Coralline growth or lack thereof

[+Eckreef]

was perusing RC and came across this thread.

2 yr old tank with ZERO coralline

Here is an excerpt from the thread:

Quote:

I use bulkreefsupply 2 part solution and use D&D salt mix with RODI water, I top off with RODI water and do not dose supplements besides the cal/alk/mag.

Reply: This is going to sound odd, but I think there's your problem. According to some old-timers with AWESOME coraline growth, coraline algae growth declines with increased 2-part dosing. They hypothesized that it was due to the build-up of NaCl that comes with dosing two-part. This makes perfect sense if you look at the two-part labels again -- you'll see that all of these are mixed with either Na or Cl to make a complete salt (also helps to balance pH). If you dose two-part, it's almost as if you are dosing NaCl and significantly artificially elevating sodium and chloride levels FAR BEYOND what is found in the wild.

As further evidence, after hearing their advice, I did not listen and dosed 2-part every day. After approximately 6 months almost all of my coraline was gone. Don't get me wrong, I think BRS 2-part helps corals grow and I think Ryan @ BRS is awesome and a genius for coming up with 2-part.

My suggestion: quit 2-part for 6 months and do a massive water change. Then continue to do water changes when your calcium gets low instead of dosing. You may slow your sps growth, but I think you'll see a huge change in your coraline growth.

Best of luck!

p.s. you may have to re-seed your tank with fresh LR for coraline to be active again.

This got me to thinking.

I have had a 40g breeder with 6x39W T5 setup for almost 6 months now and have seen almost no coralline growth and in fact the existing coralline on the LR has completely faded. I have been dosing 2 part and Kalk for almost 4 months and all my parameters have been in the normal range.

Anyone else have this experience. Great coralline growth with 2 part?

[Brooks]

Coralline likes high Alkalinity and very strong lighting.

These two together = Coralline growing OUTSIDE of the tank.

[offroadodge]

ya, i have coraline growing on my chaeto in my sump and on the sump walls in spots.

[Brooks]

I'm starting to get it in my new tank, and I'd rather not. It eats up Ca which takes away from what I actually put in there to grow. :S

[caferacermike]

When I first bought my tank and it came with 5 T12 bulbs installed, I had massive amounts of coraline growing everywhere. When I switched to halides it all seemed to go away.

I don't care. I don't need it. I like the way my rock work looks.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

I have cruddy PCs and have coraline growing so fast on the glass I'm having to scrape the front and sides at least once a week just to get it. I'm letting it go on the back glass. It's growing on the rocks but it's really liking the glass.

[FragsandMore]

take what you will from this: fact, the 2 above posts state that they have lower lighting, comparatively, ie t-12's and PC's; coralline likes lower light situations

if you want coralline to grow, you simply have to have some to begin with, and wait, patience and stability are the keys

if you have coralline and do not want it, sorry, you are out of luck, you can scrape it off your tanks sides, front and back, but not off the rocks

[mdavis735]

That is what i have always heard.Coraline likes lower light.

[FragsandMore]

yes, exactly

that is why you find it grows so much better in tanks with high amounts of actinic light spectrum

[muddybluewater]

Coraline can be a pain to clean off the glass but it is good for the system. It works as a nutrient export as any other algae does. Yes it uses Ca, but that is out weighed by the benifits. I don't think it needs real strong lighting but does benifit from high Kh. I have it growing faster in my fuge with just a 23w cf daylight bulb from Homedepot than in my tank with 720w of light. You can use a razor to clean off the glass and even scrape some off your rocks to help it spread faster. I have been using 2 part for a long time with good coraline growth. I just set up a Ca reactor so I will see if it improves.

[Brooks]

take what you will from this: fact, the 2 above posts state that they have lower lighting, comparatively, ie t-12's and PC's; coralline likes lower light situations

if you want coralline to grow, you simply have to have some to begin with, and wait, patience and stability are the keys

if you have coralline and do not want it, sorry, you are out of luck, you can scrape it off your tanks sides, front and back, but not off the rocks

That is what i have always heard.Coraline likes lower light.

I've only had Coralline in high lighting, and I've only heard that they like higher light. But I've also heard that there are different kinds of Coralline. However, the purple Coralline is a mostly found in high lighting (based on my experiences and what I've heard).

[mooric]

I have had lots of purple/pink coralline with just 50/50 PC bulbs, though I was not dosing 2-part.

[+Eckreef]

I have also heard that coraline primarily likes lower light. I had not heard of the 2 part issue and was wondering what others experience was.

i like the look of coraline encrusted LR and was kind of hoping I could have both....coraline and SPS reef.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

Well, it sure likes 3wpg of PC lighting. Not sure about high Kh. Mine stays pretty consistantly at 9dkh (calcium 420-440).

+1 to it growing in low lit fuges. I have 2 grow lights over my fuge and the coraline is growing fast on the rocks.

I have pink, purple and blueish coraline in my tank. All the same plus green in the fuge.

[+Lamont]

take what you will from this: fact, the 2 above posts state that they have lower lighting, comparatively, ie t-12's and PC's; coralline likes lower light situations

if you want coralline to grow, you simply have to have some to begin with, and wait, patience and stability are the keys

if you have coralline and do not want it, sorry, you are out of luck, you can scrape it off your tanks sides, front and back, but not off the rocks

i believe your correct. i only have PC lights and i have green and purple coraline everywhere. i also have a 40g and i love the way its grows. if you check out my link below you can see what im talking about. i dose my tank with 5ml of just calcium every morning at 6:30am, but i also have my skimmer on a timer. it shuts off for an hour and thats when i dose. my tanks have only been setup since December. most of my rock was white when i bought it.

[Zarathustra2]

I have to back up the lighting but disagree with the two part.

I found that Coraline was a great way to help if I over-dosed calcium and grow it like crazy. However, when I switched to metal halides with a 10K spectrum most of my coraline *on top of the rocks* disapeared. however, the coraline under the rocks stayed. As I jsut heavily verified when I switched to the new tank. I don't think it is brightness though, i think it might be spectrum. My 90 gallon tank has great corraline growth with 14K's and now 20k's.

[+mcallahan]

Well, I'm running 2x250W halides, I dose 2 part and my coraline growth is insane. On top of rocks, under rocks, on the glass, on my overflows, even on bubble algae and snail shells, I have coraline growing.

Coraline likes Ca and it also likes Mg. I've talked to several reefers and once they start dosing Mg with Ca, coraline starts to go nuts.

Geez..if this many people are nutty about coraline maybe i'll start selling my live rock since it is purple..

[Bill B]

I can't be sure but I have wondered if coraline is not the opposite of 'nuisance' algae when it comes to water conditions. In my case it seems I had lots of growth at first. Then as time went on and my nitrates and phosphates started to increase a little my coraline quit growing. One tank has had pc lighting continually and the other has gone from pcs to t5's to mh. I am gonna say they have had similar decrease over time. I have used 2 pt all along.

Bill

[LRStar]

Although I can't say for sure, this is my situation.

I have a biocube 29. It has the stock lightning, which (excuse my forgetting the wattage) includes a 50/50 + Actinic. I dosed 5ml of CA and ALK everyday. Each day i would test to find 7dkh, and 360 ca. The more i dosed, the more grew.

Today i have updated the lighting just a hair, to full 10k + actinic. Still PC lighting though. I still dose about 5ml, but now it is once a week. My coraline growth and existing coraline has died off. Its still crazy purple, but now my red coraline is cracked out. Growing like mold in a coffee cup.

My plan now is to keep ontop of the dosing (since i've been slacking) and verify whether the purple stuff comes back. Then ill know what kind of effect the lighting had.

Problem with all of this is that I have only had my biocube for a year now.... so this could all be the result of a maturing tank.

On a side note, i used one single flake of purple coraline, crunched it up in a morter and poured in my baby Fluval Edge tank. Since (and weekly 2 part dosings) the coraline has exploded in there. It has gone from a baren wasteland to full blown purple spotted crazy looking tank in less than 3 weeks.

To me... the only pattern i can see between my tanks and friends' tanks... is care. I work on my tanks every single day. I test everyday for EVERYTHING i can (reliable ones that is). I stir the substrate, i scrape coraline, i magfloat the crap off the glass... Dose when i remember, and phyto when i can. So far, over 2 tanks and over a year now... everything seems to be working.

So before i jynx myself to much... that is all. G'day!

*small tank with the yellow fella*

*big tank with the starfish*