Articles tagged: calcification
- Deep dive
Zooxanthellae and the coral symbiosis
A deep dive into the relationship between a coral and its endosymbiotic algae: the biology and genera of Symbiodiniaceae, nutrient exchange and light-enhanced calcification, regulation of symbiont density, the mechanism of bleaching and the scientific debate around it — and what all of it means in the aquarium.
- Basics
pH in the reef aquarium — what it is and why it fluctuates
The logarithmic scale, diel variation, safe range, indoor CO₂ as a hidden cause, and why an electrode is the only reliable measurement tool.
- Deep dive
pH — carbonate chemistry, cellular regulation and nature's paradoxes
The carbonate system's three forms, aragonite saturation state, the vital effect, the Bourake paradox, and ocean acidification in aquarium context.
- Basics
Alkalinity — the buffer beneath the surface
What alkalinity is, why it depletes, reference values by tank type, measurement methods and supplementation from kalkwasser to calcium reactors.
- Basics
Calcium — the skeleton's building block
What corals are built from, why calcium depletes, magnesium's role in the calcium system and what happens when calcium drops too low.
- Basics
Magnesium — the invisible stability mechanism
Why seawater contains so much magnesium, its role in aragonite crystallisation and calcium solubility, and how its depletion shows up in the tank.
- Deep dive
Phosphate deep dive — biochemistry, the skeleton and open questions
Phosphate forms in water, phosphate as the cell's fundamental molecule, the one-way path into the skeleton, calcification inhibition biochemistry, particulate phosphate and Liebig vs. Redfield.