Features
- Composed of magnesium, calcium, and carbonates.
- Optimal average particle size for use in media reactors and calcium reactors.
- Free of chloride and sulfate.
- Mined in the United States.
- 11.9lbs (5.4kg)
Description
NeoMag
High-purity, magnesium-rich mineral that may be employed in traditional calcium
reactors, or even blended in to pre-existing aquarium substratum, to gradually
increase and maintain the magnesium concentration in the system.
Provides magnesium, which helps regulate the balance between calcium and
carbonates in aquarium water, and is a component of aragonite, the mineral
secreted by reef-building organisms to form skeletal material.
Technical Background
Magnesium plays a vital role in reef aquaria: it helps maintain calcium and
carbonate (composing the majority of measurable alkalinity) concentrations
by limiting unwanted inorganic precipitation with each other. In the absence
of adequate magnesium ions, calcium and carbonate ions bond rapidly, depleting
their concentrations in the system and creating the false impression that
heavier supplementation is required to re-establish the desired concentrations.
No matter how much calcium is added, its natural seawater concentration of
412 ppm will never be sustained until the magnesium concentration begins to
approach 1,290 ppm. Once the balance between calcium and magnesium has been
established, subsequent calcium supplementation yields immediate positive
results. Keeping magnesium within a range of 1,290-1,320 ppm will maintain
the desired balance, and provides enough of the element to reef-building organisms
for the formation of aragonite.
NeoMag is a naturally-occurring mineral of high purity. It is primarily formed
abiogenically (via a number of geochemical processes) as opposed to by living
organisms (such as corals and other aragonite-secreting organisms). NeoMag
is ~13% magnesium by weight, as opposed to ~0.10% Mg by weight (on average)
of aragonite. This being the case, NeoMag is a superb source of magnesium
in reef aquaria, particularly those with sufficient magnesium demand to require
frequent supplementation. It is best-employed in a calcium reactor at a ratio
of ~9:1 aragonite:NeoMag by volume. NeoMag may also be used in secondary chambers
of calcium reactors to help eliminate free CO2 that has not reacted with the
aragonite media, thereby simultaneously reducing the propensity for pH to
exist at a depressed level in the aquarium and increasing the rate of media
dissolution, and hence magnesium supplementation.
Instructions and Guidelines:
Rinse material in freshwater or saltwater prior to initial placement in aquarium
system. Employ in a calcium reactor (main chamber or secondary chamber) at
a total ratio of approximately 9:1 aragonite:NeoMag by volume. The rate of
water flow through the reactor in conjunction with the pH of the water inside
the chamber(s) will have the greatest impact on the rate of media dissolution.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions furnished with the calcium reactor
to adjust the rates of water flow and CO2-injection and attain the desired
concentrations of magnesium and calcium in the effluent. Measure alkalinity,
calcium, and magnesium concentrations in the aquarium two- to four-times each
month during the course of using NeoMag to ensure that parameters are within
the desired ranges, and make adjustments to reactor system as required. As
the biomass of corals and other reef-building organisms residing within an
aquarium increase with time, so the biodemand of calcium, magnesium, and carbonates
increases, as well; this being the case, the frequency at which aragonite
and NeoMag must be replaced will increase.
Note that each reef aquarium has unique magnesium requirements, and that
it is possible for the magnesium demand in the aquarium to exceed the rate
at which this element is liberated from the NeoMag material. Additionally,
sea salt mixes are often deficient in magnesium, which puts the aquarist at
an immediate disadvantage. In such cases, additional magnesium supplementation
(such as with Brightwell Aquatics Magnesion or Magnesion-P) may be required
to re-establish a natural seawater magnesium concentration (~1,290 - 1,320
ppm); once this concentration has been attained, NeoMag will generally maintain
the concentration within the desired range when the reactor is efficiently
operating. Another option is to employ a larger (or additional) calcium reactor
to house a greater amount of NeoMag. Regardless of the method utilized, it
is not recommended that the ratio of aragonite:NeoMag exceed 7:1 by volume,
as this may increase the alkalinity of the aquarium beyond the desired level.
