Red Sea Reef Foundation Liquid Starter Kit, Reef Care Program 250 ml x 3

Red Sea Reef Foundation Liquid Starter Kit, Reef Care Program 250 ml x 3

A successful coral reef aquarium is dependent upon maintaining the appropriate water parameters that, in turn, provide the stable environment required by the corals. Although all the elements found in natural seawater have an important role in providing the optimal water parameters, a few of them have a more significant role in the overall stability.

These elements are the foundation of the reef environment and they include
the three major elements: calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and bicarbonates (HCO₃).

These three elements have a major effect on the water chemistry (pH stability, alkalinity
and seawater ionic strength) and on many of the coral?s biological processes
(skeleton formation, ions exchange and photosynthesis).

Skeletogenesis is the process by which special cells within the corals? soft tissue combine the foundation elements together with strontium and barium from the surrounding water to form the building blocks of coral skeletons. Corals build approximately 90% of their skeleton by combining calcium and carbonate ions from the water to form aragonite (CaCO₃). The rest of the skeleton is made up from magnesite (MgCO₃), strontianite (SrCO₃), calcite (a more brittle crystal structure of CaCO₃), fluorite (CaF₂) and other minor and trace minerals. In unbalanced conditions such as low levels of Mg and/or Sr the skeleton will develop with a higher proportion of calcite making it more brittle and more susceptible to damage. The foundation elements complement each other in the formation of coral skeleton. If they are not available in the correct ratios, one of them will quickly become the limiting factor of healthy coral growth.

Corals need to invest energy in transporting the foundation and other elements necessary for skeletogenisis from the surrounding water through their soft tissue. Elevated levels of the foundation elements create a more positive ionic pressure enabling passive diffusion of the elements through the soft tissue. This makes the process much more efficient (less energy required per gram of skeleton). Therefore, balanced elevated levels of the foundation elements will result in accelerated coral growth rates. In mature systems where accelerated growth is not desired or when aiming to enhance coral coloration by reducing the levels of algae nutrients, lower balanced levels of the foundation elements should be maintained.

Unlike the natural reef environment, where there is an immense reservoir of the foundation elements, the reef aquarium is an artificial environment that is constantly affected by chemical changes. Therefore, the foundation elements must be monitored and replenished constantly. Research has also shown that the optimal levels of these elements should be maintained according to the variety and maturity of the specific coral population. In order to accurately select the optimal level for your aquarium, it is best to use the values for the most demanding species in your aquarium.