How can I increase my coralline algae ?

[Darrick Dutcher]

Not necessarily but why pull them. I think getting a tank "clean" once "dirty"is harder. You may as well keep the pellets on because they are obviously working and feed more and or get more fish.

I agree with everything you are saying, but I think you are making a strong assumption dosing is on point.

 

[saltyhog]

I don't think you have to lose the biopellets but I do think you need to #1 lower your alkalinity to around 140-145. You're running almost 10 dKh with no detectable nitrate. #2 run some GFO and try to get your PO4 down to 0.05 or so. Just my opinion.

 

[Va_Reef]

I will say, water quality aside, LEDs just don't grow coralline like T5 and metal halide.

Now I'm willing to bet a year or two after your coralline takes off, you're going to wish it hadn't lol

 

[ptong]

From my experience I would expect some algae growth. I was pulling my hair out at first, but stuck with a lot of advice we all have read in other posts "consistency and slow change is the best (but hardest) thing you can do." My advice:

-stop buying sps and lps corals that are not doing well. I can say it so bluntly because I was doing exactly what you are now. I knew I've grown them in the past and I thought the system was ok, so I hope that does not offend you.

-reduce biopellet use gradually (water changes are a good time). I pulled mine right away and I had a larger algae bloom then I probably could have avoided.

-once your levels and algae start to show control you will be ok with sps/lps. It seems you are on the right path with your parameters. I'm not usually as vocal on a problem as I am on this one. Truly biopellets are a great thing, but very risky if you are not dosing certain trace elements very closely.

Can I run my biopellet on. Timer? Maybe 12 hrs a day rather than constant 24 hrs? Can the bacteria in the biopellet be alive without movement for 12 hrs?

 

[psirex]

Just slow the flow back into the tank if possible

 

[kane the reafer]

I would say introduce the coralline algae to the tank first of all and keep high levels of calcium high. If possible scrape some coralline algae off live rock and let it float around in your tank

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Could not keep SPS. Keep on beaching. Softies and LPS are there, but not growing.

a lot of light will stop coralline algae from growing. thats not a bad thing. take a close look at some more pictures of SPS tanks and high par tanks. its actually good in a way as the cal mag and alk arent bing sucked up by corraline, its going to the coral.
Light and nutrints IMO go hand in hand and need to be balanced.

 

[BlueCursor]

Coralline grows great on my overflow and rocks that are getting 300+ PAR.

I know when I dropped the ULNS approach and got nitrates up 1+ my coralline stated growing. Under ULNS, I never really had coralline in my 2 year old tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

its not growing in my spots of 500+ par but grows like crazy in my sump and shade of the dt.
a mars aqua or SBreeflight can give you 1000+par at 10in (100,000+lux ) Id assume close with the OP's light.
so if par is high nutrints are low you'll prob not get a lot of coralline.

 

[BlueCursor]

its not growing in my spots of 500+ par but grows like crazy in my sump and shade of the dt.
a mars aqua or SBreeflight can give you 1000+par at 10in (100,000+lux ) Id assume close with the OP's light.
so if par is high nutrints are low you'll prob not get a lot of coralline.

This is a good point. Too much light is never the issue, because somewhere there is lower light areas and shade in the DT. Lighting levels just impact where it grows in the DT.

 

[brandon429]

I can paint the inside of this vase in coralline only by adding C Balance...which implies any other two part might get the same effect after seeding. CB is what I happen to use for a long time...if I withhold the C balance, it doesn't grow on the glass so the causative is pretty clear to me.

to me that supports the elevated ion level mode of control/growth

agreed on lEDs
the bowl is kessil now and doesn't grow coralline on the glass. the rock maintains status.

 

[pablue]

bio pellets aren't always the best for everyone, pulling them slowly like Dutcher said above and keep on a good water change schedule and you'll see the better results I think!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

This is a good point. Too much light is never the issue, because somewhere there is lower light areas and shade in the DT. Lighting levels just impact where it grows in the DT.

So imagine my surprise the day when I blasted the thick beautiful coralline off all my rocks.
And the subsequent months of researching.

 

[JMLewis]

Yep like others have said reduce the ammount of bio pellets, add more fish and feed more. Your nitrates are to low and phosphate to high. Once you start to see an incline in nitrates your po4 will start to go down. Nutrients are just as important to keep in balance as your big 3.

 

[Sabellafella]

My tank has been up since August 18, 2016. How do I get more coralline growing?

Eye for an eye. Scrape all the corralline algae you see on your glass, back wall ect.. then it should start to spread more quickly but first, water quality =)

 

[Sm51498]

Coralline algae is still algae. It needs nitrate to grow. Before you do anything else, I would just feed more to start. Just my thoughts.

 

[aquanerd57]

Magnesium above 1250 add kalkwasser to ATO and calcium above 400.

 

[GarageReefer]

Stable Paramaters. Mostly alk and Ca. And time as stated. Also throw in a rock from a buddy or LFS that has a bunch of coraline on It. It'll help it spread. I think some companies even bottle coraline flakes

 

[ptong]

My water test as of today.
Aquarium Tong's Reef parameters are:<br /><br />Temperature: 79.9<br />Salinity: 1.024<br />Ammonia, NH4: 0<br />Nitrate, NO3: 0<br />Nitrite, NO2: 0<br />pH: 8.2<br />Alkalinity, KH: 207<br />Calcium, Ca: 490<br />Phosphate, PO4: 0.9<br />Magnesium, Mg: 1,320<br /><br />for date: January 7, 2017

My phosphate is .9. Is it high?

 

[aquanerd57]

Kalkwasser dosing will do it.