I ran across an issue with my Mag levels in my tank being at 1230 recently with no real understanding of what could be causing it.
I am in the process of talking with seachem to figure out what is going on and thought I would share the conversation. I also have spoken with another reefer who had alk. issues and I will share his letter from Seachem as well.
Here is my conversation so far :
"I have been struggling to keep my Mag levels stable without dosing like crazy. I have a 40g system that is zoa / Lps with 2 small SPS frags. Today when testing I got a reading of 1230 using a salifert test kit. Still going crazy trying to figure out what was soaking up my magnesium so bad, I decided to test a new batch of water. This water has been mixing for approx. 72 hours at 80* and is at 1.025 . My result of the test shows a Mag level of 1020 !!!! Feeling that it must be an error I tested again .... 1020 !!!!! I am good about stirring my salt before adding it to my new batch of water, so I do not think that it is a settling issue. The lab sticker shows 1376 which is much different than what I am getting. The Lot # for this bucket is : 53384.00 . Have there been any issues out of this batch or has anyone else noticed low Mag levels ? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Hello Bryan,
Thank you for your question and for using salinity salt. This salt is unlike any other on the market, as we batch it right here in our own facility. We test each individual batch in our lab before placing it into buckets; as long as the parameters fall within our specs, we then send the salt out to an EPA-registered independent laboratory, who tests the parameters using laboratory-grade equipment, rather than hobby grade test kits. Once we receive the results from the lab, we then make the labels for the buckets. Therefore, it should be very unlikely that the magnesium level is actually 1020ppm, though we would certainly be more than happy to try and troubleshoot a little with you.
Firstly, all of the parameters are guaranteed at a salinity of 35ppt or 1.0264. You can actually view the guaranteed analysis from our independent laboratory here for your individual bucket:
http://www.aquavitro.com/retrieve_jpg.php?document_search=53384.00&subby_search=Submit
With each batch, we make the lab results accessible by users on our aquavitro website at this address, so that you can see the guaranteed analysis from lab-grade equipment:
http://www.aquavitro.com/products/salinity.html
Now, the only thing that stands out to me is your mixing procedure. I understand that this salt mixes cloudy due to its concentration, therefore many users want to mix it for an extended time period in order to allow it to clear. However, because salinity is so different from every other salt available, when mixing this salt, we have found that 24 hours or less is ideal. The longer you let the salt mix, the more C02 it will take on and the more precipitation you will encounter. C02 --> water --> carbonic acid --> bicarbonates/carbonates. Mixing the salt for more than 24 hours can cause a decrease in alkalinity, magnesium and pH, resulting in a precipitation of calcium and carbonates, thus making the cloudiness persist for longer. When we mix it here at Seachem, we mix it in 50 gallon drums with one powerhead at room temperature (22-25 degrees Centigrade). Though it is typically still cloudy at this point, once placed into the tanks, it clears readily.
So, the magnesium level should most certainly not be that low, and this would be unacceptable to us. Could you possibly try mixing up your next batch as recommended above, test the parameters and let us know what the parameters look like? This would really help us to take the next appropriate steps. Thanks so much, and we look forward to your reply!
Product Support
10208
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Thank you for the response. I started a new batch of water this morning (11am central) , I will check the levels later today and report back. I hope it is just an error on my part from mixing too long . That will make things much easier to fix.
***************************************************************************************************
I hope that's all it is as well, but please let us know!
Product Support
10208
****************************************************************************************************
Ok , new batch mixed at room temp to 1.026 .
My test as of 2:30 pm central = 1200ppm
LFS test at 2:45 pm = 1200ppm
<hr class="bbcode_rule" />
Test was performed by Fish2morrow
Both of us are using a salifert test kit .
Sent from my iPhone
***********************************************************************************************************
I am currently awaiting a response
Here is the letter to another reefer :
Hello Wade,
Thank you for contacting us and for being a fan! Alkalinity for salinity should be 3.2 to 3.8 meq/L or 8.9 to 10.6 dKH. It would be extremely unusual for a bucket of salinity to have levels that do not match the analysis on the bucket. Unlike every other salt on the market, we actually test each batch of salt after it has been mixed, then we send a sample to an independent EPA registered lab to ensure that we have not made an error in testing ourselves. It is the results we receive from the independent lab that are printed on the label. This analysis is also available at our website aquavitro . salinity. There is a search bar in the lower right portion of the page where you can enter your lot number and it will pull up the analysis.
How do you mix your salt? When mixing salinity we recommend mixing it at room temperature and for no more than 24 hours. The longer you mix the more CO2 the salt mix will take in, causing precipitation of calcium and carbonates (decreasing alkalinity). We await your response.
And then:
Hello Wade,
You may be over-mixing the salt. Our salinity is very different. While other salts take a good bit of mixing, it is preferable to not mix ours too much. Here we only mix it for several hours before using it. We also use a small power head in a 50 gallon drum. Your large pump may be introducing too much CO2 and along with the over-mixing both can cause precipitation of alkalinity. Perhaps next time you mix salt you can shorten the mixing time and use a smaller pump. I hope this information helps. Have a great day!
I am in the process of talking with seachem to figure out what is going on and thought I would share the conversation. I also have spoken with another reefer who had alk. issues and I will share his letter from Seachem as well.
Here is my conversation so far :
"I have been struggling to keep my Mag levels stable without dosing like crazy. I have a 40g system that is zoa / Lps with 2 small SPS frags. Today when testing I got a reading of 1230 using a salifert test kit. Still going crazy trying to figure out what was soaking up my magnesium so bad, I decided to test a new batch of water. This water has been mixing for approx. 72 hours at 80* and is at 1.025 . My result of the test shows a Mag level of 1020 !!!! Feeling that it must be an error I tested again .... 1020 !!!!! I am good about stirring my salt before adding it to my new batch of water, so I do not think that it is a settling issue. The lab sticker shows 1376 which is much different than what I am getting. The Lot # for this bucket is : 53384.00 . Have there been any issues out of this batch or has anyone else noticed low Mag levels ? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
*****************************************************************************************************
Hello Bryan,
Thank you for your question and for using salinity salt. This salt is unlike any other on the market, as we batch it right here in our own facility. We test each individual batch in our lab before placing it into buckets; as long as the parameters fall within our specs, we then send the salt out to an EPA-registered independent laboratory, who tests the parameters using laboratory-grade equipment, rather than hobby grade test kits. Once we receive the results from the lab, we then make the labels for the buckets. Therefore, it should be very unlikely that the magnesium level is actually 1020ppm, though we would certainly be more than happy to try and troubleshoot a little with you.
Firstly, all of the parameters are guaranteed at a salinity of 35ppt or 1.0264. You can actually view the guaranteed analysis from our independent laboratory here for your individual bucket:
http://www.aquavitro.com/retrieve_jpg.php?document_search=53384.00&subby_search=Submit
With each batch, we make the lab results accessible by users on our aquavitro website at this address, so that you can see the guaranteed analysis from lab-grade equipment:
http://www.aquavitro.com/products/salinity.html
Now, the only thing that stands out to me is your mixing procedure. I understand that this salt mixes cloudy due to its concentration, therefore many users want to mix it for an extended time period in order to allow it to clear. However, because salinity is so different from every other salt available, when mixing this salt, we have found that 24 hours or less is ideal. The longer you let the salt mix, the more C02 it will take on and the more precipitation you will encounter. C02 --> water --> carbonic acid --> bicarbonates/carbonates. Mixing the salt for more than 24 hours can cause a decrease in alkalinity, magnesium and pH, resulting in a precipitation of calcium and carbonates, thus making the cloudiness persist for longer. When we mix it here at Seachem, we mix it in 50 gallon drums with one powerhead at room temperature (22-25 degrees Centigrade). Though it is typically still cloudy at this point, once placed into the tanks, it clears readily.
So, the magnesium level should most certainly not be that low, and this would be unacceptable to us. Could you possibly try mixing up your next batch as recommended above, test the parameters and let us know what the parameters look like? This would really help us to take the next appropriate steps. Thanks so much, and we look forward to your reply!
Product Support
10208
**************************************************************************************************
Thank you for the response. I started a new batch of water this morning (11am central) , I will check the levels later today and report back. I hope it is just an error on my part from mixing too long . That will make things much easier to fix.
***************************************************************************************************
I hope that's all it is as well, but please let us know!
Product Support
10208
****************************************************************************************************
Ok , new batch mixed at room temp to 1.026 .
My test as of 2:30 pm central = 1200ppm
LFS test at 2:45 pm = 1200ppm
<hr class="bbcode_rule" />
Test was performed by Fish2morrow
Both of us are using a salifert test kit .
Sent from my iPhone
***********************************************************************************************************
I am currently awaiting a response
Here is the letter to another reefer :
Hello Wade,
Thank you for contacting us and for being a fan! Alkalinity for salinity should be 3.2 to 3.8 meq/L or 8.9 to 10.6 dKH. It would be extremely unusual for a bucket of salinity to have levels that do not match the analysis on the bucket. Unlike every other salt on the market, we actually test each batch of salt after it has been mixed, then we send a sample to an independent EPA registered lab to ensure that we have not made an error in testing ourselves. It is the results we receive from the independent lab that are printed on the label. This analysis is also available at our website aquavitro . salinity. There is a search bar in the lower right portion of the page where you can enter your lot number and it will pull up the analysis.
How do you mix your salt? When mixing salinity we recommend mixing it at room temperature and for no more than 24 hours. The longer you mix the more CO2 the salt mix will take in, causing precipitation of calcium and carbonates (decreasing alkalinity). We await your response.
And then:
Hello Wade,
You may be over-mixing the salt. Our salinity is very different. While other salts take a good bit of mixing, it is preferable to not mix ours too much. Here we only mix it for several hours before using it. We also use a small power head in a 50 gallon drum. Your large pump may be introducing too much CO2 and along with the over-mixing both can cause precipitation of alkalinity. Perhaps next time you mix salt you can shorten the mixing time and use a smaller pump. I hope this information helps. Have a great day!
