Poll: Coralline Algae - Do you try to control it?

[Porpoise Hork]

I scrape it off the glass and soak the power-heads in vinegar every other month to keep it under control. Otherwise I let it grow where it wants.

 

[C-Reefer]

I love coralline covered rocks, and on the back glass grows it too. I keep it off equipment and front and side glass. It grows pretty well for me on a 4 month old tank with Current Marine Orbit lighting.

 

[evolved]

It's great on the rocks, and sucks everywhere else. Scrape. Scrape. Scrape...

 

[Mike Reef Addict]

Great answers I asked because I see so many threads with people stating they can't for the life of them get coralline to grow. Also see the opposite where people scrape, treat or get urchins to get rid of it. I've also read that it is a sign of "healthy" water parameters. And also read that LED lighting may have something to do with the lack of growth of coralline algae. Personally I think it looks great in a tank but agree having it all over the front or side glass might be a nuisance.

I use LED now an mine is kicking! Grew it with PC's too I let I go for the most part only clean it off of where it should not be..

 

[Billdogg]

I will scrape it off the glass if it's obstructing the view. The Urchin will leave swaths of sparkly clean rock and stays fat and happy.

 

[Codym808]

I’m using urchins to control coralline, Diadema Savignyi to be specific. I have 2 urchins in my 40 gallon breeder to control coralline along with my bubble algae invasion that I’m finally starting to win. These urchins are the best CUC I have owned yet, they clean EVERYTHING and they just keep going like work horses.

Diadema Savignyi have nice neon blue lines along their body, they haven't bothered any of my corals either. I have a bare bottom tank with a cutting board bottom, so I’d like the bottom to stay white to replicate sand and also reflect light back up to the undersides of the corals. These guys keep the bottom of my tank very clean, they make my rocks nice and white in the areas they’ve passed over, and they even eat the bubble algae that’s covering all my rocks. You can see the photos below for their colors, all the work they’ve done cleaning my tank and rocks, and a FTS of my tank as a little extra.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

Coralline algae only grows on the glass for me. As cool as urchins are the idea of them grabbing stuff sounds annoying.

 

[Codym808]

From my experience, its only the pin cushion's that pick up stuff.

 

[CherBear811]

Keep front and side glass clean, otherwise I let it spread.

 

[LVE]

I scrape it off the front and sides, but that's it

 

[Rockit]

I can't grow it yet.
5 month old tank... seeded with https://arcreef.com/product/coralline-algae/ on 3/12 and no new purple whatsoever.

 

[1979fishgeek]

I can’t grow it because I have half the world population of Asterina that eat it constantly! Red, green, purple coralline could grow....if it got a chance! *sobbing uncontrollably* lol

 

[pdisner]

I keep my front and one side glass clean but otherwise let it grow where it wants. My back glass and the other side were completely covered until I got a longspine urchin. I didn't get the urchin to control the coralline, but the lil guy has chomped on it!

I did the same thing. Only reason I got the long spine urchin was for my Banggai Cardinals. I have a ton of purple algae but would like to see more red.

 

[Reefer1464]

It has taken me about 2 years to start growing the stuff. So there is no way I am controlling it now. Enjoy it at least for a while!

 

[charles5261]

Im new to the saltwater so i dont have that issue yet. But i just leave it alone to help it grow more. Then i would work to control it.

 

[Kali]

I let it grow freely on the back of the tank and rocks, front and side glass gets scraped. When ever it starts to cover the power heads, I use that as its (past) time to pull and clean the pumps and all impellers (return & power heads, etc)

I also have a tuxedo urchin. I didn't originally get the urchin as coralline control, but it does help keep it off the glass. It seems to supplement its diet with some macro algae (leaves big white spots on the macro). I also use what its carrying as a barometer of whats going on in the tank. The last few times I had nuisance algae, I saw it first on the urchin... and when I couldn't grow zoa's in the tank, the best looking "frag" was the one the urchin was carrying around, too bad it was a fickle "frag plug".

 

[Ride the wave]

I scrape it off the glass but leave it on the rocks. If your glass gets covered then I find demands for calcium and sodium bicarbonate rockets to a point that I have to top up my dosing tank more often and adjust the doser up more often. Just seems more easily controlled(and cheaper) by keeping the glass scraped fairly regularly.

 

[playapixie]

I love it. I keep it off of the front and side glass but I like it on the rocks and back wall. I actually haven’t replaced a tuxedo urchin I lost in a crash yet, as they do plow through it, and I want it back in full force before I put back in an urchin.

 

[playapixie]

Oh, and my tank is all LED and it’s always grown coralline algae prolifically. You do have to introduce it on something though (live rock, Frag plug, etc.) It doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.

 

[Dburr1014]

I painted the back glass blue. My wife hates the CA covering it so once a week she wants me to scrap it. Personally, I would rather leave it but as the saying goes... Happy wife, happy life. [emoji4]