Seachem reefsalt

Anybody else using Seachem reefsalt, if so what were your levels of mag and cal with only the salt mixed with di water? I just tested my brand new un opened un shaken 5 gal bucket and was shocked at the results.
Tested as follows:
76.5f 1.024 sal
stirred with pump in brute can for a week now
seachem reef status mag/alk kit
nutrafin/ hagen cal kit

results:
cal 540
mag 1175

 

Normal for a settle salt mix. My bucket varied from top to bottom.

 

U shake yours up? I have a empty bucket of the old tropic marin I was using, guess I could mix between the two like paint to get a even mixture. Now I have 40g mixed up of low mag and high cal, not good

 

I did but it didn't work as well as I thought, LOL. The numbers should be that difficult to overcome. The Ca should go down through usage and you can always add Mg to the mix. I have to add all three no mater what with my tank due to heavy usage.

 

is it for a new set up Threephase?

as it sounds like a very large quantity if it was just for a water change

if its for a new set up, I would not worry about those numbers
and would be more than happy to use that mix for setting up a new tank
in the knowledge that water changes after cycle, will help balance it out
and worse case scenario, you can always supplement Magnesium as and when you need to

if its for a water change or a series of water changes
the amount as a percentage your going to be changing, influences, what this mix will do to your existing levels

if you had 440 calcium and did a 10% water change using the mix above
you would have 9 parts left at 440, 1 part added at 540 = 4500 divide by 10 - new calcium level = 450 - which is not an issue

if you had Mag at 1350 and did a 10% water change using mix above
you would have 9 parts at 1350 , 1 part added at 1175 = 13325 divide 10 =1332 - which is not an issue

basically the increase in calc and decrease in mag, experienced doing a 10% water change are insignificant

Steve

 

New tank but fully cycled, yes water change purpose only. One coral beauty Plus small cuc to keep bacteria alive and mature the tank for now. makes sense and didn't think about the math at 10%, however I have been fighting to get my mag up from 1100 to just now 1200 over the past week. Just another set back, ALL GOOD!!!! so I keep fighting. I want to keep my levels optimum and learn and understand the procces of what it takes now so it will be somewwhat easier when I start adding some corals.

 

The good thing with Mag is that once you have it where you need it
it tends to stay there
IME and in the experience of many others on this site
even with a tank for of developing SPS and coraline - Mag utilisation is hardly recordable on Salifert test kits on a weekly basis

its not like calcium and for me mostly Alkalinity, which if you turn your back on for a minute, drop like a stone in the same developing system

Steve

 

Thanks steve, i'm learning that alk & cal drop like a rock right now, if I don't dose fusion1&2 every day I lose it, cal not as bad but alk is terrible and not sure why yet.

 

My alk drops much faster than my Ca also. It may have to do with which minerals are tied to each and how easy it is for corals to utilize them. I dose 30ppm Ca a day and 2meq/l of alk per day.

 

I'm not quit that bad on alk but I have to watch it!!!