Additives and Conditioners

Natural seawater contains virtually every element known on earth. Corals, invertebrates, fish and algae use many of these elements in their biological processes. Many of these elements and compounds are present in very low levels in the ocean and on the reef. But, the animals present there have almost constant exposure to water moving across them, which allows them to remove small amounts constantly.

In a closed system, like your aquarium, this is not the case. There is a finite amount of these trace elements present and, as a result, these elements can be rapidly depleted.

Understanding trace elements and using them properly is not that complicated once a general understanding of what they do and what their levels should be is achieved. Fortunately, all of these elements are now available in easy-to-use preparations and tests for almost all of them are also now available. As a result, keeping the water chemistry in a saltwater tank close to that of a natural reef is now possible. Even new hobbyists can achieve great success in a relatively short time simply by testing the water regularly and adding these elements as necessary.]