Magnesium dosing

[along]

Hey guys so my magnesium is low and I went to the lfs and bought a magnesium supplement called MAGNESION. And after reading the instructions I was a bit confused it read add 5ml for every 20 gallons how would I do this with a nuvo pico 4 gallon tank I would rather not over dose and kill my whole tank. Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance

 

[nikesb]

how much ppm does the 5ml raise a 20 gallon? i wouldnt worry about overdosing magnesium. i raised mine 100 ppm a day

 

[ak_reefer]

IMO you shouldnt have to dose anything in such a small system. Mg should not be elevated more than 100ppm per day, you could just adjust it through water changes.
Sent From my Frontal Lobes via TapaTalk!!

 

[along]

I'm not sure on how much it raises the levels as its written as if I'm a chemist. And what's the difference between a small and large tank other than volume when dosing why wouldn't you have to dose a small tank if anything I would think the smaller the tank the more suppliments are needed due to the fluctuations in the water daily.

 

[bang guy]

Like every other additive, you should keep track of it using a spreadsheet or log.
Date
level
dosage
Start small and then once you see how it tracks in your log you'll know how much and how often to dose to maintain a good level.
Magnesium is used up very slowly but it is different for every tank so you defintely need to keep track.
Be very careful with a tank tha size, they are easy to overdose.

 

[along]

Thank you for the advice. And yes I'm starting to figure that out my big tank is 20xs easier than this little thing. It's very sensitive one day everythings perfect and the next day its off its very tedious.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I would think doing small 1/2g to 1g water changes every other other day would be better than dosing. Use a salt that has a little more of the top three elements then standard Instant Ocean. There's just so much that can go wrong with a tank that size when you start adding chemicals. Adding something like calcium chloride, or magnesium chloride/sulfate will tip the ion scales very easily in a tank that size. By getting in a habit of doing small water changes on the tank you will always keep the ion balance in check.
Also, I have seen some people close the top of their smaller tanks with a piece of acrylic to cut down on evaporation - and then adding a bubble line through the acrylic into the back of the tank so that they can elevate pH properly. Cutting down on the amount of evap in a tank like that is critical - so that it keeps salinity in check. Either that, or plan on adding an ATO unit to it....
BY the way, lets see some pics!

 

[along]

What would be your recommendation for the salt I should use? And as soon as my girlfriend gives up her camera ill post some pics lol my camera on my phone isn't that great

 

[ak_reefer]

I have been using Brightwell Salt for two years now and am very pleased with the results. I do not dose anything on my systems at all. Water changes are all I do. I only keep LPS and Softies though. No SPS.