Alternative additive questions Ca,Mg,Alk

I was reading some posts about using Epsom salt and Mrs. Wages pickling lime as an alternate additive to some of the expensive stuff the fish stores sell. Are they really safe to use? What to use to raise Ca? What to use to raise Mg? And what to use to raise Alk?

 

Hi, I use epsom salt for mag, baking soda for ph/alk and dow flake for ca.
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I wouldn't recommend epsom salt. There's a reason why the so-called "expensive" additives use a ratio of 90% Magnesium Chloride and 10% Magnesium Sulfate. It's the same ratio as seawater. Epsom Salt only has Magnesium Sulfate. SO, if you don't mind upsetting the ionic balance of your system (having it different than real seawater ratios), then by all means, use Epsom salt.

Dosing for dKH/alkalinity:

Same thing here. There's a reason why the additives use a combination of Bicarbonates, Carbonates, and Borate salts. You guessed it, same ratios as natural seawater.

Think of it this way:

Would you rather eat crappy food and use a vitamin supplement, or would you rather get all of your nutrients from eating really healthy foods? I choose the latter (although in reality it's more a combination of both, so I still take a vitamin supplement). Natural balance or chemically trying to fake that balance. Your choice.

 

Use that reef central link in the above post and look in the water chemistry section. Randy Farley is a reef chemist and has wrote many threads on questions of your type. He answers questions there almost daily also.