no coraline in tank after almost a year

maemae · 04/15/2006, 11:21 PM

I have had my tank for almost two years. The first year it was aggressive and had about twenty lbs. LR. It has been a reef tank for the remainder of time with almost 100lbs of LR. I do not have the coraline growth (at all Ithink). I recently lost my canister filter so I am now running it just on the LR for filtration. am I doing something

wrong? everything is still alive!

FLIPbmw · 04/15/2006, 11:35 PM

check your alk/cal levels. You also need to seed the tank with coraline from what ive read. My tank is 4 months old and just recently I have been able to get hardcore neon green coraline. I got a purple rock from a friend and I am seeing pink spots take over some areas. 440cal/11alk is my perams.

maemae · 04/15/2006, 11:48 PM

Okay! I hope your ready. I have hadsome big problems with my tank. Alk was @14, now @12,cal @450. I recently bought a refugium and put some newly purchased LR in it. once it is set with coraline I will put it in the display tank. Do you think the LR is still filtering the water?

pufferpoison · 04/16/2006, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by maemae
Okay! I hope your ready. I have hadsome big problems with my tank. Alk was @14, now @12,cal @450. I recently bought a refugium and put some newly purchased LR in it. once it is set with coraline I will put it in the display tank. Do you think the LR is still filtering the water?

um what's the big problem? calcium is perfect, alk looks good; confused

JmLee · 04/16/2006, 01:55 AM

yeah have no clue. My tanks been up for about 7 months and i just started getting coralline a month before that, i think ive tested my water like twice that whole time lol. BTW from the first pic, i can see patches of coralline on the rocks already, so theres your seeding right there.

jlehrer · 04/16/2006, 05:41 AM

I too had this exact problem. Just out of curiosity, are you using IO salt? For over a year I got no coraline growth at all, even though my alk and calcium levels were tested biweekly. I eventually upgraded to a calcium reactor (got a good deal on one) and suddenly my coraline is finally coming in. The only thing that really changed was an increase in my magnesium levels from standard IO (about 1100ppm) to 1300ppm from the calcium reactor media.

Now perhaps my coralline just coincidentally began growing at the same time, but it seemed like they were linked to me. So one thing you might try is checking for and maybe dosing magnesium?

boxfishpooalot · 04/16/2006, 07:52 AM

also if there is a lot of phosphates in the water,as little as .10 corraline is halted in growth by as much as 90%. Phosphate inhibits calcification.

maemae · 04/16/2006, 11:50 AM

well my tank just balanced out with cal/alk. that pic i sa little old, but tank is very close to it in apperance. that colorful stuff you see is alge. I was just wondering if the rock was still "alive". Here is a closer pic of a rock with alge.

FishMachine · 04/16/2006, 11:58 AM

I had the same problem with my 10 gallon nano. I am setting up my 12 gallon nanocube dx and made sure to get rock with coraline.

AlexR · 04/16/2006, 12:06 PM

I had the same problem at first. One day a friend of mine was cleaning his tank while i was there and i asked him to put some of the coraline he scraped off into a bag for me. I seeded my tank with it and then about 2 months later it was all over the place.

Ti · 04/16/2006, 03:13 PM

what salt r u using?

maemae · 04/16/2006, 04:07 PM

instant ocean reef salt(orange & white bag)

Daytymer · 04/16/2006, 04:17 PM

Yep, your rock is alive. Look close, you have coraline, pods, possibly some feather dusters, a type of hair algae. You're doing fine.

Not to mention it's sitting in a cycled tank

Cinderblock · 04/16/2006, 04:45 PM

I would try to keep your calcium at 380-420. 450 is a little high.

mr pink floyd · 04/16/2006, 04:55 PM

i belive coralline needs magnesium to grow, the higher the pinker i believe, im startign to see alot now, its even goign on the glass finally after almost 2 years, so im happy

04/15/2006, 11:21 PM	#1
maemae Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: fremont ca Posts: 43	no coraline in tank after almost a year I have had my tank for almost two years. The first year it was aggressive and had about twenty lbs. LR. It has been a reef tank for the remainder of time with almost 100lbs of LR. I do not have the coraline growth (at all Ithink). I recently lost my canister filter so I am now running it just on the LR for filtration. am I doing something wrong? everything is still alive!

04/16/2006, 07:52 AM	#7
boxfishpooalot Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: canada, Grande Praire, Ab Posts: 5,824	also if there is a lot of phosphates in the water,as little as .10 corraline is halted in growth by as much as 90%. Phosphate inhibits calcification. __________________ Its a good idea to have a refrence sample for alk test kits. 1.1350 grams of baking soda in 1gallon of distilled water=10dkh. Check your alkalinity test kit! Algae is Mother Natures phosphate remover Current Tank Info: 220 galon mixed reef.

04/16/2006, 11:58 AM	#9
FishMachine Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 735	I had the same problem with my 10 gallon nano. I am setting up my 12 gallon nanocube dx and made sure to get rock with coraline. __________________ 120 or more gallon sps reef in the works Current Tank Info: 26 gallon freshwater community, 12 gallon nano cube dx, 60 gallon reef

04/16/2006, 03:13 PM	#11
Ti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 7,927	what salt r u using? __________________ Hair algae is my Macro algae.

04/15/2006, 11:35 PM	#2
FLIPbmw Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 47	check your alk/cal levels. You also need to seed the tank with coraline from what ive read. My tank is 4 months old and just recently I have been able to get hardcore neon green coraline. I got a purple rock from a friend and I am seeing pink spots take over some areas. 440cal/11alk is my perams.

04/15/2006, 11:48 PM	#3
maemae Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: fremont ca Posts: 43	Okay! I hope your ready. I have hadsome big problems with my tank. Alk was @14, now @12,cal @450. I recently bought a refugium and put some newly purchased LR in it. once it is set with coraline I will put it in the display tank. Do you think the LR is still filtering the water?

04/16/2006, 01:55 AM	#5
JmLee Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hohensfels, Germany Posts: 1,545	yeah have no clue. My tanks been up for about 7 months and i just started getting coralline a month before that, i think ive tested my water like twice that whole time lol. BTW from the first pic, i can see patches of coralline on the rocks already, so theres your seeding right there.

04/16/2006, 05:41 AM	#6
jlehrer Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 58	I too had this exact problem. Just out of curiosity, are you using IO salt? For over a year I got no coraline growth at all, even though my alk and calcium levels were tested biweekly. I eventually upgraded to a calcium reactor (got a good deal on one) and suddenly my coraline is finally coming in. The only thing that really changed was an increase in my magnesium levels from standard IO (about 1100ppm) to 1300ppm from the calcium reactor media. Now perhaps my coralline just coincidentally began growing at the same time, but it seemed like they were linked to me. So one thing you might try is checking for and maybe dosing magnesium?

04/16/2006, 11:50 AM	#8
maemae Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: fremont ca Posts: 43	well my tank just balanced out with cal/alk. that pic i sa little old, but tank is very close to it in apperance. that colorful stuff you see is alge. I was just wondering if the rock was still "alive". Here is a closer pic of a rock with alge.

04/16/2006, 12:06 PM	#10
AlexR Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Palm Coast, FL Posts: 574	I had the same problem at first. One day a friend of mine was cleaning his tank while i was there and i asked him to put some of the coraline he scraped off into a bag for me. I seeded my tank with it and then about 2 months later it was all over the place.

04/16/2006, 04:07 PM	#12
maemae Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: fremont ca Posts: 43	instant ocean reef salt(orange & white bag)

04/16/2006, 04:17 PM	#13
Daytymer Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Massillon, OH Posts: 236	Yep, your rock is alive. Look close, you have coraline, pods, possibly some feather dusters, a type of hair algae. You're doing fine. Not to mention it's sitting in a cycled tank

04/16/2006, 04:45 PM	#14
Cinderblock Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Hermosa Beach, CA Posts: 93	I would try to keep your calcium at 380-420. 450 is a little high.

04/16/2006, 04:55 PM	#15
mr pink floyd Moved On Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: west hartford, CT Posts: 3,480	i belive coralline needs magnesium to grow, the higher the pinker i believe, im startign to see alot now, its even goign on the glass finally after almost 2 years, so im happy