Purple coraline algea

[iReefer]

Hello everyone.

How do you guys get rid of it? They growing everywhere even onto corals and choking them alive.

 

[anth]

I have noticed during water changes, the coraline that is out of water longest bleaches and disintegrates after a few days. Yet acros that are level with it so spend the same amount of time dry have no problems.
Just something to try if push comes to shove.

 

[iReefer]

I have noticed during water changes, the coraline that is out of water longest bleaches and disintegrates after a few days. Yet acros that are level with it so spend the same amount of time dry have no problems.
Just something to try if push comes to shove.

Yes you're right I noticed that too. But I'm talking abt they are covering my Rocks and some frags dish.. is there a sea urchin that will eat this stuffs

 

[Pistondog]

Yes you're right I noticed that too. But I'm talking abt they are covering my Rocks and some frags dish.. is there a sea urchin that will eat this stuffs

Tuxedo urchin
And asterina starfish, maybe other starfish

 

[Flux Capacitor]

They will forever cover everything. They are a good thing to have on the rocks, usually keeps the bad algae’s at bay, and corals will grow right on top of it.

 

[Cell]

Looks like some nice plating coralline. Plenty of reefers would kill for that in their tanks.

 

[Fishurama]

Most people try not to get them, there isn't anything wrong with them, but if you have a friend with limpet snails, ask for a rock, or swap a piece of dry rock each, they will eat it all.
This was my tank when I was running an aggressive tank(excuse the film algae), had it all over. Once I started adding coral and got limpets, then it looked like this.

Prior to limpets

With limpets, 90 percent is gone.

These are limpet snails you are looking for.

 

[Cell]

Reefcleaners had limpets last week. Might still.

 

[shwareefer]

OP's coraline looks beautiful to me.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Funny, back when I started my current small tank 12 years ago everyone was like "Oh my, what beautiful and thick purple coralline algae you have there!" (rock had come from a previous 10 year old reef tank). Now I see people trying to get rid of coralline...

There are different species of coralline that *might* possibly cause shading issues for smaller corals growing underneath, such as the highly plating varieties. But in 35+ years I've never seen purple encrusting coralline cover a piece of healthy coral.

Coralline does seem to grow best in higher nutrient level systems, higher flow with higher alk/cal and mid to lower level lighting. What are your phosphate and nitrate readings? Cal and alk?

 

[spiraling]

+1 tuxedo urchin. You can get multiples if you want.
I totally get having to scrape it off the glass all the time. It shouldn't cover corals unless there was a dead spot there to begin with. It can keep their bases from advancing (and likewise other algae too), but I've never seen it cover live tissue.

 

[iReefer]

Not me I don't like them . I know some people would love to have it and even buy stuff like purple up and dose their tank with that lol but I think it really makes the tank looks purple . They don't sting other corals but they will take over the real estate in no time and they grow around the corals and choke the corals and even cover the zoas n paly n bury them if you dont break the coraline algea off and force the corals off the base rock especial mushrooms. End result, corals got stress out. As far as sps , however they don't seem too invasive to sps territory and around the base area.

My alk is 9
Cal is 420
Mag is 1450

No3 is <5
Po4 is near 0

I think i'm gonna go and look for some urchin this weekend . Hopefully some limpets

Thank you very much for all your info. You guys are the best

 

[G Santana]

Looks like some nice plating coralline. Plenty of reefers would kill for that in their tanks.

My thoughts EXACTLY lol

 

[shwareefer]

I think i'm gonna go and look for some urchin this weekend . Hopefully some limpets

Tuxedo urchins have been mentioned but I'm pretty sure any urchins will eat coraline.

 

[X-37B]

I have mostly pink coralline and purple.
My entire back wall was encrusted. These 2 urchins keep it under contol but its still their.
Just make sure all your corals are secure.

 

[Snoopdog]

Hold the phone. You are trying to get rid of coraline algae. I am trying to digest that....