Magnesium Levels?

[Darbna]

What are you guys running your Mg at for your Reef? Is there a difference for SPS or LPS that is preferred? Mine is steady at 1290 on both tanks. I dont see a ton or growth and I am thinking that may be the reason.

 

[Diesel]

MAG can be important but it needs to be there in order to have the ALK and CAL bond together in order to work.
1290 isn't bad at all IMO.
What your ALK and CAL level?

 

[Darbna]

MAG can be important but it needs to be there in order to have the ALK and CAL bond together in order to work.
1290 isn't bad at all IMO.
What your ALK and CAL level?

my SPS tank I have Alk at 9,0 and Calc at 440. Runs consistent I test twice a week. Both are run through Doser.

 

[Diesel]

my SPS tank I have Alk at 9,0 and Calc at 440. Runs consistent I test twice a week. Both are run through Doser.

Great, how much is your uptake on a day by your corals on the ALK and CAL?

 

[Darbna]

Great, how much is your uptake on a day by your corals on the ALK and CAL?

I dose 70 Mgs of Calc and 50 Mgs of Alk daily in my sps tank. Both are Nature Reef and they both have diffrent elements in them including MG. I was talking to a freind who is working at WWC and he was telling me they keep their MG pretty high, 1500.

 

[Diesel]

If your uptake is high on the SPS cause you have large colonies than you need to dose your MAG as well.
When I used to run a doser to see how that works out I was dosing on my tank close to 300ml a day on a hourly schedule on ALK and 200ml + on the CAL and MAG.
Of course I like a calcium reactor better but that works for me.

Growth isn't only because you dose ALK, CAL and MAG, there are more factors like nutrients. light and flow.
Not to mention Temperature, PH, and NSW.
A good long term balance is really important for SPS.

 

[Darbna]

Im learning my man. I run 2 AI Leds, keep a pretty constant Temp 78-79 degrees. Phosphate is .02 and nitrate is pretty close to 0. I target feed 3 times a week. Growing, just slow. I dont want to make any major changes being everything appears happy, polyps out and what not but I think I may start dosing MG and back off the bi weekly water changes.

 

[Diesel]

Im learning my man. I run 2 AI Leds, keep a pretty constant Temp 78-79 degrees. Phosphate is .02 and nitrate is pretty close to 0. I target feed 3 times a week. Growing, just slow. I dont want to make any major changes being everything appears happy, polyps out and what not but I think I may start dosing MG and back off the bi weekly water changes.

If corals are happy I shouldn't make any changes at all.
You said the growth isn't there that can have many factors but looking at your numbers you might be lacking the nutrients.
You test close to 0 in No3 and I would bring that up to a minimum of 2ppm if nor what a higher.
Many hobbyist starting to find out that over the years we have been starving our corals due to low nutrients.
Of course bringing up your MAG can't hurt either but that can have in result that you have to start bringing up your daily dose on ALK and CAL as well.
Try to figure out what your daily uptake is on your ALK and CAL.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

What are you guys running your Mg at for your Reef? Is there a difference for SPS or LPS that is preferred? Mine is steady at 1290 on both tanks. I dont see a ton or growth and I am thinking that may be the reason.

That should be fine. It matches typical ocean water. Higher might help spur coralline algae if that is a goal.