Growing Coralline algae in a unlighted tank

[bruceosterberg]

Day 21 here and my 40 gallon AIO tank has cycled. Both ammonia and nitrite are now zero with Nitrate about 7. I have not had the lights on this tank as of yet and I have not added any live occupants to the tank. I would like to put in a piece of rock that has coralline algae or a frag plug that is small enough to get my tank seeded. Will it grow coralline algae with the light off? And when intro u Ching a small rock or frag plug is it ok to do a coral dip o make sure no unwanted critters are also included. Thanks

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Coraline needs light to grow, it won't grow in dark or shaded spots.

 

[Fish Fan]

As mentioned, coralline algae does need light to grow.

However, if you're just looking to "seed" your tank with some coralline algae to get you started, you may be interested in the bottled algae from Arc Reef. I've never personally used it, and it definitely gets some mixed reviews, but at least some say that it works. This product is said to have live algae spores, and not just algae "fertilizers" like other similar products such as Purple Up.

Here's a link to a discussion about it on R2R:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/coralline-algae-in-a-bottle-does-it-work.529759/

This is the product, but you can get it from a few different places, including Amazon and Algae Barn, and I believe directly through Arc Reef as well:
Arc Reef Live Coralline Algae from BRS

Good luck!

 

[exnisstech]

I like to just wait and let it come on naturally. I have it in all of my tanks and have never added it. Kinda like brittle stars, pods and worms. They all seem to appear naturally in every tank I've had.

 

[twentyleagues]

As mentioned, coralline algae does need light to grow.

However, if you're just looking to "seed" your tank with some coralline algae to get you started, you may be interested in the bottled algae from Arc Reef. I've never personally used it, and it definitely gets some mixed reviews, but at least some say that it works. This product is said to have live algae spores, and not just algae "fertilizers" like other similar products such as Purple Up.

Here's a link to a discussion about it on R2R:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/coralline-algae-in-a-bottle-does-it-work.529759/

This is the product, but you can get it from a few different places, including Amazon and Algae Barn, and I believe directly through Arc Reef as well:
Arc Reef Live Coralline Algae from BRS

Good luck!

Just to let you know the ARC bottled algae was at the very most underwhelming. Its an 8oz bottle of water with a couple pieces of coralline in it. The bottle looks nothing like the pics on the website. It also took 4 weeks to get. Save the $30 and see if an lfs or buddy can chip some off the glass for you.

 

[Fish Fan]

Just to let you know the ARC bottled algae was at the very most underwhelming. Its an 8oz bottle of water with a couple pieces of coralline in it. The bottle looks nothing like the pics on the website. It also took 4 weeks to get. Save the $30 and see if an lfs or buddy can chip some off the glass for you.

Thanks for sharing your experience with that product. As I mentioned, I've never used it, and some people definitely said it was crap, but others said it worked well for them. I tend to agree, I'd just get a small rock or something from an existing tank with some coralline already growing.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Day 21 here and my 40 gallon AIO tank has cycled. Both ammonia and nitrite are now zero with Nitrate about 7. I have not had the lights on this tank as of yet and I have not added any live occupants to the tank. I would like to put in a piece of rock that has coralline algae or a frag plug that is small enough to get my tank seeded. Will it grow coralline algae with the light off? And when intro u Ching a small rock or frag plug is it ok to do a coral dip o make sure no unwanted critters are also included. Thanks

Coralline needs both light and calcium to grow. As for unwanted critters on the live rock, put in a bucket with hyper salinity (like 1.035) for a few minutes, all critters will leave the rock trying to get away from the salinity. Then take to rock out and you will see what critters you have. pick and choose what you want to keep or discard.

 

[Neoma369]

I like to just wait and let it come on naturally. I have it in all of my tanks and have never added it. Kinda like brittle stars, pods and worms. They all seem to appear naturally in every tank I've had.

I purchased brittle stars and found them being consumed by flat worms from the inside out. About a 1/2 mm in size and pale tan in color. Any advice to dip or eliminate this in the future & how to make sure that the offspring aren't polluting the tank?

 

[exnisstech]

I purchased brittle stars and found them being consumed by flat worms from the inside out. About a 1/2 mm in size and pale tan in color. Any advice to dip or eliminate this in the future & how to make sure that the offspring aren't polluting the tank?

Sorry not much help. I'm researching flatworms right now myself. Sounds just like the ones I have. I just moved everything out of a 180g into a new larger tank and they are covering my leathers. I never saw them in the old tank so something must have been eating them and I just stirred up the place they had been hiding. I'm probably going to let the tank settle and get my flow going and just keep an eye on them. Some wrasses and damsels eat them. I've also heard flatworm exit works but I'm saving chems as a last resort.

 

[JNalley]

Just to let you know the ARC bottled algae was at the very most underwhelming. Its an 8oz bottle of water with a couple pieces of coralline in it. The bottle looks nothing like the pics on the website. It also took 4 weeks to get. Save the $30 and see if an lfs or buddy can chip some off the glass for you.

When did you purchase yours? I've gotten both the Purple Helix and Pink Fusion, the bottles were exactly as they appeared on the site and had no pieces of anything in it. It sounds like someone bait and switched you personally... I agree that getting some coralline from your LFS is probably a better way to go, but I don't think you received the product you paid for...

 

[twentyleagues]

When did you purchase yours? I've gotten both the Purple Helix and Pink Fusion, the bottles were exactly as they appeared on the site and had no pieces of anything in it. It sounds like someone bait and switched you personally... I agree that getting some coralline from your LFS is probably a better way to go, but I don't think you received the product you paid for...

My bad I typed arc its actually ark. Different people all together.

 

[JNalley]

My bad I typed arc its actually ark. Different people all together.

Yes, Addictive Reef Keeping (ARK) is very different from Atlantic Reef Conservation (ARC Reef) :-D

ARC has started offering colonies (like what you received from ARK) called Crustose Corraline, or something, and it's like $60... My LFS gives it away for free (with purchase of livestock or supplies). Glad you didn't get ripped off/bait and switched though.

 

[twentyleagues]

This is what I ordered. What I got was that bottle with crystal clear water and some maybe a 1/8 teaspoon of coralline flakes. Even shaking the bottle it didnt look like that.