Seachem Reef Carbonate

Reef Carbonate is a blend of carbonate and bicarbonate which restires and maintains the alkalinity is your reef aquarium.

Reef Carbonate is a concentrated (4,000 meq/L) blend of carbonate and bicarbonate. Both calcium and carbonates are essential to coral growth and without them the health of your corals will suffer. The corals will stop growing and a decline in their health will follow.

Calcium, magnesium, or strontium can sometimes be depleted when increasing alkalinity but Reef Carbonate will not do this.

Reef alkalinity should be maintained at 3–5 meq/L (8–14 dKH). Alkalinity should not be allowed to fall below 2 meq/L.

The blend of salts results in Reef Carbonate make for a pK of roughly 9.0 in saltwater.

Beginner: Use 1 capful (5 mL) per 80 L  twice a week. Best if diluted into a cup of freshwater, then added.

Check alkalinity every 2 weeks and adjust dose or frequency accordingly.

Advanced: Check alkalinity, then follow dosing regimen above until alkalinity is adjusted to 4–5 meq/L. Each dose will raise alkalinity by about 0.25 meq/L. Size or frequency of dose can be adjusted, but do not exceed 1 meq/L per day. Thereafter, use as required to maintain alkalinity.

Expert: After determining the alkalinity consumption rate, set up a continuous drip system. Use the following formula to determine how much to add to your top-off water: m=va (m=mL of product to add to top off water, v=volume of tank in US gallons, a=amount to raise alkalinity in meq/L). For example, if you want to raise alkalinity by 1 meq/L in a 50 US gallon tank, then you would add 50x1=50 mL into the top-off water.

Hints:

Best to pour in gradually near strong water movement.

Do not add to a sump or other area of slow water exchange. Use MultiTest: Marine pH & Alkalinity to measure total alkalinity or Reef Status: Magnesium, Carbonate & Borate to measure carbonate alkalinity.