topics ever written, :D. Actually, always looking for a new subject. I'll be researching same.

 

[marcah]

was news to me when I was talking to a friend that has been in it about 50 years..
he really got me looking into things amazing what I want to change now .lol
always willing to lend a hand to make someone else do reading besides me.. :D
I am also changing tank over right now and taking all powerheads out of it.. would love to have them out and with his help figured out how to get them out ..

 

[little_fish]

Hello and welcome!

 

[wlscrib]

Hello and welcome!

Thanks little fish! I actually started my aquarium hobby back in '93 while living in Denver. Have not lived there in some time but always drove down from Evergreen to a shop called Aquaria on Colorado near the I-25 onramps (maybe 4 blocks north). Just curious if they're still around.

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have your aboard. I agree, your mag isn't too bad, but have you ever considered that maybe your salt mix you're using is contributing to a higher level. All salt brands have various levels which may be higher than other salt brands.

 

[little_fish]

There are couple of shops in that area, and i think one of them is named Aquaria. I think that is where i got my chromis

 

[fastrd400]

All your levels look fine to me, right at or just above where I keep mine.

 

[wlscrib]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have your aboard. I agree, your mag isn't too bad, but have you ever considered that maybe your salt mix you're using is contributing to a higher level. All salt brands have various levels which may be higher than other salt brands.

Yes, Brightwell does have a higher level of Mag than most of the other brands, most likely the culprit but it also has positives that outweigh that negative. I guess since it's not overly high and things are good, I'll stay the course. Thx!

 

[RyanG]

Higher magnesium such as you have, can actually be beneficial to keeping away nuisance algae. When I was having a major bryopsis outbreak I actually kept mine at 1600+ppm for a while.

You are well withing the safe realm of things though.

 

[wlscrib]

Thanks, that substantiates what my LFS coral guru told me today. I've notice a bit of cyano just in my refugium since I introduce BRS Biopellets but it has been very manageable most likely due to the tad higher Mg levels. I may even pump up my Ca Rx for a week or two as I can seem to get some higher Mag levels without severely hurting the Kh-Ca balance. Interestingly, absolutely no nuisance algae in the display tank and running LED's ?? Rather be lucky....