Keeping your tank in check is vital for maintaining a healthy ecosystem, below is some important information to keep in mind.  Normal tap water not only contains chlorine which is harmful to both fish and coral but can also contain high levels of nitrates and phosphates which can not be used in saltwater aquaria.  It is critical, to begin with, a clean source of water often produced through the use of a reverse osmosis system (RO) that uses a series of filters and media to strip these harmful pollutants out of household tap water.  Your RO water must then be combined with an appropriate source of salt.

 

The most critical parameters that must be maintained include:

Water temperature, Salinity, pH, and Alkalinity (KH).  In addition, corals require several major, minor, and trace elements in order to remain healthy and growing, these include Calcium, Strontium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iodine, Manganese, Cobalt, and Zinc.  There are also several trace elements that makeup, less than 1% of seawater that are in small percentages but nonetheless important to longer-term success of raising corals. Water changes with a good salt can usually be performed every two weeks that will replace these critical elements that are consumed by the corals.  In some cases of a mature or heavily stocked coral aquarium, the addition of trace elements may be required to maintain these levels.

Major & Minor Trace Elements

There are several specialized tools needed to check these critical parameters and elements and include a pH monitor, Salinity hydrometer, and manual and electronic testing equipment.

Salinity   Monitor                                                                                                                           pH monitor