Can you just get Coralline algae by itself somewhere?

[Salty150]

I am wanting to set up a new tank and am using dry rock - I don't want any of the "unwanted" pests, etc.

However, that means I will have no Coralline algae.

I realize some Coralline will eventually come into the tank via snails, frags, etc.

But is there any way of getting Coralline by itself so make it accumulate faster?

[Dkuhlmann]

You can find it at your local LFS, or another reefer that lives in your area. See if you can find some LR rubble with coralline on it or ask if you can scrape some off of the side walls of one of their tanks. You can even find it on some snail shells and it can even be on coral frag plugs. You don't need much to get it started in your tank.

[Salty150]

Hey, great idea...

Is it "safe" to be putting Coralline from other tanks (especially store tanks) in your tank?

As I assume the tank water would have to go in with it?

[Flippers4pups]

There is always a chance to introduce pests with rock and or scrapings from live rock that has coralline on it.

[davocean]

There are actually some online vendors that will sell and ship to you coralline scrapings, I'll try to remember who I saw doing this last but it should not be that difficult to search out.
As long as your levels are on and have proper lighting it will eventually come anyway, but it can be nice to kick start that.
Often I'll see a snail that has coralline on it's shell, that would work as well.

[sfdan]

http://ipsf.com/corallinebooster.html <-- sells it online

[davocean]

^^ That's the one I was thinking of

[FullBoreReefer]

Post a local ad. Find a fellow reefer......FREE

[Hal]

Are you also going to buy/add bristle worms and pods? These are beneficial contributors to your ecosystem. The beauty of buying live rock is that it adds a diversity of beneficial natural flora and fauna to your tank. We would be hard pressed to add each beneficial creature/plant/algae separately.

[TheReeferer]

Originally Posted by Hal

Are you also going to buy/add bristle worms and pods? These are beneficial contributors to your ecosystem. The beauty of buying live rock is that it adds a diversity of beneficial natural flora and fauna to your tank. We would be hard pressed to add each beneficial creature/plant/algae separately.

Agree here. Biodiversity should be the aim not a sterile tank.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Hal

Are you also going to buy/add bristle worms and pods? These are beneficial contributors to your ecosystem. The beauty of buying live rock is that it adds a diversity of beneficial natural flora and fauna to your tank. We would be hard pressed to add each beneficial creature/plant/algae separately.

maybe to add them separately one by one but we add them without even knowing most of the time , my tank is almost 2 years old and started from all dry rock and arogonite sand , today my tank is riddled with everything from sponges of all colors, coraline , feather dusters , worms , pods etc etc etc........its as live as any rock ive ever seen in roughly 15yrs lol and looks just as fresh

all of this would have came in on corals , clams, inverts etc etc. and weve also gotten the pests too , bubble algeas, bryopsis , aiptasia etc. etc.

my intent was not to go pest free mine was an aquascaping design choice but my point being that most of these animals are pretty hard to avoid unless you really put serious steps in place to avoid them.

[reefwars]

with that said i also woulnt worry about buying or adding coraline , its really something your not going to avoid in a well lit well maintained reef , and eventually like me you see it as a negative vs a positive

[Salty150]

Well, I am trying to keep anything that I didn't put in my tank - out of my tank

Coral dips, Formalin dips, quarantining, etc., go a long way to keep your tank and their inhabitants safe.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Salty150

Well, I am trying to keep anything that I didn't put in my tank - out of my tank

Coral dips, Formalin dips, quarantining, etc., go a long way to keep your tank and their inhabitants safe.

sure does and i agree , but that's going to be alot of dedication that most give up on eventually or cant even handle to begin with , like i say its almost impossible to avoid certain animals as we go down the chain..... all corals will have to be removed from all rocky bases including their carbonate structures as youd be surprised what lives in your rocks or coral skeletons when you slice them in halfs i know i always am , while dips are great often algae spores are to small to spot on alot of stuff , to tucked away to attack and the dip would kill what your trying to keep before it kills the pest and eventually will slip by regardless , some eggs of certain animals are near indestructible......some animals like anemones and some algaes will be easy to keep out , fish disease is manageable for sure ......all of this is certainly not a lost cause but you'll see its very hard to choose personally animal by animal exactly whats in your tank as we just dont have that kind of control on the smaller levels and likely you'll settle for certain ones that jumped on board as the ride went by as not all things are bad

[reefwars]

some things in your journey youll favor then down the road not......like coraline for some lol