No coraline growth

[bighead]

I have had my tank setup for close to a year now and have very little coraline growth almost none
Parameters
Alk 8.2 dkh
Cal. 440
Mag 1480
Ph. 8.1
Sg. 1.025

[thegrun]

What are you using for lighting? What do you have for a clean-up crew (some wll eat coraline algae)? Have you introduced a rock with coraline algae on it (it needs to be added to get started, if your live rock didn't have any when you set up the tank it needs to be introduced.

[bighead]

I have a 48 In Reefbreeder led
For clean up crew assorted snails cleaner shrimp serpentine star
I do have some coraline on a rock or two

[Mcgeezer]

Your parameters are ideal for coralline growth which is odd...other then maybe a Mg level of 1480. Seems a little high.

what kind of lighting?

I used a whole bottle of Coral Vital by Marc Weiss over 3 months when starting my tank. My coralline growth is insane.

I do know high phosphates will inhibit its growth. Do you run GFO? You didnt list your phosphate levels.

[jrozzi]

red sea test kit?

[Uncle Salty 05]

Coralline algae does not like bright light.
Try lowering your settings.

[Triggerfish]

same thing going on here too. when i had halides corraline was everywhere.. now with china leds it hasnt started growing in tank for about a year. starting now on glass and just a bit on rocks. although i had it covering in layers on the glass divider in sump with a crappy light.
since i raised the mg (1500)ive noticed it growing more now.

[Scott07]

Same thing going on here as well. Tank is about 8 months old... no corraline on the glass.. or very little, but it'll grow on anything that's not the glass walls; filter intakes and outputs, mp-10 wetside, heater, etc... just not the glass. FWIW i'm using a 4 bulb T5 fixture about 6 or 8 inches off water surface, and have ample light to grow some SPS frags...

[whosurcaddie]

Like uncle salty mentioned coarlline wont grow well on surface that are getting blasted with high light. Some people have been surprised when they have lifted a rock from they're display to see the entire underside of a rock covered in coralline. It was because of the light.

[Uncle Salty 05]

If you want coralline, standard T-8 flourescents are the best way to get it.
A mixture of 10K and actinic, and coralline will grow like crazy.

[bighead]

My lites are pretty brite I am at 75% white 70% blue I like whiter lite and I don't check for phosphates or run gfo or any phosphate remover I have a little alge growth here and there but not much everything I have is growing well sps dominate tank

[Uncle Salty 05]

I would drop to 50% white and 60% blue.
That's just what I would do.

[bighead]

I don't have any bleaching just growth I can try it does more blue affect anything or just for looks

[Uncle Salty 05]

Actinic blue light actually drives photosynthesis as much or more than white light does.


Light spectrum is measured by the Kelvin scale. Natural sunlight on a clear day registers at 5500 Kelvin degrees. Kelvin temperatures less than 5500 become more red and yellow and the higher the Kelvin temperature the more blue the light is. Photosynthetic invertebrates should be kept under lamps rated at or near the Kelvin temperature where the invertebrate was collected. Shallow water species should be kept under 10000K lamps while deep water species would prefer 20000K lighting. Longer photoperiods can not compensate for incorrect light spectrum or intensity.

Actinic lighting peaks in the 420 nanometer range and emits a fluorescent blue light and is usually used as supplemental lighting. Not only is actinic lighting beneficial to photosynthetic invertebrates, it is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye when used to supplement "daylight" lighting.

from:https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...6221523AAlKCFJ

[bighead]

Say no more I will give it a shot

[m0nkie]

I have Kessil white and actinic on for 12 hours a day. my rocks are starting to be covered in green coraline after 3 months. It's a pain cleaning the glass everyday..

[shesacharmer]

Just curious...why would you want coralline on the glass? Makes sense on the rocks but the glass?

[whosurcaddie]

I think hes just saying its a byproduct of his light.

[m0nkie]

Originally Posted by shesacharmer

Just curious...why would you want coralline on the glass? Makes sense on the rocks but the glass?

once it starts growing, it grows EVERYWHERE... on the glass, on my magfloat cleaner, on the powerhead, etc... it's a PITA to clean.

not a fan of coralline algae

[bighead]

Changed the lites around 50 white 60 blue don't see any coraline growing it's been a couple of hours already HAHAHA
See what happens over the next couple of months
Thanx

[Mcgeezer]

I love all the coralline on my back glass, but it creeps up my side glass and as said, it's a PITA to scrape off all the time

[Xavibear]

Originally Posted by m0nkie

once it starts growing, it grows EVERYWHERE... on the glass, on my magfloat cleaner, on the powerhead, etc... it's a PITA to clean.

not a fan of coralline algae

Why do you leave your magfloat in the tank?

[m0nkie]

Originally Posted by Xavibear

Why do you leave your magfloat in the tank?

are we not suppose to?

I've hurt myself so many times when they snap on my fingers.. not to mention it's impossible to separate them.. I figured I'd just leave it inside hiding on the corners..

these Tiger Shark magnets are no joke.. dangerous

[Xavibear]

Originally Posted by m0nkie

are we not suppose to?

I've hurt myself so many times when they snap on my fingers.. not to mention it's impossible to separate them.. I figured I'd just leave it inside hiding on the corners..

these Tiger Shark magnets are no joke.. dangerous

From photos of people's tanks I see that a lot of people do. In my home that would just be another thing that my 2yo would try to mess with.

[apexkeeper]

Originally Posted by m0nkie

are we not suppose to?

Coraline and other hard organisms can grow on the float and end up scratching your glass/acrylic.