Calculator
Red Sea Foundation Calculator (A, B, C)
Red Sea's Reef Foundation set was designed alongside their Coral Pro Salt to maintain the "Red Sea elevated" parameter band: 7–11 dKH, 430 ppm Ca, 1300 ppm Mg. Three bottles instead of one (AFR) or four (Triton) — the middle ground. Each bottle is a single-purpose dose with manufacturer-published per-mL constants.
Alkalinity dosing
Liquid additive. Red Sea manual: 1 mL per 100 L raises alkalinity by 0.034 dKH (0.012 meq/L).
Source: redseafish.com
How this is calculated
Per-bottle dosing constants
From Red Sea's official Reef Foundation Complete manual (PDF):
- Foundation A (Calcium+): 1 mL per 100 L raises calcium by 2 ppm. Use the calcium dosing calculator with "Red Sea Foundation A" selected.
- Foundation B (KH/Alkalinity): 1 mL per 100 L raises alkalinity by 0.034 dKH. The calculator above defaults to Foundation B.
- Foundation C (Magnesium): 1 mL per 100 L raises magnesium by 1 ppm. Use the magnesium dosing calculator with "Red Sea Foundation C" selected.
Daily vs. correction dosing
Red Sea distinguishes "daily maintenance dose" (matching consumption) from "correction dose" (closing a gap). The math is the same — quantity in ppm or dKH × 1/constant — but with a critical guardrail: do not raise alkalinity by more than 1.4 dKH per day or calcium by more than 50 ppm per day. Splitting the correction across 3–7 days is the Red Sea protocol.
When Red Sea Foundation makes sense
- You're running Red Sea Coral Pro salt. The salt mixes to the elevated parameter band Foundation targets. Mismatching brands works but defeats the point.
- You want three separate dosing channels. Lets you correct calcium or magnesium independent of alkalinity — a flexibility AFR doesn't give you.
- You don't want to mix bulk powders. Pre-formulated and consistent.
- For an SPS tank consuming 3+ dKH/day, expect ongoing cost roughly 3–5× bulk two-part on a per-dKH basis.
FAQ
- How much Red Sea Foundation B do I dose?
- 1 mL per 100 L (26.4 US gal) per 0.034 dKH. A 100-gal tank consuming 1 dKH/day needs ~111 mL/day. The calculator gives exact mL for your inputs.
- What are Red Sea's recommended parameter targets?
- From the official manual: alkalinity 12.0 dKH, calcium 430 ppm, magnesium 1320 ppm. Note: 12.0 dKH is the elevated end of the safe band — most modern reefers run 7–9 dKH for stability, which is also fine with Foundation.
- Is Reef Foundation the same as Reef Energy?
- No. Foundation is Ca/Alk/Mg (the bedrock chemistry). Reef Energy is amino acids and carbohydrates for coral nutrition. Both are Red Sea products, often used together.
- Can I mix Red Sea Foundation with Randy two-part?
- Chemically yes — they don't react. Operationally no — you'd lose track of dose accounting. Pick one method and stick with it.
- Why is the Foundation B dose so much larger than BRS soda ash?
- Red Sea Foundation B is less concentrated than BRS Pharma soda ash by design — it's tuned for daily-dose pumps that prefer larger, more accurate volumes. The cost per dKH is what matters, not the mL.
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<iframe
src="https://reefcalcs.com/embed/red-sea-foundation/"
width="100%"
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title="ReefCalcs Red Sea Foundation Calculator (A, B, C)"
></iframe>Sources & references
- 01Red Sea — Reef Foundation Complete manual (PDF, official)https://redseafish.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/24653_Manual-Foundation-Complete-GB-_v21a-WEB.pdf
- 02Red Sea — Reef Foundation product pagehttps://www.redseafish.com/reef-care-program/reef-foundation/
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