How to grow Coralline algae

[Emma_fish]

It may take a little bit for your tank to stabilize, but once it does, your coralline should take off. It's also a great indicator that you can start trying some SPS in the system. Here's two pics showing 5 months difference in coralline growth.

May, 2021

October, 2021

Wow, Your tank looks great!

 

[T-J]

Wow, Your tank looks great!

Thanks!
Here's a pic from today (one with orange filter, one without):

 

[glency]

No, It's like doing a water change

I’m about to transfer to a new aquarium and you put my worries at ease with that simple sentence. Even cooler is the fact the new one is in a different spot 10 feet away.

 

[CayeCaulker]

I am interested in this product too. Results look amazing. I am afraid of pests from another reefer's tank. Starting out with dead rock.

 

[Morpheosz]

I couldn't be happier - here are a couple shots of the top of my rockwork on my 6 week old 75 gallon tank, starting with dry rock and 2 bottles of the coralline starter.

 

[javisaman]

I couldn't be happier - here are a couple shots of the top of my rockwork on my 6 week old 75 gallon tank, starting with dry rock and 2 bottles of the coralline starter.

What are your parameters? I tried the bottles 3 years ago and barely have any coralline (granted I had a complete die-off a year ago). The tank has been basically empty with 3 corals, and CUC since. Still doing 10% weekly water changes

 

[Morpheosz]

What are your parameters? I tried the bottles 3 years ago and barely have any coralline (granted I had a complete die-off a year ago). The tank has been basically empty with 3 corals, and CUC since. Still doing 10% weekly water changes

Using Triton Core 7 dosing to maintain 8.0dkh. 8.1-8.2 pH, 450 Ca, 1350 Mg, 4-6 NO3, 0-0.02 PO4. I’ve had very scarce nutrients, dosing phosphate daily and nitrates about once a week to keep from bottoming out. Bottom of my fuge is about 50% covered with coralline too. I mention triton only because I know they include elements for chaeto growth which might also be helping the coralline.

I also have a lot of flow, which I mention because it seems like coralline really favors spots with good flow. The top of my rock work in those pics gets hit pretty hard from both sides. I noticed in my last nano tank where I also struggled to get it to grow what little I had was on the power head and areas that got hit with the most flow.

 

[X-37B]

This nano is 3 weeks old and I just saw a few spots on the back wall.
All rock was from my 30g remote fuge and my 45 frag system. All rock is over 2 years old.
Keep your system stable is my best advice.
I run my alk at 7.5-8.
I have been doing this for awhile.

Pic#1 nano
Pic2# 45 frag system
Pic#3 120

 

[AlgaeBarn]

I am interested in this product too. Results look amazing. I am afraid of pests from another reefer's tank. Starting out with dead rock.

If that is a big concern for you then coralline in a bottle sounds like the perfect choice- let us know if you have any questions about it

 

[CayeCaulker]

I couldn't be happier - here are a couple shots of the top of my rockwork on my 6 week old 75 gallon tank, starting with dry rock and 2 bottles of the coralline starter.

That looks amazing! Great growth! Nice calcium levels and PH.
I think I am only getting the Purple like that!

Perfect parameters. Very nice tank.
Very healthy. That is what I'm sooting for on my setup.

 

[CayeCaulker]

This nano is 3 weeks old and I just saw a few spots on the back wall.
All rock was from my 30g remote fuge and my 45 frag system. All rock is over 2 years old.
Keep your system stable is my best advice.
I run my alk at 7.5-8.
I have been doing this for awhile.

Pic#1 nano
Pic2# 45 frag system
Pic#3 120

Absolute awesome tank! Great husbandry for sure. The frags on the back glass. How do you get rocks to stick on it.

 

[X-37B]

Absolute awesome tank! Great husbandry for sure. The frags on the back glass. How do you get rocks to stick on it.

In my 120 I super glued 4 frag plugs and only one survived. It may have been from my urchins.
Top right rock I made by using 2 Tunze magnets. I hollowed out the back of a live rock and epoxied the magnet in place.
The other rock is a Tunze nano rock.

 

[CayeCaulker]

In my 120 I super glued 4 frag plugs and only one survived. It may have been from my urchins.
Top right rock I made by using 2 Tunze magnets. I hollowed out the back of a live rock and epoxied the magnet in place.
The other rock is a Tunze nano rock.

quite clever and it gives me ideas

 

[X-37B]

quite clever and it gives me ideas

Yea I ran out of room and the back glass was the only place left, lol.
I prefer the one I made as its an actual live rock and the magnet is stronger than the Tunze. I had the Tunze for awhile so I used it.

 

[CayeCaulker]

interesting idea

 

[Projects with Sam]

So, Although I was an early supporter of the product, what I thought was coralline was cyano I suppose (I'm a noob so don't know) and I have not seen any growth in 10 weeks.
I dosed only one bottle into my 120, 1/2 the recommended quantity but I figured it would still work, would just take longer for full coverage.
I had a salinity issue for about a week but I have gotten no growth. Has anyone else used the product and not gotten any results?

I put the ARCReef purple helix in my tank about 4 weeks ago and have been keeping my Ca/KH and temp within their guidelines and I am starting to get coralline growth all over. Great product!
dose Kalkwasser...

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

I actually plan to do that same thing with 2 old tunze magnets I have.
D

 

[AlgaeBarn]

So, Although I was an early supporter of the product, what I thought was coralline was cyano I suppose (I'm a noob so don't know) and I have not seen any growth in 10 weeks.
I dosed only one bottle into my 120, 1/2 the recommended quantity but I figured it would still work, would just take longer for full coverage.
I had a salinity issue for about a week but I have gotten no growth. Has anyone else used the product and not gotten any results?

The coralline spores can be sensitive to inconsistencies in a reef tank. When you mentioned salinity issue, what kind of issue were you having?

 

[Projects with Sam]

The coralline spores can be sensitive to inconsistencies in a reef tank. When you mentioned salinity issue, what kind of issue were you having?

So I went away for a week and my skimmer went nuts and dumped about 15 gallons of water on my floor. my ato filled it. salinity dropped to just under 1.020. My corals are rebounding now but it was probably a bad time for all involved.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

So I went away for a week and my skimmer went nuts and dumped about 15 gallons of water on my floor. my ato filled it. salinity dropped to just under 1.020. My corals are rebounding now but it was probably a bad time for all involved.

Sorry to hear about that! :-( So most likely with that drastic of a drop it damaged the coralline algae cell walls and killed them. If it was a much slower drop in your salinity I would say you likely would have seen some coralline by now as it just would have put the spores in hibernation for a bit. -Raven