colstudent69's Full Review: Salifert Magnesium Test Kit
OK, all you fellow reefers out there! Saltwater reefers that is ;) It is time to review another test kit, the Salifert Magnesium Test Kit.
Magnesium Discussion:
So why should we care about Magnesium? Magnesium is not as important to measure as Calcium, but it does have one critical function. Calcium Carbonate is always saturated in your tank water. Therefore Calcium Carbonate will slowly precipitate out of your water, lowering your Calcium and Alkalinity values. Magnesium will bind to the newly precipitated Calcium Carbonate and stop the process allowing more of your Calcium Carbonate to remain in the water to be used by your corals and coralline algae.
If you want more information on Magnesium, try this:
In simpler terms, low magnesium will allow lower calcium and alkalinity values, both bad for your corals.
The recommended level for Magnesium is 1200-1400, 1250-1350 being ideal.
The Test Kit:
Salifert's Magnesium test kit is the only one I've used, so I can't compare it to others. You get the test vial, 3 chemicals, 1 spoon, instructions and 2 syringes (one with a nifty removable tip).
Usage:
At the time of this writing this test kit can only be used as a full strength test, unlike Salifert's Alkalinity test. The quantities used in this test are easily divided by two, so I tried doing a half test on my own.
My reading with the full strength test was 1300 and my half test readings were 1400 and 1220, so I don't think it is a good idea to try to do half tests.
The Good:
I'm ASSUMING this is an accurate test as I have not had the opportunity to verify this with a different test kit or probe. A couple fellow reefers recommended this test kit because they have used it for several years and have verified their readings with other tests to confirm the accuracy. I just haven't done it myself.
The test is very sensitive, I saw the color change with the addition of one drop, so I'm happy you aren't wondering which of 3 or 4 drops was the actual level.
The Bad:
This is one of Salifert's more expensive test kits, running around $24 online. So it isn't cheap by my standards! That is about .24 per test.
Magnesium really doesn't have to be tested every time, so that saves you time and money, but it could lead to the test expiring before you have used all 100 tests. Always try to buy the kit with the furthest away expiration date. Buying online prevents this, so make sure when you get the test that they didn't send you a test about to expire!
Not always available in local fish stores and are usually priced much higher as it doesn't sell as often.
Half-tests not listed on instructions and appear inaccurate from my tests.
Who needs this test kit:
Fish only aquarium keepers can skip this test, even if they have live rock. Reef tank keepers with small or even medium levels of easy to keep corals can skip this test kit as well. But if you have a tank full of corals, or sensitive corals, then this test kit should be used.
If you have a reef tank that has a low calcium level that is difficult to raise, then this test kit is a good investment to see if your magnesium is low.
An alternative way is to find a local fish store that can test for magnesium, as only serious reefers really need to have this test kit at home
Summary:
A good test kit for the serious SW reef keeper, not really needed by fish only or FOWLR keepers. A bit expensive, but if it helps you diagnose and solve calcium problems, it can save your corals!
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