Equo has released a supplement line, called Coral Reef 1, 2, and 3, suggested for a correct maintenance of a marine aquarium concerning triad and chemistry.

The trio includes micronutrients, trace elements, and mineral salt supplements. Each product has the expiration date and batch number clearly stamped on the packages, which are now made out of  white plastic, following the new Equo aesthetic introduced at the Nurnberg Interzoo 2016 (here).

Coral Reef 1

Coral Reef 1 provides Calcium, Magnesium and Strontium in the correct proportions. These three elements are vital for the proper calcification of limestone corals, both LPS and SPS.

Coral Reef 2

Coral Reef 2 provides Boron, Potassium, Fluoride, Bromide and above all, buffer substances (alkalinity or kh) in the right proportions. These elements are necessary both to stabilize pH and to restore the microelements that are consumed in the aquarium, and they have a direct result on coral’s coloration, especially due to the micronutrients.

For best results, and to keep a balanced aquarium, Coral Reef 2 should always be used together with Coral Reef 1 and always at the same concentrations.

Coral Reef 3

Coral Reef 3 contains trace elements that complete the corals’ requirements. Specifically we are talking about Lithium, Aluminum, Iron, Nickel Zinc, Chromium and Iodine. These elements have direct results on corals’ coloration too; iodine, for example, is crucial for Xenia’s breeding.

Once there were only balanced products for calcium and alkalinity dosing, today these products have evolved, and thanks to newly acquired knowledge, they can provide everything that is necessary in aquarium. Not only calcium and alkalinity, but also magnesium, micronutrients, and trace elements, perfect for correct and complete aquarium management.

Price and Dosing

For all the products the suggested dosing is 10 ml for a 100 liter tank once a week. So, this is also good for keeping a nanoreef or minireef, since smaller quantities are easily dosable with a syringe.

My personal suggestion is a daily dosing with reduced doses. For example, in a 300 liter aquarium instead of dosing 30 ml once a week for each product, I’d rather dose 30/7=~4 ml every day. In the morning. In front of a flow pump. The important thing to do is separate the dosage of the products at least 15 minutes one from another.

Nonetheless dosing should be calibrated according to aquarium consumption, keeping constantly measured calcium, magnesium and alkalinity (kh) levels, and adjusting dosing according to them, because every tank holds a different number of corals, which have a different element consumption.

Equo Coral Reef is sold in 4 increasing volume packages, 250, 500, 2,500, and 5,000 ml. The price is respectively  18.77, 29.70, 74.00 and 129.00 euro. The packages have a cost per liter of  75.08, 59.40, 29.60, and 25.80 euro.

My advice is to buy, for the first time, the 250 ml package to test the product, and then buy the 2.5 liter one, which is much cheaper in the long run, though the 5 liter package has the best value for the money. Of course it depends on tank dimensions and consumption.

You can find more information about the products, including safety data sheet on the Equo webpage .