From what I've gathered magnesium helps keep Calk and Alk in balance and is needed for coral growth, so I know I should keep an eye on it. But question is do I need to add any?
Current tank situation... (mainly softies and 2 LPS)
When I first started testing for Alk and Calc I had a reading of 500 for calc and 3 for Alk (the test kit said natural seawater has 4-5 but strive for 5-6. For the life of me I can't remember which measurement it was) At the time I was adding a liquid suplement that said it had everything.
I was advised to stop adding the supplement and bought a the Kent Tech CB part A and B to start adding once the Calc dropped. I also bought some Alk buffer to bring up the Alk while I dropped the Calc. So I stopped adding that to lower the Calc to 440-450 and it has been holding steady since I started testing (1-2 months I believe) I added the buffer the first day and re-tested and added re-tested as needed to get it up to 5-6. It seems that The Alk keeps dropping back down to 3. So I've figured out that adding some buffer every couple of days keeps the Alk up in the 5-6 range. But the Calc doesn't move no matter what I do with the Alk. I have yet to start adding the 2 part supplements because I don’t want to bring up the Calc.
So would magnesium be the problem with the falling Alk? I don't have a test kit and prob won't be able to get one for a while. I've read that in most tanks magnesium doesn't need to be added because it is replenished in the weekly (sometimes bi-weekly for me) water changes. For the record I use Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix that is supposed to have high Calc and Mag elements (which might be the reason that my Calc stays the same but not the Alk)
So what are everybody’s thoughts? I will eventually purchase a magnesium test kit but I'm still restricted in purchasing fish products because "we have to save for the wedding" and I promised her I wouldn't spend money on the tank... even though I've gotten permission to replace the 10K PC bulb, make a fuge, get a new skimmer pump, and get a green mandarin because they're all vital to the tank so who knows I might be able to convince her a magnesium test kit is vital
Current tank situation... (mainly softies and 2 LPS)
When I first started testing for Alk and Calc I had a reading of 500 for calc and 3 for Alk (the test kit said natural seawater has 4-5 but strive for 5-6. For the life of me I can't remember which measurement it was) At the time I was adding a liquid suplement that said it had everything.
I was advised to stop adding the supplement and bought a the Kent Tech CB part A and B to start adding once the Calc dropped. I also bought some Alk buffer to bring up the Alk while I dropped the Calc. So I stopped adding that to lower the Calc to 440-450 and it has been holding steady since I started testing (1-2 months I believe) I added the buffer the first day and re-tested and added re-tested as needed to get it up to 5-6. It seems that The Alk keeps dropping back down to 3. So I've figured out that adding some buffer every couple of days keeps the Alk up in the 5-6 range. But the Calc doesn't move no matter what I do with the Alk. I have yet to start adding the 2 part supplements because I don’t want to bring up the Calc.
So would magnesium be the problem with the falling Alk? I don't have a test kit and prob won't be able to get one for a while. I've read that in most tanks magnesium doesn't need to be added because it is replenished in the weekly (sometimes bi-weekly for me) water changes. For the record I use Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix that is supposed to have high Calc and Mag elements (which might be the reason that my Calc stays the same but not the Alk)
So what are everybody’s thoughts? I will eventually purchase a magnesium test kit but I'm still restricted in purchasing fish products because "we have to save for the wedding" and I promised her I wouldn't spend money on the tank... even though I've gotten permission to replace the 10K PC bulb, make a fuge, get a new skimmer pump, and get a green mandarin because they're all vital to the tank so who knows I might be able to convince her a magnesium test kit is vital