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The coral reefs of the world provide such a complex abundancy of vibrant and stunning life that they are the most popular marine environment for recreational divers. It can therefore hardly be a surprise that many of us desire to bring a piece of this wonder into our homes or businesses.

Our reef aquariums are, however, cut off from the natural systems and processes, checks and balances, which maintain the reefs in the natural world. We must replace Mother Nature's attentions with our own to keep our reef aquariums healthy and a continuing delight. To do so, we need at least a basic understanding of the ecology of a reef ecosystem and the practical applications of filtration, lighting, nutrition, water chemistry and water movement.

Most reef aquariums are based on shallow water corals, which have algal symbiotes that supply most of their energy requirements. They do best therefore in an environment that simulates the water movement generated by ocean waves, called "surge", and the strong light of the tropical sun.

This article is an introduction to water chemistry, detailing the various parameters and their appropriate levels critical to you reef aquarium's well-being. While providing a starting point, it does not provide a detailed "How To" guide for measuring and monitoring these parameters and the equipment and/or chemicals needed to do so, It does however give you some idea of what you will need to learn to give personal care to your own reef aquarium.

Salinity.

Seawater's salt content is predominantly sodium chloride (NaCl), the type of salt we use as a condiment, but it also contains traces of other salts such as potassium chloride (KCl). One method of determining salinity is to measure the specific gravity of the saltwater, for a reef aquarium it should be between 1.023 and 1.025. The biota in your reef aquarium are physiologically dependent on the water remaining at this level, they have no adaptive protections from changes in concentration. For example, evaporation might reduce the water level and therefore increase the salinity in your tank causing the organisms in the tank to dehydrate.

Temperature

The normal temperature range for a natural coral reef in the tropics is from 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, however it is beneficial for a reef aquarium to maintain the temperature at a lower level, 78 or 79 degrees Fahrenheit being optimum. This reduces metabolic activity without harming the organisms, which slows down any build-up of harmful compounds.

Hydrogen

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