Questions about mag chloride and sulfate

[newfiereefer1]

Hello,

I have a few questions about mag chloride and sulfate.

1. Can I pre-mix them (dry) according to Randy's two-part and store them together until ready for use. Ie: mix 3 cups mag sulf. with 5 cups mag chlor. into a bag, store bag and use at later date? I am wondering if the two salts will react with one another.

2. According to Randy's recipe, I use the above noted proportions to make 1 gallon and dose at a ratio of 610ml of mag solution to 1 gallon each of CA and ALK. Could I dilute the 610ml of mag solution to make a total of 1 gallon and dose at 1:1:1 CA:ALK:MAG? Just wondering why we make a more more concentrated mag solution only to dose at a slower rate. I understand Corals don't consume mag as fast as the other two elements however, wouldn't it make sense to make a less concentrated solution and dose at the same rate to maintain a more consistent level of MAG?

Thanks
Dan

[bertoni]

1. Yes, they can be mixed and stored.

2. You can try that, but the magnesium level might rise over time. Water changes can provide a lot of magnesium to the system, and tanks consume magnesium at different rates. I think the magnesium supplement is likely to be "slushy" and not so good for automated dosing, but it might be good enough.

[newfiereefer1]

Ok. Not sure if I properly posed the questions.

When I said mix, I meant mix and store the dry ingredients and only add water at a later date.

And what do you mean slushy?

[disc1]

It's not a more concentrated solution. You dose less because corals use less mag than calcium by a lot.

[bertoni]

Mixing the dry components and storing them is fine.

The magnesium supplement often has a fair amount of precipitate that needs to be mixed up before dosing, in my experience.