Help....No Coraline Algae to Speak Of

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

You guys dont get the question. Maybe he wants the coralline. Some of us like it. I tried to help him and I dunno why it's not growing on his rocks. I'd like to know the answer to this as well. Had this question been about a weed like GSP or anthelia he would have had the answer right away. He has tonga rock and fiji rock. We have bought rock together and it grows great in my tank but not his. I put a rock from his tank in my display and refugium and both will be purple within a couple of weeks. And those are 5-10lb rocks.

What I would do then, is take the rock back to his tank, scrape off all the coralline and let the spores spread through the tank. That will often help seed the rest of the surfaces.

[marie]

What everyone forgets is that coralline algae is an ALGAE. It needs what all algae needs plus it sucks up all your calcium, alk and Mg.

If you want coralline algae give it nutrients and light without competition and it will grow. You get darker reds and purples with lower or bluer light and the pale pinks and lavender with brighter yellower light

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by marie

What everyone forgets is that coralline algae is an ALGAE. It needs what all algae needs plus it sucks up all your calcium, alk and Mg.

True!

[Hustler]

Well i dont have many corals at all and im using reef crystals salt and my coraline growth is pretty good....
AND... up untill this post i thought this was a good thing....?
Thats what i was told to look for when buying my live rock so ive got a good 70% of it lol now what I have to start chisling it off???

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Hustler

Thats what i was told to look for when buying my live rock so ive got a good 70% of it lol now what I have to start chisling it off???

lol! Like I said, it just something that I've come up with in my head, no proof at all, so don't go chiseling on my account
But, as Marie stated, it is algae, and creating an environment where it grows means other algae might grow well also.
Looking back, years ago my 150g had sheets upon sheets of this stuff growing everywhere. I also had very brown corals.
Current tank, not a lot of coralline, lots of coral color. Dunno, connected?

[Madreefer]

That's just their opinions. It's not bad. I run a calcium reactor and a kalk reactor, so in my case I'm not too worried about it stripping ca or mg from my tank. To each their own. I like it.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

It's not bad. I run a calcium reactor and a kalk reactor, so in my case I'm not too worried about it stripping ca or mg from my tank. To each their own. I like it.

Also, to note, when I had the most coralline in my tank, the corals also grew faster than ever. So agreed, I wouldn't worry about it stripping anything from the tank. and who knows, as an algae, it may bind nutrients and help corals grow.
Any of the bad thoughts on it are indeed just opinion...

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by marie

What everyone forgets is that coralline algae is an ALGAE. It needs what all algae needs plus it sucks up all your calcium, alk and Mg.

If you want coralline algae give it nutrients and light without competition and it will grow. You get darker reds and purples with lower or bluer light and the pale pinks and lavender with brighter yellower light

I have no detectable nutrients in my tank. If it requires all rhe same as hair algae etc then theoretically it should be dead in my tank cause I don't have any other algaes. Funny.

Pretty sure it's more calcium dependent and so on.

I would like to see more than an opinion on this topic since it came up. I have yet to hear anyone call it nuisance algae. Until now.

Any scientists out there. Lol.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by paddyob

I would like to see more than an opinion on this topic since it came up. I have yet to hear anyone call it nuisance algae. Until now.

I was just thinking the same thing. I can't recall ever seeing any articles on the topic.
I'm not sure I'd call it a nuisance algae either. If suddenly all my rocks started turning purple, I wouldn't worry about it.
I may even have some on my rock, I've just never really given it much attention..

[Hustler]

My tank is almost all purple... dont scare me like that LOL
Im not focusing on corals so I was going to keep using the reef crystals just for the coraline lol looks better than white rock to me and thats as far as i think ill think about it lol