How long does it usually take for coralline algae to form when using dried rock.

[Yves Alaby]

-Salinity 1.025
-Temperature 78
-Kh 8.0-8.1
-Calcium 450
-Magnesium 1380
-Phosphates 0 (salifert)
-Nitrate 20 (zero algae) The tank is 10 months old.

 

[Zero1091]

It can take a while at 10 months you should already be seeing some results.

Do you have absolutely none or just a very small amount.
My newest system is 3 years old, started with cured dry rock and didnt completely cover in coralline till about 1 year in.
Although, I did introduce coral and inverts( snails and hermits) with coralline on them already to seed the tank.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

My tank was cycled June of last year. By January this year I could see coraline. By February there was a significant amount. Now I have nearly full coverage. I did add a couple bottles of purple helix at the beginning. Have no idea if that had any effect or not

I bleached my rock before starting my tank

 

[Yves Alaby]

It can take a while at 10 months you should already be seeing some results.

Do you have absolutely none or just a very small amount.
My newest system is 3 years old, started with cured dry rock and didnt completely cover in coralline till about 1 year in.
Although, I did introduce coral and inverts( snails and hermits) with coralline on them already to seed the tank.

I have zero coralline. Idk if it has anything to do with lighting but nothing at all.

 

[Yves Alaby]

My tank was cycled June of last year. By January this year I could see coraline. By February there was a significant amount. Now I have nearly full coverage. I did add a couple bottles of purple helix at the beginning. Have no idea if that had any effect or not

I bleached my rock before starting my tank

A lot of people said that it doesn’t really do anything...Maybe I should’ve went that rout.

 

[AdamB]

I used dry shelf rock on my second tank . That tank has been up and running for 10 months as well. I am just now seeing a few spots of coralline in low flow areas in back . I was hoping I wouldn't actually have any coralline growth . Reason for this is that my first tank exploded with coralline and I had to really bump up dosing a ton when that happened, I really went through 2 part from there on out..
I run 2 hydra 26s on last tank..

 

[Jason boles]

I had a 15 gallon for over a year with barely any coralline growth under kessil lights.
When I upgraded and put them under t-5 / led my coralline took off immediately.

 

[Jason boles]

Get a tuxedo urchin! He mows my coralline down nicely.

 

[Zero1091]

I have zero coralline. Idk if it has anything to do with lighting but nothing at all.

Stability helps but have you tried adding anything that already has coralline on it?
Live rock with coralline is a good idea if you dont mind the random hitchhikers that come with it.
But frag plugs, hermit/ snail shells with it can all be a good way to get it started.
Ive seen coralline algae in a bottle advertised to help seed tanks with the spores aswell.

 

[Roosterjack]

The coralline stuff Algae Barn sells made mine go nuts..

 

[Hermie]

Some people's tanks it happens way faster, I think because they have generally low phosphate (like sea levels); but my tank is high nutrient and it's been 11 months now I am seeing some burgundy coralline algae that began about 6 months ago but it's only now getting really noticible amid all the algae on my rocks.

So IMO it depends on how much import/export/algae is in your tank. Too much nitrate/phosphate = coralline suffers.

 

[Michael Gray]

my tank has been cycled since september 8th. and im getting coraline on powerheads and little spots on rocks.. nothing crazy yet.

I use dry marco rock and reef flakes sand. so i had nothing in my tank to begin with

 

[Bayareareefer18]

A lot of people said that it doesn’t really do anything...Maybe I should’ve went that rout.

I'd be interested to know if there is a definite answer. I've seen BRS state that some of their tanks never grow coraline. At this point, a year and a half in, I have nearly fully coverage. Not running high or too of the end lighting.

My overflow gets covered in it. My urchin will occasionally climb up there and mow some of it down

 

[Yves Alaby]

Stability helps but have you tried adding anything that already has coralline on it?
Live rock with coralline is a good idea if you dont mind the random hitchhikers that come with it.
But frag plugs, hermit/ snail shells with it can all be a good way to get it started.
Ive seen coralline algae in a bottle advertised to help seed tanks with the spores aswell.

Yeah just frag plugs.

I'd be interested to know if there is a definite answer. I've seen BRS state that some of their tanks never grow coraline. At this point, a year and a half in, I have nearly fully coverage. Not running high or too of the end lighting.

My overflow gets covered in it. My urchin will occasionally climb up there and mow some of it down

Yeah. Would I still be able to grow sps?

 

[Yves Alaby]

Stability helps but have you tried adding anything that already has coralline on it?
Live rock with coralline is a good idea if you dont mind the random hitchhikers that come with it.
But frag plugs, hermit/ snail shells with it can all be a good way to get it started.
Ive seen coralline algae in a bottle advertised to help seed tanks with the spores aswell.

Yeah the frag plugs do have some but they’ve been like that every since I got them. So..

 

[Yves Alaby]

The coralline stuff Algae Barn sells made mine go nuts..

I’ll check them out.

 

[SuncrestReef]

I didn't see any coralline on my rocks for the first 7 months, then it started popping up as small specks that spread slowly. Around 11 - 12 months it just exploded and was everywhere. Mine is bright pink:

7 months:


9 months:


13 months:

 

[Yves Alaby]

Some people's tanks it happens way faster, I think because they have generally low phosphate (like sea levels); but my tank is high nutrient and it's been 11 months now I am seeing some burgundy coralline algae that began about 6 months ago but it's only now getting really noticible amid all the algae on my rocks.

So IMO it depends on how much import/export/algae is in your tank. Too much nitrate/phosphate = coralline suffers.

That’s the thing...I don’t have any algae problem

 

[madweazl]

Took three months in our 150g to see a good amount with no products added (used a single piece of rock from my other tank to seed it). I'm about five months in now and there is more coralline than rock showing. It was lit with Kessil A360s for the first four months and has had supplimental T5s since. Coralline will grow just fine under Kessil only (I run 50-60% color).

 

[Yves Alaby]

I didn't see any coralline on my rocks for the first 7 months, then it started popping up as small specks that spread slowly. Around 11 - 12 months it just exploded and was everywhere. Mine is bright pink:

7 months:


9 months:


13 months:

[/QUOTE

I didn't see any coralline on my rocks for the first 7 months, then it started popping up as small specks that spread slowly. Around 11 - 12 months it just exploded and was everywhere. Mine is bright pink:

7 months:


9 months:


13 months:

I guess I gotta give it some more time.