Why your reef tank absolutely needs calcium!

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Your corals skeletal structure is primarily composed of calcium carbonate which is formed by pulling calcium and carbonate ions from the water surrounding them. So, replenishing the calcium in your tanks water is essential to the health, growth, and coloration of your corals. Bulk calcium chloride is an invaluable tool for adjusting and maintaining your reef tanks calcium levels.

Dosing calcium chloride independently is necessary periodically in instances where a tank has very few corals and calcium consumption is low, boosting a salt mix which has low calcium levels, or an initial boost when first implementing a calcium reactor or kalkwasser.

But calcium reactors and kalkwasser are supposed to maintain your levels, right? True, however, while calcium reactors and kalkwasser are great for adding small amounts of calcium and alkalinity on a daily basis they're just not ideal a larger boost that is likely necessary when first starting out with those systems.

Bulk calcium chloride is the best solution for occasional adjustments since it's easy, inexpensive, and has very little impact on overall water chemistry other than calcium levels. Every reefer should honestly keep a jug of calcium chloride around!

So you want to dose calcium chloride in your tank? The first step is testing your tank for current calcium levels. You can pick up a test kit in a variety of price ranges, just be sure to read the instructions. We really like the Hanna Checker because it has a digital read out, but the calcium one does require deionized water so it's really best suited for people with access to an RO/DI system.

Most reefers will want their calcium levels around 420ppm. Once you have your test results, you can use the reef calculator to identify how much calcium chloride you'll need to dose to reach your desired levels.

The reef calculator will give you some tips on how to mix the solution as well as best practices for dosing. We like dosing the solution directly in the path of a powerhead to ensure proper distribution.

It's worth noting that the calcium chloride we sell is of pharmaceutical grade, which means when it's mixed with purified water (like RO/DI) it will dissolve crystal clear.