Clean your back walls!

[xxkenny90xx]

I thought I liked my coralline wall but....

 

[carpetlover]

Free sand? Urchins poop sand?

Yep they do if they eat coralline

 

[anthonygf]

Yep they do if they eat coralline

Wow. Nice to know.

 

[McPuff]

Man, so I sort of liked the “worn-in” look of lots of coralline buildup on the back walls. My wife hated it, though. Well, I’ve been trying to figure out why I’ve been needing to dose so much, and I never realized that coralline can consume a significant amount of alk/calc in order to grow. So out came the scraper.

WOW that felt good. It was cathartic. I had to pull out my Michigan winter ice scraper from my car for my first attempt, then went at it with a blade for another 20 mins. I still have another half to go, but I must say that I now really like the look of the clean back. Gives the aqua scape way more depth.

If you’ve been putting it off like me, do yourself a favor and set aside an hour for a deep scraping session!

Hey another Michigander running Atlantiks! Love it! Funny that you posted this as I went and scraped quite a bit of coralline off the back of my 300DD about 10 days ago. It was 4 years' worth of growth and would flake off in huge chunks every so often. Was just starting to look really shabby. I didn't have any intention of removing it all, just cleaning it up. But man did it make a difference. It really does improve the perception of depth and I think it also makes the water look more clear... probably because the contrast is so much better with corals and fish against a black (or mostly) background. Here you can see what I scraped off. I removed most of the flakes and it was a huge amount. I did see a rise in ALK over the next few days so I had to adjust my reactor to compensate. I bent a few blades just scraping this stuff... need to get a more sturdy scraper for this purpose.

BEFORE

AFTER (still isn't cleared up totally in this pic - and I still have a bit more I'd like to scrape, but not all of it)

 

[Futuretotm]

Ok question is how, I always knock stuff over with my arm in there. Do you have a scrapper on a stick??

I tried the hygger stick with the blade and it just leaves streaks everywhere....

 

[McPuff]

Ok question is how, I always knock stuff over with my arm in there. Do you have a scrapper on a stick??

I tried the hygger stick with the blade and it just leaves streaks everywhere....

Yeah you really just have to be careful. My scraper was on a stick. But I definitely need a sturdier one so I don't bend the blade so often. I have to find the post where someone suggested a very sturdy one on Amazon.

 

[Fezbearer]

 

[paparoof]

Yeah you really just have to be careful. My scraper was on a stick. But I definitely need a sturdier one so I don't bend the blade so often. I have to find the post where someone suggested a very sturdy one on Amazon.

I have this one and it works great on glass:

 

[Futuretotm]

I have this one and it works great on glass:

And youre happy with it?

Purchased, arrives thursday, lets see how it goes... thanks

 

[Kellie in CA]

I would love to scrape my back wall, I've just been scared of scratching it all up because it's an AIO... but now I really want to do it.

 

[Mkus]

I Like the back covered

 

[paparoof]

And youre happy with it?

Purchased, arrives thursday, lets see how it goes... thanks

Yeah I am happy with it.

1. don't use it on anything but GLASS.
2. take it apart entirely, rinse everything in tap water and dry. every time.
3. be extra careful with the blades. they're great, but they nick easily and once you nick the blade, it'll scratch your glass.
4. looks like the package of ten replacement blades ($20) is now more expensive than re-ordering the scraper WITH the 10 blades ($15). gotta love amazon.

 

[CMMorgan]

I am really hoping to get GSP going on the back wall if my new build ever shows up.

 

[Kate Vellis]

I'd like to clear the coralline algae off the back wall but out tank is clear on all sides and I don't want to see the cords and the paneling behind the tank. We should have painted the back before we put it in place, but I'm not willing to move it for that.
That said, once the coralline is there, what does it actually do to the water parameters?

 

[Kate Vellis]

I'd like to clear the coralline algae off the back wall but out tank is clear on all sides and I don't want to see the cords and the paneling behind the tank. We should have painted the back before we put it in place, but I'm not willing to move it for that.
That said, once the coralline is there, what does it actually do to the water parameters?

and follow up question - will other things grow on top of the coralline? My daughter wants the back wall to be covered with corals.

 

[01xp]

I cant grow coraline. Or hair algae. Or any real algae but diatoms. Occasionally i get some green.brown coraline but thats it.

My back glass has been clear since day 1. And this 135 gallon tank uses no sump or skimmer. And tap water. Im just lucky i guess.

I have a background on my tank though. Its a shower curtain with fish and a dolphin. I dont wanna see a green painted wall through my tank. Nor do i like black or blue painted glass. Look too industrial like that.

Also with a lack of algae growing in my tank the back glass can help keep snails fed on the diatoms that do grow

If that's the case what filtration you running?

 

[DaddyFish]

I'd like to clear the coralline algae off the back wall but out tank is clear on all sides and I don't want to see the cords and the paneling behind the tank. We should have painted the back before we put it in place, but I'm not willing to move it for that.
That said, once the coralline is there, what does it actually do to the water parameters?

Consider using a foam cabinet/trim roller with a wood extension added. If you tie up the cords you may be able to roll on a coat of paint. It doesn't have to be smooth on the outside, just two thin coats will look fine from the front.

 

[Kate Vellis]

Consider using a foam cabinet/trim roller with a wood extension added. If you tie up the cords you may be able to roll on a coat of paint. It doesn't have to be smooth on the outside, just two thin coats will look fine from the front.

Thanks

 

[gray808]

and follow up question - will other things grow on top of the coralline? My daughter wants the back wall to be covered with corals.

I have a patch of Green Star Polyps attached to the back, and slowly spreading.

I'd love to know if there are others.

--Gray

 

[JGT]

Got a much easier solution for you guys. Although a bit more $ but far less work.!Product called kydex. Comes in colors, black, blues, etc. Get 2 sheets cut to the dimensions of your tank back. If your tank is empty can be heat formed for overflows. Put in back of tank. Hold with magnets. When filled up with coralline, swap in new one, wash off old sheet with muriatic acid to clean and ready to go for another swap.