Well what most wont teach you is, after your cycle you really only need 4 test kits (5 if you don't have a PH monitor)
Calcium
mag,
Alk,
PH
Phosphate.
(if you need to test nitrates, ammonia, and nitrites after your cycle something is wrong)
Still need to get that kit. You can imagine how immobile I am with the new hip and all. I have to remember to find my debit card so I can pay a visit to drsfostersmith.
OOOO a new hip..
I gotta make a note to get me one of those too. LOL
What site did you buy that from and do they have a DIY one to save a buck or two???
As for the test kits..
The ELOS line is not a kit it is single tests kits..
I just bought them at the same time (LFS is WAY more spendy than online)
YES if you raise your mag to 1200-1300 your calcium will go down and your corals will grow faster..
MAGNESIUM is like a gate way or a door if your like..
If you get it in the right range it kinda opens the gate in the corals to absorb CALCIUM and ALK..
so when your mag is too low or too high it will screw up your whole deal
SO get your mag in check.
Then your aLK
and 9 times out of ten your calcium will be near what you want it to be.
According to your calculator thing, I need about 933 GRAMS of Epsom salt... That might cause sulfate problem. Or I could go with about half a bottle of Kent marine mag supplement. Might take a week or so to get it to the right levels?
I have two brains, some hard coral, and a candy cane that are in real bad shape. They still have some fleshy bits hanging onto the skeleton. You think they are savable after I get this mag in there?
All my softies and shrooms are doing fine though. Infact I just found a new "spawn" of one of my big shooms all the way across the tank.