The Purple Menace

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

Ok,

So tell me again why we want coralline algae? I've had my tank about 7 months now (was running for 2+ years before I bought it). When I got it there was almost no coralline, just a few spots here and there on the rocks. For the first few months the coralline slowly grew on the rocks. In the last month and a half it has suddenly taken off and covered 50% or more of the back glass (would be taking over all the glass if I weren't scraping it off at least once a week), is starting to encrust powerheads, snails, crabs, coral skeletons and anything else too slow to escape it. It's insane!! It is also tanking my calcium levels. It's pretty and all, but jeeze, this is rediculous.

It looks like I'm going to have to start dosing calcium between water changes. Levels are dipping to or just under 400 between water changes. Between my corals and the purple beast I'm sure calcium consumption is going to continue to increase.

I'm not ready to invest in a reactor and would prefer to avoid kalk dosing for now. What would y'all suggest as a good calcium supplement? What's the best way to add it and when (during water change? Mid water change cycle? Other time?).

Thanks!

[+Hydro]

I had an issue with coraline algae, my problem was the everything in my tank was the same color of purple and I didn't like it.

I hired a small urchin for coraline algae removal and I'm happy with the results. It has been able to keep the coraline in check. It only cleans off small sections a day but in a week or so that spot just covers back over.

[nemirn]

I had an issue with coraline algae, my problem was the everything in my tank was the same color of purple and I didn't like it.

I hired a small urchin for coraline algae removal and I'm happy with the results. It has been able to keep the coraline in check. It only cleans off small sections a day but in a week or so that spot just covers back over.

Yes, a spiny urchin will decimate your coraline.

Edited April 16, 2010 by nemirn

[stoneroller]

You can dose calcium with your topoff water. Bulk reef supply provides a cheap way to maintain calcium.

One of the benefits of healthy coraline, is that you can see you are doing something right. If your reef tank had no coraline, I'd suspect a major problem.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

I have an urchin. Aside from carrying crap around on his back to the general entertainment of all and sunder (we love to play the count how many pieces of stuff the urchin is hauling today game)... he serves no other apparent purpose. *sigh* I think he's defective. I don't know what he eats but he doesn't make a dent in anything. Cute little guy though. He's a tux, the spiny guys and their potential to impale things kinda worries me. Is there anything else that eats coralline? Honestly, if it keeps up like it is it's going to be a real problem in the near future. Thankfully my fish seem able to out swim it...

I'm worried that such explosive growth will unbalance my tank. Is that a silly worry?

Thanks for the top off water tip! So, do I just mix an appropriate amount of calcium sup for my tank size into the TO water and then add it as usual (testing as I go to see how the tank reacts)? I bet that has the added benefit of gradually adding extra calcium instead of dumping in a bunch at once.

[+cyrus]

I have a long spine that keeps it in check also.

[Starsprinkle Rainbowsmile]

 

I'm worried that such explosive growth will unbalance my tank. Is that a silly worry?

I've never heard that Coraline growth would seriously unbalance a tank, although I am no expert on the subject.  Yes, Coraline requires calcium and magnesium, but no more than water changes or proper dosing would provide.  I think the magnesium sink would be much more of a "worry" than the calcium sink.

My personal opinion on Coraline is that in general, it is a healthy indicator of your tank, but I wouldn't go out of my way to either grow it or stop it.  Personally I've noticed that my rocks with the healthiest coraline growth have zero other micro or macro algaes on it.  They also seem to be the "healthiest".  That said, I'd rather my rocks be encrusted with a nice encrusting coral.

I use B-Ionic 2-part solution to keep all my water parameters healthy, my opinion might change were I not to use this product.

[+Hydro]

I have noticed that hair algae will not grow where there is coraline algae, I see some places where it looks like it has but when I pull it off I notice that the spot underneath it is clean. I realized this when my I got my urchin. As far as which urchins eat coraline algae and don't...I have no idea. My urchin is pink and about 4" wide, but I have no idea what kind of urchin it is.