Lithium in the aquarium
Trace element present in natural sea water. Its biological role in the aquarium is little known. It is monitored with ICP.
Detailed explanation
Lithium is present in natural seawater at approximately 170-180 ug/l. It has no known biological role for corals or fish but its concentration is monitored as an indicator of overall water quality.
A lithium value significantly different from the natural range in the ICP analysis may indicate a problem with the synthetic salt used or contamination. Some cheap salts have lithium profiles that are very different from natural seawater.
Lithium is never dosed separately in aquariums. Water changes with a good synthetic salt keep the level in range.
In the medical field lithium is used as a psychiatric drug. For this reason, those who take lithium as a medicine must be careful not to contaminate the aquarium water during maintenance.
In freshwater aquariums lithium has no practical relevance and is never measured.
Reference values by aquarium type
| Aquarium type | Recommended range |
|---|---|
| Marine (reef) | 140 - 200 ug/lNSW: approximately 175 ug/l |
How it is measured
Only via ICP-OES analysis.
What happens when it is too low
May indicate a synthetic salt with incomplete ionic profile.
What happens when it is too high
May indicate contamination. Check external sources.
Coralia Lab monitors this parameter with AI diagnostics. Tank Score alerts you when a value moves outside the recommended range for your aquarium.
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