Calcium in the wild?

[lutebro]

Just curious on where calcium comes from in natural reefs. I am asking because we have to add stuff to our tanks to bring up the calcium levels but what happens in the wild? Curiosity is really getting to me.

[BJL]

It's not that calcium is in unusual supply but it does not react the same as say, sodium or magnesium. Because of it's solubility properties, calcium is effected by things liike pH and alkalinity. Some well water supplies will be above 400 ppm in Ca. That is the natural groundwork for some great deposition rock.

[Randy V]

Nevermind. At three o'clock in the morning everything seems funny.

[lutebro]

That's a very interesting theory. Am i just dumb and don't know how calcium gets there or does no one care to let me in on the secret? :) Maybe i'll just have to open a book, naaaaa

[Randy V]

O'kay. How about water flows over calcium carbonate minerals on land and eventually flows to the sea adding dissolved minerals to the ocean. That would be my guess, but I like my flying tums theory better.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the water column in the ocean is rather large, compared to the calcium absorbers. Our tanks are not to scale.