Coralline algae in a bottle
- Thread starter Crystal08
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doubleshot00
2500 Club Member
Some people swear by it but smells like snake oil to me. IMO your better off going to a LFS or find a local reefer and find a frag plug or small rock that has coralline on it and scrape it off into your tank.
jsker
Reefing is all about the adventure
In my opinion, nothing good in reefing happens fast. 
If your system is a new system, I would suggest wait for your Parameter to balance out. Then the Coraline will start to grown. Coraline growth is a way to tell without testing, how your system is.
Some run their Alk high, some run it low. With the salt that I use, I keep my alk around 7.6 to 8. The Coraline grows very fast and everywhere. When I ran a high alkalinity at 8.5 to 9 no Coraline.
I keep my calcium around 400 to 420 and my Mg at 1350 to 1400.
I hope this help you with your decision.
If your system is a new system, I would suggest wait for your Parameter to balance out. Then the Coraline will start to grown. Coraline growth is a way to tell without testing, how your system is.
Some run their Alk high, some run it low. With the salt that I use, I keep my alk around 7.6 to 8. The Coraline grows very fast and everywhere. When I ran a high alkalinity at 8.5 to 9 no Coraline.
I keep my calcium around 400 to 420 and my Mg at 1350 to 1400.
I hope this help you with your decision.
StatelineReefer
Reef Safe With Caution
After you detect no ammonia or nitrates, you should be able to add this just fine, there is no benefit if you intend to add corals, however, because most frag plugs will come with coralline algae on them, and it is more assured that a quick scrape of a plug will produce better than the bottled spores will.
Tuan’s Reef
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nope for me. waste of money IMO . Coraline will come in time.
It'll happen with just a little bit of time and patience.
I think the recommendations of getting a little piece of colored up rock will work wonders as well.
I think the recommendations of getting a little piece of colored up rock will work wonders as well.
JasonVH
Active Member
Being new to the hobby(coming up to a year later this summer), I couldn't really offer solid advice.
To my understanding, those things were a spectacular success for some, apparent failures to some, with a full range in-between.
I haven't tried any of those bottles. What I did though, was sort of choose coral frags with coralline on them. Most of them stayed alive but had no or barely any growth up until a couple months ago, a few new spots formed on the rock. They were extremely slow to grow until last month. Two weeks ago, saw and brought home a hermit crab with a shell completely covered in coralline with the idea of using it as an 'extra source of coralline'(but also that hermit crab was pretty cute..). Not sure if a coincidence or what, there's several new tiny patches of coralline that's formed since then. But also the patches on the coral frags have started to take off. I'm thinking either the tank has stabilized or something I've started to do are making them pretty happy. Anyways that's an alternate idea to the bottled stuff.. plus could use that as an excuse for picking up new corals or critters.. But also perhaps the success of the bottled stuff also depends on the tank conditions... then again, if the conditions are perfect, introducing things with coralline already on them would essentially do the same thing anyways?
To my understanding, those things were a spectacular success for some, apparent failures to some, with a full range in-between.
I haven't tried any of those bottles. What I did though, was sort of choose coral frags with coralline on them. Most of them stayed alive but had no or barely any growth up until a couple months ago, a few new spots formed on the rock. They were extremely slow to grow until last month. Two weeks ago, saw and brought home a hermit crab with a shell completely covered in coralline with the idea of using it as an 'extra source of coralline'(but also that hermit crab was pretty cute..). Not sure if a coincidence or what, there's several new tiny patches of coralline that's formed since then. But also the patches on the coral frags have started to take off. I'm thinking either the tank has stabilized or something I've started to do are making them pretty happy. Anyways that's an alternate idea to the bottled stuff.. plus could use that as an excuse for picking up new corals or critters..
But also perhaps the success of the bottled stuff also depends on the tank conditions... then again, if the conditions are perfect, introducing things with coralline already on them would essentially do the same thing anyways?
ReefCheef
Active Member
Absolutely not. Bought a bunch of these. Never got any coralline from any of them. Eventually it took off but after over a year. This is snake oil spend your money on something real.Anyone recommend using coralline algae in a bottle to a fairly new tank or no? Doesn’t have to be this one. Just wondering in general if it would be good or not to add. Thanks
StatelineReefer
Reef Safe With Caution
Now on the flipside of this coin, if ARC had ever isolated the blue coralline like they said they were going to in 2020, I'd buy it by the pallet.
Vagabond
Active Member
I would agree with everyone who says no, give it time.Use that money for some coral instead.Some frags already have Coraline algae on them.Scrape the Coraline off the frag,and what I did was turn off the skimmer,return pump for 15-20 min and let it settle.
OP
OP
Crystal08
Active Member
I’m also finding patience is the best way so far.In my opinion, nothing good in reefing happens fast.
If your system is a new system, I would suggest wait for your Parameter to balance out. Then the Coraline will start to grown. Coraline growth is a way to tell without testing, how your system is.
Some run their Alk high, some run it low. With the salt that I use, I keep my alk around 7.6 to 8. The Coraline grows very fast and everywhere. When I ran a high alkalinity at 8.5 to 9 no Coraline.
I keep my calcium around 400 to 420 and my Mg at 1350 to 1400.
I hope this help you with your decision.
MnFish1
10K Club member
I don't know about this product - I have used 'Purple-Up' I believe it was called - and it helped (or seemed to). Purple up - I believe is merely additives. This product (supposedly) contains live coralline spores. I wouldn't see any 'downside' to using it. Coralline, though tends to grow on its own when conditions are rightAnyone recommend using coralline algae in a bottle to a fairly new tank or no? Doesn’t have to be this one. Just wondering in general if it would be good or not to add. Thanks
OP
OP
Crystal08
Active Member
I just had a little bit of a water problem. I think too much food. But did a water change and going back to my fish store to have them double check my water. I tested but im new and still learning.
fishface NJ
7500 Club Member
Don’t waste your money. You will get it when your tank is ready
OP
OP
Crystal08
Active Member
We had a small tank for 6 months and upgraded to a larger one. I’m still wet much learning. I should probably just be patientBeing new to the hobby(coming up to a year later this summer), I couldn't really offer solid advice.
To my understanding, those things were a spectacular success for some, apparent failures to some, with a full range in-between.
I haven't tried any of those bottles. What I did though, was sort of choose coral frags with coralline on them. Most of them stayed alive but had no or barely any growth up until a couple months ago, a few new spots formed on the rock. They were extremely slow to grow until last month. Two weeks ago, saw and brought home a hermit crab with a shell completely covered in coralline with the idea of using it as an 'extra source of coralline'(but also that hermit crab was pretty cute..). Not sure if a coincidence or what, there's several new tiny patches of coralline that's formed since then. But also the patches on the coral frags have started to take off. I'm thinking either the tank has stabilized or something I've started to do are making them pretty happy. Anyways that's an alternate idea to the bottled stuff.. plus could use that as an excuse for picking up new corals or critters..
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It is simply ground up aragonite in a bottle. Useless.
The downside is that your are pouring money down the drain.
c_healy
Valuable Member
Save your money. If you can find a local Reefer to get a rock or some plugs covered in it, I’d go that route. Or you can be patient and wait for it to happen when you start adding corals with it on the plugs. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.
Instead of buying that, I’d put the money towards a good test kit.
Instead of buying that, I’d put the money towards a good test kit.
