Reef Chemistry

Title photo by R2R member Rskillz   By Randy Holmes-Farley Salinity is one of the most important parameters measured in reef aquaria.  It controls not only the salt balance between an organism and its surrounding environment, but also the levels of a host of ions Read more here…

by Randy Holmes-Farley For many aquarists, pH is not something that they have much experience with aside from their aquarium.  For many, pH is almost a black box measurement: something to be considered, but whose physical meaning makes little sense to them.  This article will Read more here…

  The phosphorus atom is one of living matter’s basic building blocks. It is present in every living creature and in the water of every reef aquarium. Unfortunately, it is often present in excess in reef aquaria and that excess has the potential to cause Read more here…

By Randy Holmes-Farley Introduction Nitrate is an ion that has long dogged aquarists. It is typically formed in aquaria through the digestion of foods, and in many aquaria it builds up and can be difficult to keep at natural levels. In the past, many aquarists Read more here…

By Randy Holmes-Farley There is no aspect of reef aquarium chemistry more important than calcium and alkalinity. Many of my previous articles have described various aspects of these systems in detail. In reading those articles, aquarists will note one pervasive theme: that maintaining appropriate levels Read more here…

There are many different ions in seawater, and as reef aquarists we generally only test for a small number of these. Calcium, magnesium, “alkalinity”, nitrate, phosphate, and ammonia, for example, are relatively easy for hobbyists to test at home using kits. Other ions, however, are Read more here…