REEF CALCIUM is a liquid source of calcium, the formulation has been designed and adapted in our R&D laboratory to be perfectly assimilable by corals at times of highest demand (Calcification) and is in such a form that it can be assimilated without requiring too much energy. The skeleton of corals, CALCAREE algae, mollusks and many invertebrates is largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Calcium is an essential nutrient that is absorbed by corals and other marine invertebrates and plays a key role in their growth. An imbalance of levels within the marine aquarium can change the alkalinity of the water. REEF CALCIUM makes calcium readily available to the aquarium and provides a rich source of metabolic energy, which is critical to help maintain peak coral growth and supports them in calcification. Seawater, and consequently aquarium water, is rich in calcium carbonate because plant and animal organisms, sessile and floating, form calcium carbonate using bicarbonate ions and calcium ions present in water, according to the following process of carbonate formation by precipitation:

Ca²+ + 2HCO³- ↔ CaCO³ + CO² +H²O:

• CaCO³ = calcium carbonate
• CO² = carbon dioxide
• H²O = water
• Ca²+ = calcium ions
• HCO³- = bicarbonate ions

At normal temperatures and pressures, the salt, CaCO³, is essentially insoluble in water but solubility increases with pressure and decreases with temperature; calcium carbonate by reverse reaction dissolves and dissociates into Ca²+ and CO³²- making calcium available to invertebrates in the aquarium.