New 🐟 Mercury Safety Guide & Omega-3 Rankings Updated for 2026. View Omega-3 Rankings →

🌿 Sustainable Seafood ⚡ Omega-3 Rankings 🔬 Mercury Safety 🏆 World Records 🎣 Fishing Licenses
API Docs
Get API Key →
🦴
Mineral Chemistry

Calcium (Reef)

Dissolved calcium ions in reef systems - the primary building material corals use to build their skeletons.

Unit: ppm Code: CALCIUM

📊 Ideal Ranges

Reef
400-450 ppm

📖 Overview

Stony corals extract calcium from seawater to build calcium carbonate skeletons. Natural seawater is 420 ppm; reef tanks target 400-450 ppm. Growing SPS-heavy tanks consume calcium rapidly and require daily replenishment via two-part additives, calcium reactors, or kalkwasser dosing.

📈 How to Raise

Two-part calcium supplements (Balling method). Calcium reactor. Kalkwasser (limewater) dosing. Manual calcium chloride additions.

🐟 Species with Specific Requirements

Tiger Cardinalfish
Jaydia striata
Redlight goby
Coryphopterus urospilus
Krauss' blenny
Enchelyurus kraussii
Bath's comb-tooth
Ecsenius bathi
Iridescent cardinalfish
Pristiapogon kallopterus
Comb wrasse
Coris picta
Blacktail humbug
Dascyllus melanurus
Minute mudskipper
Periophthalmus minutus
Ecsenius Pardus
Ecsenius pardus
Davao pughead pipefish
Bulbonaricus davaoensis
Baldwin's razorfish
Iniistius baldwini
Three-banded butterflyfish
Chaetodon robustus
False cleanerfish
Aspidontus taeniatus
Serranilla goby
Elacatinus serranilla
Key goby
Drombus key
Omox blenny
Omox biporos
Starck's demoiselle
Chrysiptera starcki
Clown anemonefish
Amphiprion ocellaris
Strasburg's blenny
Entomacrodus strasburgi
Network reefgoby
Priolepis agrena
Comical blenny
Ecsenius opsifrontalis
Graceful-tailed cardinalfish
Pseudamiops gracilicauda
Northern rainbow wrasse
Suezichthys notatus
Crescent dwarfgoby
Eviota bilunula
Smoky damsel
Pomacentrus littoralis
Yellowlined cardinalfish
Ostorhinchus chrysotaenia
Dwarf cardinalfish
Apogon mosavi
Harlequin bass
Serranus tigrinus
Tearful dwarfgoby
Eviota flebilis
Rock sea bass
Centropristis philadelphica

🔗 Related Parameters

⚗️
Boron / Borate Buffering
Borate ions in seawater contribute meaningfully to alkalinity buffering and are...
🧊
GH (General Hardness)
A measure of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water - essential minerals for f...
🧬
Iodine (Reef Trace)
A trace element used by reef invertebrates - particularly important for shrimp m...
🩸
Iron
A trace element essential for plant chlorophyll production - deficiency causes y...
🛡️
KH (Carbonate Hardness)
The buffering capacity of water against pH swings - measured as bicarbonate and...
⚖️
KH vs Alkalinity Distinction
The precise distinction between carbonate hardness (KH) and total alkalinity - i...