Red Sea Reef Foundation B Alkalinity

Red Sea Reef Foundation B Alkalinity

Red Sea Reef Foundation B Alkalinity is a marine alkalinity and pH supplement for coral reef aquariums, made for reef keepers who want to keep the buffering side of their water chemistry stable. It contains a complex of carbonate and other buffers found in natural seawater, so you can replenish alkalinity as your corals use it up.

Why Alkalinity Matters in a Reef Tank

A successful coral reef aquarium depends on appropriate water parameters, because these give corals the stable environment they need. Every element in natural seawater plays a part, but a few have a bigger influence on overall stability. These are the foundation of the reef environment, and they are the three major elements: Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Bicarbonates (HCO3).

• Together they strongly affect water chemistry: pH stability, alkalinity and seawater ionic strength.
• They also affect many of the coral's biological processes: skeleton formation, ion exchange and photosynthesis.
• The three elements complement each other in building the coral skeleton. If they are not available in the correct ratios, one of them quickly becomes the limiting factor for healthy coral growth.

Key Benefits

• Helps maintain proper alkalinity and pH in a coral reef aquarium.
• Contains a complex of carbonate and other buffers present in seawater.
• Replenishes the bicarbonate foundation element that corals draw on for skeleton formation.
• Suits both weekly and daily dosing routines, depending on your coral types.
• Available in liquid and powder dosing formats, each with a clear dosing rate.

Dosage

• Liquid: 1 ml will raise the alkalinity of 100 liters by 0.036 meq/l (1 dKH).
• Powder: 1 g will treat 100 liters.

How to Use

Weekly supplementing for soft and LPS corals: Test the foundation elements every week and dose each supplement to bring them back to the optimal levels.

Daily supplementing for SPS and LPS corals:

• Make sure all of the foundation elements are at optimal values.
• Run the aquarium for 4 days at a stable salinity without adding any supplements. Compensate for evaporation daily by adding freshwater.
• At the end of the 4 days, test the foundation elements and calculate the 4-day dosage of each supplement needed to replenish them to optimal levels.
• Add the 4-day dosage to the system.
• Divide this 4-day dosage by 4 and use it as the daily dosage for the next week.
• After a week of daily dosing, test the foundation elements again and calculate the adjusting dosage of each supplement needed to return to optimal levels.
• If the adjusting dosage is significantly different from the previous daily dosage, increase or decrease the daily dosage as appropriate.
• If the measured level of an element is above optimal, wait for the excess to be depleted before restarting daily supplementation with the amended daily dosage.
• Keep testing all of the elements every week and adjust the daily dosages as required.

Ongoing Care Tips

• As your corals grow, or as you add or remove livestock, the uptake of these elements will gradually change. Weekly testing lets you keep up with that.
• Keep a logbook of your weekly measurements and dosages.
• If you miss one or more days of supplementing, add the complete amount you missed, but do not exceed the maximum recommended daily increase for any of the elements.

Suitable For

• Coral reef aquariums.
• Soft and LPS corals on a weekly dosing routine.
• SPS and LPS corals on a daily dosing routine.

Compatibility

Designed to be used alongside supplements for the other foundation elements, calcium and magnesium. Each one is dosed to replenish its own level back to optimal, so test all three regularly to keep them in balance.

Specifications

• Function: maintains alkalinity and pH in reef aquariums
• Composition: complex of carbonate and other buffers present in seawater
• Liquid dosing: 1 ml raises the alkalinity of 100 liters by 0.036 meq/l (1 dKH)
• Powder dosing: 1 g treats 100 liters
• Testing interval: foundation elements tested weekly

Frequently Asked Questions

How much liquid do I add to raise alkalinity?
1 ml of the liquid raises the alkalinity of 100 liters by 0.036 meq/l (1 dKH). For the powder, 1 g treats 100 liters.

How often should I test my water?
Test the foundation elements every week, whether you dose weekly or daily. Use the results to adjust your dosages as your corals grow or your livestock changes.

What is the difference between the dosing routines for soft/LPS and SPS/LPS corals?
For soft and LPS corals, test weekly and dose each supplement to replenish it to optimal levels. For SPS and LPS corals, work out a 4-day dosage after a 4-day supplement-free period. Then divide it by 4 for a daily dose and fine-tune it with weekly testing.

What should I do during the 4-day no-supplement period?
Keep salinity stable by topping up evaporation daily with freshwater, and do not add any supplements. Test the foundation elements at the end of the 4 days to calculate your dosage.

What if I miss a day of dosing?
Add the full amount you missed, but do not exceed the maximum recommended daily increase for any of the elements.

Why should I keep a logbook?
Coral uptake of the foundation elements changes as corals grow and as livestock is added or removed. A log of weekly measurements and dosages makes it easier to spot trends and adjust your daily dosage.

When can I expect delivery?

• Gauteng (Jhb/Pta) - 1-3 working days
• Nationwide (Cpt/Dbn+) - 2-5 working days
• Outlying Areas - 3-7 working days

All orders are sent via Economy Road, typically through Fastway or Internet Express Couriers*. Estimated timeframes are not guaranteed. Once the order is collected by the courier, we have no control over third-party logistics and cannot make any time promises.

If you prefer a faster 🚀 shipping option, we also offer The Courier Guy during checkout in the dropdown selection. Please note that this option is not free, and you must choose it to use it. Please pay careful attention to the cutoff times and delivery timeframe for these options during checkout.

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