I know it jump starts algae growth but what happens if you don't have the algae to begin with or don't know if you have it? Will adding purple up or coralline algae work? I started my tank 6 months ago and all I have are 2 clown fish and dry rock, which I added a week or two ago. Im not sure if I even have the algae so should I invest in this stuff. I can't go outside to get some purple rock either.
Does Purple Up work on dry rock?
- Thread starter Kate098
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ScottR
Surfing....
You must have coralline in your tank for this to work. And I’m not even sure if it’s useful. It’s basically elements. If you’re doing water changes and/or dosing (at least checking alk, Ca, Mg) it will do the same thing. Easiest way to get some coralline is to get a frag, a snail or a rock that already has a piece on it.
joseserrano
2500 Club Member
YouTube coralline algae to get a better understanding of what it is and requires before you start dumping things in
Kershaw
Valuable Member
I personally wouldn’t. Yes you need to introduce coralline algae. Purple up really isn’t needed if your water parameters are good, and you introduce the algae.
I love the way it looks but I hope I never get it again. Once I got it, my maintenance had to be increased dramatically. Mine was starting to look like corals and covering the sides of my glass.
Best way to get it is to by a rock or coral that has some on it.
I love the way it looks but I hope I never get it again. Once I got it, my maintenance had to be increased dramatically. Mine was starting to look like corals and covering the sides of my glass.
Best way to get it is to by a rock or coral that has some on it.
I bought some rock a couple of months ago from a local fish store, they were purple, and I put them in my tank that already had like 20 pounds of dry rock. The dry rock looked like it was starting to grow algae but some other stuff was also growing. It looked like worms. I took it out and asked the store and they said that the rock might have not been the best and that it probably had pests in it. I had to throw away 20lb of dry rock because of this fish store, so is there anyway I can buy this algae in bottle instead of going back to the same fish store? There are no other closer alternatives in terms of fish store.
cshouston
Hoopy Frood
Looked like worms or actually was worms? Worms aren’t necessarily a bad thing, and if it was just something that looked wormy, it’s probably still in your tank. You probably shouldn’t start over or get all new rock, but if you already have I’d just get your tank up and running stably before worrying about coralline.
Just wait until you get film algae and order some Cerith or Astrea snails from the Florida Keys. They have all kinds of purple and red coralline algae on them.
Don't be too hasty for coralline... you will hate the stuff one day.
Don't be too hasty for coralline... you will hate the stuff one day.
Eh...you did not need to throw that rock out. You could have cleaned it up and reset it with minimal labor if it even required it.
I'd recommend either buying some snails with coralline on their shells or using the ARC products.
I'd recommend either buying some snails with coralline on their shells or using the ARC products.
I would never throw away rock because of worms (most are beneficial) and you will generally always run into some pests if you stock corals. There are many ways to deal with these. If we tossed our rock every time we got a pest. We would get no where.
I would not use purple up as it is just calcium and elements.
Hmm...if you threw away 20lbs of dry rock instead of first researching what you could’ve done instead ..I hope I’m wrong, but honestly speaking..you might not be ready for this hobby.
