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melev

Magnesium Pronto - my first impressions.

Rating: 14 votes, 5.00 average.
7 Comments
by
melev
, 11-09-2015 at 01:01 PM (34288 Views)
I got two more tests done today. Calcium is 450ppm, Magnesium is 1300ppm. I prefer Magnesium to be higher, more like 1400ppm.

My reef has a liquid volume of 450g including the sump volume and satellite tanks.

I took a graduated 8oz cup to measure solution into a plastic jug (formerly a pretzel container), and 15 of those cups filled it up. That's 120 oz.

The recommended recipe is 10 grams per 8 oz (or 2 tsp per 8 oz) of water, I determined I'd need 30 teaspoons for the batch. Googling told me there are 3 teaspoons per tablespoon, so I used 10 tablespoons for 120 oz. Each scoop that was added to the RO/DI water had a chemical reaction that briefly sounded like fire erupting. I was careful to add it safely and not get spattered. The container itself got a little bit warm, but not hot as I'd expected.

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What I really appreciate is that I only used a small fraction of Magnesium Pronto compared to what I used to use (Randy Holmes-Farley's Recipe #2: 8 cups of two types of magnesium powders added to 1 gallon of RO/DI).

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If my math is right, it would take 900 tsp to bring up 450 gal of water 125ppm higher. There are 768 tsp in a gallon, and I have less than a gallon mixed up (120 oz versus 128 oz). That's 720 tsp worth. Adding that much will probably bring the reef's magnesium level up 100ppm overall. (Per the instructions, 10ml or 2 tsp will bring up 1 gallon by 125ppm) I do have an email to Two Little Fishies to verify my calculations, and will update this blog if anything is incorrect.

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Based on how much I used from the 1kg container, it appears I can probably mix up 5 of these containers if I use the same ratio each time.

Over the years, I normally had to dose Magnesium quarterly if that. Once it is up, it takes a long time to deplete. From 2011-2013, the salt mix I used had such high Magnesium in every bag that I never had to dose it once in almost three years. I know that Montipora capricornis loves Magnesium and my reef has about 6 different healthy "caps", which gives me a visual indicator if the Magnesium is sufficient presently. This one looks very happy.

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This is the second gallon of Magnesium I'm adding to my reef this year. Like I mentioned, it lasts a long time.

UPDATE (5:31 pm CST):
After talking to Julian Sprung to confirm my numbers, a decimal point was overlooked at one point. The mixture was made correctly, but I'll need more to attain the number I desired:

2 tsp of this liquid magnesium solution will raise 1-gallon of aquarium water 25ppm. For me to raise the level in my reef 100ppm, it would take four times as much liquid, or 8 tsp per gallon. I'd need 3600 teaspoons for the 450g liquid volume of my reef. That's too much counting, so I checked and it would take 4.7-gallons of the magnesium solution to raise it up 100ppm.

At least now I know I'm definitely not overdosing it.

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Updated 11-09-2015 at 05:35 PM by melev

Categories
‎ Water Chemistry

Comments

  1. evoXmr's Avatar
    I have been trying to raise the Magnesium in my tank as well, so this post peaked my interest. I have a hard time following your breakdown because it is hard to tell which solution you are referring to. I think it would help me to see the instructions from the Pronto. It seems like there are 2 steps. One is to mix the powder at 2 tsp per 8oz of RO water and you mixed about a gallon. Then step 2 is to add the mixed solution at 10 ml per gallon of tank saltwater. Does this sound right?

    Thanks for another great post!
  2. melev's Avatar
    If I did everything right...

    You mix up 2 teaspoons of Magnesium Pronto to 8 oz of RO/DI water and mix well.
    Two teaspoons of the mixed solution will raise 1g of saltwater 125ppm. Two teaspoons times the amount of gallons you need to treat is what you need to determine, then you know how much solution to mix up. I would have liked to know how much I needed per gallon, ideally.

    I made enough to do my entire water volume, I think.

    Googling some more, I found out there are 16 tablespoons in a cup. I needed 10, so that's 5/8 of a cup. Not a typical measurement, so I guess I'll use tablespoons.
  3. evoXmr's Avatar
    Wow, I will have to check that stuff out!
  4. melev's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by evoXmr
    Wow, I will have to check that stuff out!
    http://melevsreef.com/catalog/magnesium-pronto-1000g
  5. melev's Avatar
    First post updated.
  6. brotherd's Avatar
    I am always amazed at how much solution it takes to raise magnesium. And then I see the little bottles of it at the lfs and I think to myself "that isn't going to do jack squat!" Marc do you find salinity drifts higher during the course of raising mag levels?
  7. melev's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by brotherd
    I am always amazed at how much solution it takes to raise magnesium. And then I see the little bottles of it at the lfs and I think to myself "that isn't going to do jack squat!" Marc do you find salinity drifts higher during the course of raising mag levels?
    For a bigger tank, you'll need tons. I remember my 280g needed a 2-liter bottle at a time. I shouldn't be surprised that this one needs 2-gallons minimum.

    I've not tracked it, honestly. I just do my thing and check salinity. If I have to make adjustments, I do. I've heard mention that Phosphate Rx might affect briefly alkalinity, for example. But I've never seen any livestock issues, which is probably why I don't check salinity the next day.