Techniques for Maintaining Calcium and Alkalinity in Reef Tanks

Calcium and alkalinity are vitally important chemical parameters in reef aquariums. They are used by stony corals to build their calcium carbonate skeletons. A lack of calcium and alkalinity in the water will inhibit the growth of reef-building corals and…

The Role of Magnesium in Marine Aquarium Chemistry

One of the big differences in moving from freshwater systems to saltwater systems is a greater emphasis on water chemistry. There is a pretty steep learning curve to get a handle on all the different chemical parameters, and it can…

Marine Aquarium Antacid: Understanding Alkalinity

When I first made the switch from freshwater to marine fishkeeping, I was somewhat befuddled by the term “alkalinity” as it’s typically used on the saltwater side of the hobby. During all my years of keeping freshwater systems, I had…