Articles in Reef Chemistry
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Refugium Guide: Chaeto, Lighting, Sizing, and Nutrient Export A refugium is one of the most reliable ways to keep reef tank nutrients in check without chemicals. Here is how to size it, light it, stock it with chaeto, and actually export nitrate and phosphate.
- Reef Chemistry Guided Reef Dosing: How Reef Trak Turns Parameter Tests Into a Smarter Next Step Logging a test result is only half the job. Guided dosing takes your parameter results and helps guide what to dose to move them toward recommended ranges, connected to your full tank history instead of an isolated calculator.
- Reef Chemistry The Best Way to Track Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium in a Reef Tank Alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium are the three pillars of reef chemistry. Tracking them well is straightforward once you know what to log, how often, and what to do with the record.
- Reef Chemistry How to Lower Nitrate in a Reef Tank: Carbon Dosing, GFO, Water Changes, and More High nitrate in a reef tank means algae, muted coral colors, and dirty-looking water. Here are the proven ways to lower it without crashing your nutrients to zero.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Nitrate and Phosphate: Target Range, Testing, and Why "Zero" Is Bad Both nitrate and phosphate are required for healthy coral growth in trace amounts. Zero is not the goal. Here is the full guide to managing nutrients in a reef tank.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Magnesium: Target Range, Why It Matters, Testing, and Dosing Magnesium is the silent enabler of reef chemistry. It does not visibly do anything until it drops too low. Then suddenly your calcium and alkalinity stop responding to dosing. Here is what reef keepers need to know.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Calcium: Target Range, Testing, Dosing, and Balance with Alkalinity Calcium is the structural element that builds coral skeletons. It moves slower than alkalinity but matters just as much. Here is the complete reef-keeper guide to calcium, testing, dosing, and balance.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Alkalinity: Complete Guide to dKH, meq/L, Testing, and Stability Alkalinity is the single most important reef parameter to track. It moves daily, drives coral skeletal growth, and is the first thing to drift when something is off. Here is the practical guide for reef keepers.
- Reef Chemistry Why Reef Tank pH Drops at Night (And How to Fix It) Almost every reef tank shows lower pH at night than during the day. It is normal biology and indoor air CO2. Here is exactly why and what to do about it.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank ORP: What It Means, Target Range, and Why It Is Less Important Than Reefers Think ORP measures oxidation-reduction potential: how oxidizing the water is. Reef keepers measure it, ozone hobbyists obsess over it, but most reef tanks run fine without ever consciously thinking about it.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Stability: Why One Perfect Test Result Does Not Tell the Whole Story A single perfect alkalinity reading does not mean the tank is stable. Stability lives in the movement of your parameters week over week. This is what that looks like and how to measure it.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Salinity: Target Range (1.025 / 35 ppt), Testing, and Top-Off Math Salinity sounds simple (keep it at 1.025), but evaporation moves it constantly and most beginner-tank problems start with bad refractometer calibration. Here is the practical guide.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank pH: Target Range, Why It Drops at Night, and How to Stabilize It pH is the most rhythmic parameter in a reef tank. It rises during the day and drops at night, and indoor CO2 is the #1 reason a tank runs low. Here is the practical guide.
- Reef Chemistry Reef Tank Temperature: Target Range (76–80°F), Stability, Heaters, and Chillers Reef tank temperature should sit between 76 and 80°F with the smallest possible daily swing. Both heat and cold spikes can wipe out corals, but the everyday killer is failed heaters cooking a tank overnight.