Which brand Mg? I would almost bet either the kit was used wrong or it is no good, that is pretty low. Instant Ocean Reef Crystals usually isn’t too low and is really consistent since they have made massive quantities for a very long time. Have a recent Ca reading as well?(If it was a week ago it could have changed already) ~1350ppm is a rough target, but DO NOT start dosing anything based on one test from one kit. That sounds really off.
Tropic Marine Pro will give you better results and higher Mg, but is also twice the price so it’s a personal choice a lot of reefers choose not to use. I use half TMP and half BrightWell NeoMarine. Asking a reef club about brands of salt is almost like asking an auto club what their favorite classic car is. You’re going to get an ear full from everyone and it’s mostly opinions.
On the other hand it would not hurt to add a little Sodium Carbonate to bring up the Alk from 8-9. Your kit could be off and it could be a little higher or lower, but I would aim for at least 9dKH, so you sit right around the middle of the range.
Its a red sea kit, brand new. i also performed the [PIA] test two times to be sure. i gonna re-test the calcium later to see if its still at 400, its been a couple weeks. But i’ll make absolutely sure before i add ANYTHING… especially when everything looks sooo good. i just want to make sure i’m providing all levels for max health and growth. …and Yeah… i bet the salt brand becomes quite the discussion… it would probably become a battle royal if it got brought up at a meeting, the way you guys discuss stuff! LOL
That’s not horrible, but could be better, but at the same time if you are not careful you can easily OD and really through it off. Good target for Ca is above 400. Later on once you are used to dosing, or what ever means you choose to maintain your levels, and are confident in all of your numbers you can try maintaining it at 425.
You have a nice looking tank. Im glad to see you didnt make the newby mistake, like i made, of putting too much rock in and then adding corals and fish. when they grow a little , suddenly theres not enough room. But you have a nice amount with lots of overhead water space and a nice beach out front. Looks great. you have some nice medium size softies that have lots of room to grow large. Lots of nice fish too. Must be nice to watch em all swim the length of the tank and around the back. doing laps.
Its great, the naso and the hippo go really fast! and dart in and out of the rocks, theres always something to look at… and hopefully i got all my newbie mistakes outta the way the other times i tried and failed. There’s so much to look forward to… ii can’t believe how fast some of this stuff is growing, and can’t wait to see the clowns spawning…
i re-checked my Ca its 360
i also re-checked the Mg again, making sure i got the hang of that test kit, three solutions, lots of shaking, caping etc…its about the same… 1000 the 1st time…980 this time.
i do a 28g w/c every other week, i’m 4 days away from one. i’m gonna re- check it after that.
I’d look into ELOS test kits. Can’t get them locally, but then again you usually can’t find Tropic Marin Pro or ASM skimmers sitting around a store either.
Are you saying the red sea is inaccurate? is there a difference like hydro/refracto, or is it just personal preference? i just spent 16.99 on it, and Charlie recommended it. I wouldnt mind comparing results with another test kit, but not enough to buy another,and this kit was actually easy to use, third times a charm, and very easy to tell when the color changes in the test… ?
[quote=“Gordonious, post:70, topic:2865”]
I’d look into ELOS test kits. Can’t get them locally, but then again you usually can’t find Tropic Marin Pro or ASM skimmers sitting around a store either. [/quote]
DPA carries both.
[quote=“saltcreep, post:71, topic:2865”]
Are you saying the red sea is inaccurate? is there a difference like hydro/refracto, or is it just personal preference?[/quote]
There is nothing wrong with Red Sea - it’s a hobbiest level test kit. Which essentially means it’ll do the job and get you close but it’s not giong to be as accurate as science grade test kits available - but is also a heck of a lot cheaper.
Hydrometers are notoriously wrong. Air bubbles on the swing arm can through off a reading - salt build-up can ruin the calibration. Again - it’ll get you close and is great if you’re keeping a fish only system where you don’t have to keep salinity as “perfect” as a reef tank but for what we do a hydrometer is not ideal - definitely consider spluring on a refractometer. Fathers Day is coming.
I think he has a refractometer and was using it an illustration.
I personally think there is a significant difference between test kits. I and many other people have spend a LOT of money on different hobby grade test kits because we don’t trust one or another. Fact is I once bought 4-5 different pH test kits and got results from way below the accepted range to far above and not a SINGLE two kits agreed with each other. One of the first things I would recommend purchasing if you haven’t already is a digital pH meter, secondly I would spend a little more money on a quality test kit.
Oh if you find out your Mg is at 1250ppm and your kit is telling you it is 975 then yes there is something significantly wrong with this Red Sea Test kit. Most hobby grade brands of kits have more bad batches of kits then is expectable in my opinion. Hard to find anyone in the hobby who hasn’t ran into one in the past.
Some people say you have to go with scientific grade, my wallet can’t do that right now and I’m doing more water changes then dosing so I personally use ELOS. Many people on the forums will argue it’s not worth the price, but the same people will tell you they ran into more problems when they started testing and dosing then they did when they just left things alone.(so they are giving you advice on which test kit to buy when they gave up on using theirs….) I believe for the long term health of a mixed reef you are going to need to add calcium and carbonates in order to maintain a beautiful aquarium. Well unless you like majano anemones and bubble algae and don’t care for keeping corals.
Good Info, now you’ve got me curious… i would be interested in doing a side by side test w/ a couple diff kits to see how they compare… and i already have a refractometer, i was just using that as an example, cause when i was using a hydrometer i was getting diff results all the time…not consistent at all !it was the first week into this that i went and picked a refracto up at dpa, i’ve done the mg 3 times, and there all close… next issue, i’m using an ati calcium kit… how’s that kit??
Brands don’t matter that much. There can be variance between testing kits dependent on shelf life and such. You just need a general range and it is easy to know when you are off norm w/ or w/o testing kits. Don’t put so much time into testing kits They are not make or break in this hobby. And I couldn’t live w/o my refractometer
Charlie actually recommended this brand over the other one he had, because his opinion was it was easier to read. And He hasn’t steered me wrong yet !!!
I’m going to test all params again tonight, (after the kids go to bed so i can have some piece and quiet while counting drops) just to be on the safe side, and to see if my results are still consistent w/ last night. i’ll post if diff.
it has always been my understanding (and preference) that there are VERY few reef tanks that are burning more calcium than what is replenished by routine water changes. (same goes for mag and trace elements) and since water changes are a necessary evil either way, a lot more benefit comes from them than dosing… pick your favorite reef salt, some food, maybe a little iodide… and call it good. calcium gets low? do a small waterchange.
They are not make or break in this hobby. And I couldn’t live w/o my refractometer