Coralline Algae?

a;lksdjf · Jan 27, 2019

I’m currently at the tail end of cycling a 15 gallon system that I’m turning into my 1st reef tank and I noticed some brown/purple spots appearing all over the glass. Is this young coralline algae?

(Pardon the cloudy glass I haven’t cleaned it as to not risk disturbing the cycle)

NY_Caveman · Jan 27, 2019

If it is brown and easy to scrape off it is probably diatoms or an algae. Coralline is very hard and would require a razor. Coralline sometimes starts green and turns purple too, but not always.

lapin · Jan 28, 2019

Like said above; green then purple and maybe even white. In a new tank its not going to be coraline that is the first to pop up. It comes in this order for me. Diatoms (rusty brown colored). Film algae (green dust on everything) Green micro and macro algaes (hair and others most dont want) Then comes the coraline . In all my tanks I have not seen any for the first 6 months even with some on corals I have purchased. For me it always starts on the glass where I dont want it.

a;lksdjf · Jan 28, 2019

lapin said:
Like said above; green then purple and maybe even white. In a new tank its not going to be coraline that is the first to pop up. It comes in this order for me. Diatoms (rusty brown colored). Film algae (green dust on everything) Green micro and macro algaes (hair and others most dont want) Then comes the coraline . In all my tanks I have not seen any for the first 6 months even with some on corals I have purchased. For me it always starts on the glass where I dont want it.

I was hopeful that it was coralline because I added some of that ARC Reef live bottled spores to the tank as an experiment. Oh well, I guess being impatient is never the best thing to do lol.

lapin · Jan 28, 2019

The earliest I have heard is 2 months with adding the spores.

Conor_K · Jan 28, 2019

I have never heard of coraline algae in a bottle..

Anyone else have experience with it??

a;lksdjf · Jan 28, 2019

Conor_K said:
I have never heard of coraline algae in a bottle..

Anyone else have experience with it??

The only one that I would trust is the ARC Reef stuff since it actually contains live spores and you can only get it online so they don't die on the shelf. All of that other stuff like Purple Up is just coralline algae food to supplement growth if you already have it