Mineral Supplements for Marine Aquariums

hw mineral salt mixes for targeted adjustment of water parameters

Corals and other organisms use minerals for growth and metabolism. The amount to replenish depends on stocking, growth, source water and water changes. Heavily stocked reef aquariums may require additional supplementation.

Measure the relevant water parameters and choose a mineral salt mix to suit actual requirements. Follow the application instructions and account for other additives in your care routine.

hw CalciumMarin

Calcium additive with CO₂+ for reef aquariums

hw CalciumMarin replenishes calcium and the buffering capacity of aquarium water. Reef-building corals and other calcifying organisms need calcium to build their calcium carbonate structures.

Base dosing on measured requirements. Check calcium, carbonate hardness and pH regularly and observe the dosage limit on the product page.

hw MagnesiumMarin

Magnesium additive for reef aquariums

The mixture contains high-purity ingredients without added chemical processing aids. Magnesium is a major component of seawater. Use hw MagnesiumMarin to replenish magnesium in your reef aquarium according to measured requirements.

Measure magnesium before dosing. Increase the concentration slowly and also monitor salinity, particularly during prolonged use. Follow the dosing and application instructions on the product page.

hw BufferMarin

Replenish carbonate hardness and buffering capacity

hw BufferMarin increases carbonate hardness, or alkalinity, and thereby replenishes the buffering capacity of marine water. The mixture is made from high-purity raw materials and is free of nitrates, phosphates and silicates.

Check carbonate hardness and pH before and after use. The appropriate dosage depends on measured values and the requirements of your aquarium. Follow the current product instructions, including the required interval between use and the addition of calcium or magnesium supplements.

hw MineralMarin

NaCl-free mineral salt mixture for targeted water treatment

hw MineralMarin adds minerals and trace elements without adding sodium chloride (NaCl, table salt). In marine aquariums, it is used to help maintain ionic balance as part of the Balling method. It does not replace a complete sea salt for preparing seawater.

hw MineralMarin can also be used to prepare alkaline freshwater for suitable species from Lake Malawi or Lake Tanganyika. The quantity required and the resulting water parameters depend on the source water and livestock. Test the water and choose target parameters to suit your animals.

Water for lake Tanganyika & lake Malawi

By solving hw® MineralMarin into ph-neutral fresh water like from a reverse osmosis unit or a demineralization unit (ion exchanging unit) a nearly nature identically lake Tanganyika respective lake Malawi water.
The so prepared water is ideal to offer all animals and plants with provenance of this lakes nearly nature identically water conditions and parameters.

tips & hints

Consequences and remedies of Ca and Mg deficits / attention to the ion balance in sea water

One of the consequences would be that the corals would stop their growth and to degenerate in their growth forms, which can lead in some cases up to serious damage in the organic tissue culminating in a complete dieback of the coral.

Mostly it would be intended to prevent such situation by adding simple salts like Calcium chloride and Magnesium chloride to the aquarium. In short terms this always better than nothing but over longer time it will come to a heavy displacement of ion balance of the aquarium water.

This will simple caused by the fact, that after the marine life forms has adsorbed for example the Calcium ion, the Chloride ion will still remain (remember you has added Calcium chloride to elevate the Ca-level). The same will happened with the added Magnesium chloride… the chloride will remain.

After several month the chloride ions will accumulate more and more in your Aquarium (by the periodical water changes you will always only remove a proportional part of the accumulated chlorides).

A component has to be added to „donate“ sodium ions for the over boarding amount of remaining chloride ions. The simplified end result would be in this way simple NaCl sodium chloride.

This rising up of the NaCl will take a long time period (several month) till it will be noticed by a slow increase of the density/specific gravity/salinity of the water. Even this effect could be only reported if there was no normal water changes made over all this time period.
An increasing of the salinity, provoked by this effect could be normally compensated by simply replacing a few liters of the aquarium water with freshwater. Minor fluctuations in the salinity would be tolerated in a reef tank similar like the seasonal fluctuations (monsoon rain in reef regions for example) in the reef regions. A permanent and steadily increasing ion displacement is a completely unnatural process which will lead to corresponding reactions of the affected system.

With the hw® Mineral salt mixes you get the possibility to counteract mineral deficits without facing the negative effects of ion displacements in your reef tank. In contrast to most other offered products available on the market, hw® Mineral salt mixes do not cause or provoke any ion displacements in marine water.