Reef Foundation 3x250ml Nanokit

 

Find the entire Reef Foundation program by Red Sea in a 250ml Mini format !

 

 

A successful reef aquarium depends on maintaining appropriate water parameters, which in turn provide the stable environment required by corals. Although all the elements found in natural seawater play an important role in maintaining these optimal parameters, a few of them play an even more significant role in overall stability. These elements are fundamental to the reef environment and include the three major elements: calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and bicarbonates (HCO3).

 

These three fundamental elements have a major effect on the chemistry of water (pH stability, alkalinity, ionic strength of seawater) and on many biological processes at work in coral (skeleton formation, ion exchange, photosynthesis).

 

The Red Sea Reef Foundation program provides a comprehensive solution for maintaining and supporting the building blocks of corals in a reef aquarium. It consists of complete and balanced supplements, formulated to work together over the long term without altering the ionic balance of the water.

 

 

Unlike the natural reef environment, where the reservoir of fundamental elements is immense, the reef aquarium is an artificial environment that is constantly affected by chemical changes. This is why it must be constantly monitored and replenished with fundamental elements. Research has shown that the optimal levels of these elements must be maintained based on the variety and maturity of the specific coral population.

To choose the optimal level for your aquarium, it is recommended to use the recommended values for the most demanding species in your aquarium.

 

Starting the Red Sea Reef Foundation program helps maintain the required concentrations of Fundamental Elements. The Reef Foundation program provides optimal conditions to increase the rate of calcification through improved passive diffusion. This reduces the energy demands generated by the calcification processes. Corals become stronger, healthier, and more colorful.

 

 

Corals must invest their energy to transport the essential elements and other components found in the surrounding water, which are necessary for their skeletogenesis, through their soft tissues. High levels of essential elements make the ionic pressure more positive. This allows for passive diffusion of the elements through the soft tissues, thus making the process much more efficient (less energy is required per gram of skeleton). Additionally, a balanced level of essential elements results in accelerated coral growth rates.

 

In the case of mature systems, where accelerated growth is not sought, or if the goal is rather enhanced coloration (by reducing the nutrient levels for algae), the fundamental element levels should be maintained at a less optimal level.

 

 

Skeletogenesis is a process by which certain special cells within the soft tissues of corals combine fundamental elements with strontium and barium drawn 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 drawn from the water to form aragonite (CaCO3). The rest of the skeleton is made up of magnesite (MgCO3), strontianite (SrCO3), calcite (a more brittle crystal structure of CaCO3), fluorite (CaF2), and other minor and trace minerals.

 

In a state of imbalance, such as when Mg and/or Sr levels are low, the skeleton will develop with a greater proportion of calcite, making it more fragile and more susceptible to damage.

 

The fundamental elements complement each other in the formation of the coral skeleton. If they are not available in the right proportions, one of them can quickly become the limiting factor for healthy coral growth.