Strontium occurs in natural seawater at a concentration of about 8 to 10 mg/L. It is chemically very similar to calcium, and many organisms incorporate it in their skeletons along with calcium. Its addition to reef aquariums aids the growth of corals, coralline algae and other organisms that lay down a calcereous skeleton or shell, including tridacnid clams. Reef Strontium™ is intended to restore and maintain strontium to levels found in natural seawater without affecting pH. Strontium is utilized in the same manner as calcium and holds a similar importance in maintaining a vigorous level of growth. Reef Strontium™ contains 10,000 mg/L of available strontium as a gluconate complex. Gluconate complexation confers several benefits: it increases the bioavailability of the strontium, it provides a rich source of metabolic energy to help maintain peak coral growth, and it inhibits strontium precipitation/alkalinity depletion. Gluconate contains no nitrogen or phosphorous, thus it is biologically impossible for it to lead to algae growth in a properly maintained reef system.