magnesium help

I tested my mag and it is low. 1050...I was gonna get it up using epsom salts. I used the calculator and it said to use like 40 ounces. So now my question is how to add it. I have a 5 gallon container that I use for ATO. Could I just mix it all in there and have it dose the mag over the next few days as my top off water? Or should I add alot of it at a time. It said on the calculator no more than 100 ppm per day. That seems like a lot.

Oh Calc is 400 and kh is 8

 

I add Epsom Salts to my overflow and let it disolve slowly. 100ppm is the max that you will want to let is raise in 24 hours.

 

just take a couple cups of fresh topoff water, add epson salt and stir until desolved and pour slowly in high flow area. try not to raise anymore than 100 ppm at a time.

 

I had to add 42 ounces yesterday...what I did was divide it into a couple doses as it is a royal pain to disolve. I will dose the second part tonight.

 

how much water did you use to mix the 42 ounces?

 

When you say ‘42 ounces’ are you referring to a volume of make-up water? Certainly not 42 ounces of Epsom Salts right?

ES doesn’t dissolve very well – Tangster told me long ago, once you know how much to add simply add it to an overflow and let it dissolve in the water column slowly. It works exceedingly well.

 

so you just pour the epsom salt right in the overflow? that seems like a great idea. I like that better. Now how do you figure out how much you have to add. Or do you add like a half a cup at a time and then test?

 

I did start with a half cup actually - just tested and monitored the rise in Mag to ensure I was increasing at an acceptable rate and made adjustments where necessary.

 

Yeah in a big tank it will take a lot of Epsom to bring it up. I don't think it will really harm anything to just dump it in the overflow. I mix mine with RO ...since the experts recommend it.

 

I'm confident he's referring to 42 oz. of epsom salts. That's not a huge number when talking about this stuff. If your solution rate is low, and you have, say, a 90 gallon tank--you could need even more. I've experienced it.

As to your second part, I'm proud to say I thought of that trick (with the overflow) on my own. I've been adding dry items to the OF for about a year now. It dissolves slowly, and doesn't seem to ever enter the water column as a solid. It's a great little trick.