Corralline Algae growth

[fernalfer]

Ok i have a 120 gallon Tank that has been up and running now for 1 year and 1 month. I have been through a diatom phase and a few cyano phases but have been pretty much algae free for the last 3 months. I run 48" Reefbreeder Photon V2 LEDS and have had good coral growth. Just recently i have added a GHL Doser 2.1 to the mix to keep Alk/Calc/Mag stable for the last month.

Now i have a few tiny spots of Coralline growth but that's it. I do not want to add any supplements to speed up coralline growth and want it to happen naturally but have not seen it happening. Do tanks just sometimes not grow coralline? Or do you really have to help promote its growth with seeding or supplements?

I do have 4 hermit crabs that all have coralline algae on them and a few frag plugs but thats about it.

I like the look of purple and pink and red rocks but just don't see it happening. Any tips or insight?

 

[sureal00]

I seeded my tank with some live reel reef rock.I think you have to seed it somehow with rocks,frag plugs or snails which have coralline algae.Maybe you can lightly scrape some off the snails shells and let the spores out

 

[aquaman30k]

From what I've read, coralline algae will eventually grow without seeding or adding supplements. However this could be quite some time.

The best ways to naturally seed the tank is to add seeded live rock or snails. The coralline that is on the two will eventually transfer off and "seed" the rest of the tank. The other natural way is to do what the post above said. Scrape coralline off into the tank, or make a coralline bomb to add to the rock work.

I find it far easier to add Red Sea coralline grow and call it a day. A month later the tank has exploded with coralline. Hope this helps.

 

[DarkSky]

From what I've read, coralline algae will eventually grow without seeding

This isn't true, it has to come in on something in order to be introduced to your aquarium. Most commonly it comes in on snail shells.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's been my observation that the common purple coralline doesn't grow well in high light.
I upgradewd my lights at one point and blasted the corraline. At that time I was not using automatic dosing.

Now that I've gone to auto dosing and have a more stable cal alk and mag, even under higher light my corraline is making a comeback.
It's defiantly not the same as under lower light but in all honesty I do now disagree that it's an imperative to have in a tank and a true indication of tank health in most cases
During the period I blasted the corraline I experienced massive stony coral growth and no ill effects.
I also have a friend who uses extremely high light with MH has a well dialed in calcium reactor and has little to no visible purple corraline. His acros are as big as a dinner plate.

So in effect it's actually a nuisance robbing the stony corals of the big three.

 

[Gil03]

If you want it to grow you first need to keep your calcium consistent within it's natural parameters obviously and then you need to keep seeding from things like LR or just scrapping the little you do have so it seeds in smaller portions across a wider area in your tank. However, be careful what you wish for...in my tank it's a nuisance cause it grows everywhere, you don't want to keep having to give powerheads vinegar baths and scrapping it off the glass particularly at the bottom on the sand bed and near the seams.

 

[Katrina71]

My snails are doing the job well enough. I don't want to rush the process or force anything.

 

[fernalfer]

Ok maybe i'll just let nature take its course. I have 2 spots on the back glass, very small ones and a few spots here and there on the rocks. I'll leave it alone and see where it takes me.

 

[BlueCursor]

Calcium and Alk have to be consistent. But what really made mine take off was adding more flow. I had SPS and very little coralline. When I added two more powerheads to my 100 gal tank for SPS the coralline took off like mad.

I miss the old days of no coralline.

 

[bblumberg]

Ok i have a 120 gallon Tank that has been up and running now for 1 year and 1 month. I have been through a diatom phase and a few cyano phases but have been pretty much algae free for the last 3 months. I run 48" Reefbreeder Photon V2 LEDS and have had good coral growth. Just recently i have added a GHL Doser 2.1 to the mix to keep Alk/Calc/Mag stable for the last month.

Now i have a few tiny spots of Coralline growth but that's it. I do not want to add any supplements to speed up coralline growth and want it to happen naturally but have not seen it happening. Do tanks just sometimes not grow coralline? Or do you really have to help promote its growth with seeding or supplements?

I do have 4 hermit crabs that all have coralline algae on them and a few frag plugs but thats about it.

I like the look of purple and pink and red rocks but just don't see it happening. Any tips or insight?

Neither of my LED lit tanks developed very much coralline algae. It was there, but the rocks were not purple/pink. However my new tank has a combination of T5 and LEDs and the coralline are growing outrageously fast and have covered all of the rocks in just a few months, including 2 that came from a LED lit tank that did not develop much in 2 years... Just a thought.

Bruce

 

[Cory]

Ill tell you the secret ive struggled for years trying everything to grow corraline.

The secret is ozone. Corraline hates organics and ozone destroys them. Now that i have ozone purple is popping up over the rockwork.

Ever wondered why dosing purple up works for some? Caco2 absorbs some organics.

Also there was a article that basically said humic substances inhibit corraline algae. Especially land based humics. Guess whats in flake food and pellet food? Wheat products. I assume ozone would destroy humics.