Imjustgud Posted May 15, 2013 Report Share Posted May 15, 2013 I have had many people ask me how it is that I got all of that coraline algae in my tank. I always say it was easy, but it took awhile. First things first, I made sure all of my water parameters were in check and I had ample lighting. I started with T5s with about 4 watts per gallon. I now have a larger equivalent wattage with my LEDS and it now grows even faster. Getting things started was actually pretty easy. I looked up all kinds of ways people did it on youtube and went with the method that looked the most believable. Items you will need: A rock or some that has the coraline algae on it already to use as a source (recommend something small and without anything else living on it) A small bowl with about a cup of water from the tank Something sharp to scrape with Step 1: Hold the item with the coraline algae over the bowl and scrape as much of the top surface of the existing coraline algae off. Step 2: Make sure all of the scrapings go into the bowl including the ones from the scraper. Step 3: Put the item that you scraped back into the tank wherever you pulled it from. Step 4: Pour the contents of the bowl into your tank, a little on one side and a little on the other. Make sure to get this into the flow of the currents in your tank. Step 5: Wait Step 6: Once the coraline algae has grown back on the item you initially scraped, it it time to repeat steps 1 - 5 again. I repeated this 3 times total and have been the recipient of the amount you see in my tank today. Be warned!!! Once you start, it's a done deal! Hope this helps those of you wanting to grow coraline algae and I did not ever use Purple Up or anything like that to try to enhance the growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted May 15, 2013 Report Share Posted May 15, 2013 My answer to purple rocks is patience:) I don't think purple up is anything but alk/calcium which are the key ingredients for coralline to grow. Once it grows, you quickly realize how much you hate it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldspiceguy Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 I think the concept behind Purpleup is sound, as I understand it's a combination of alk, mag, iodine and a finely ground aragonite particles which acts as substrate for free floating coraline algae to start growing from, I have found it effective but honestly not really required. You can probably get the same response by adding a small cup of fresh aragonite sand to your tank and keeping the parameters on point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefhappy Posted June 10, 2013 Report Share Posted June 10, 2013 You can have whatever is in my tank. I wish it would have never started growing in mine, just more work for me having to scrape glass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invert Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 3 months in and my tank looks like this. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ntime60/9011951860/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ntime60/8860715993/ Look at the back of the tank. It was black...see all those spots? If you build it and maintain it, it WILL come, like it or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesterisdead Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I'm a scrapper. Im always cleaning it off the sides and front and what ever open areas I can get to in back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I'm a scrapper. Im always cleaning it off the sides and front and what ever open areas I can get to in back. I plan to attempt this on my tank but we'll see how well I can keep up. Tanks look best when the back is black and you have that good contrasting color against the rocks/coral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Msr224 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I plan to attempt this on my tank but we'll see how well I can keep up. Tanks look best when the back is black and you have that good contrasting color against the rocks/coral. I agree and with the next tank I will be leaving the back wall open so that I can get to it. This is one of the many reasons I really like your aquascape Dustin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer82 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 My 28 I purposely let go just to see how quickly it would fill in and since the 3rd week of march when water went in, its probably 50% covered on all panels! Its coming down shortly, was just an experiment and I knew id be moving the tank beforehand. I want to keep all panels on the new tank nice and shiny as well. Any suggestions aside from daily once overs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I want to keep all panels on the new tank nice and shiny as well. Any suggestions aside from daily once overs? If using LEDs use optics to your advantage! By having the light not spill onto the glass/acrylic it will drastically reduce/stop the growth. I previously did not have light spilling onto my overflow wall on my frag tank and it did not have any coraline. Now that it has light being blasted on it, I've got a solid blanket of coraline in 1-2 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invert Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 It's still new to me so I don't mind it much...it concerns me a bit seeing it develop on the pumps. I guess I need to make it part of a PM cycle to take the pumps out and soak them in vinegar occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesterisdead Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 It doesn't really hurt your tank but it can jsut take over and cut out the viewing. I also clean my power heads about once ever two months as well just to keep them fresh and check to be sure everything is good and the blades are clean and nick free. My battle now is just brown settling on the glass. Even with all the water movement I have I have to once a day use the mag scrapper to clear it away. I'm sure its coming from my diamond goby. He has been tunneling under my rocks for two months now and last night dropped the center design as it colapsed. I haven't seen him this morning and its sad that part of me hopes he got his fat head pinched but he is cool to watch working and jsut wish he would get the sand dunes he is making and leave the tunneling out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invert Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 I made the decision to not worry about the back glass because the previous owner painted it black. I keep the sides and the front clear. One thing I've noticed is my sump is getting covered big time. Your goby issue, I have hopefully prevented by making an acrylic tube lattice work to support the rock just above the sand. This way I only set a couple light rocks on the sand to hide the tubes that protrude slightly above the sand bed and the bulk of the rock remains suspended above the sand bed, hopefully preventing any dead spots, but definitely preventing any risk of collapse via the sand crew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer82 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Ill probably do something similar to keep rock stable, as far a foundation goes. I don't usually run a very deep sand bed so the rock is pretty stable. I've never had a collapse that wasn't caused by me bumping something. I usually pull all of my pumps every 2-3 months and do a soak and clean them up like new. Seems to work well as there is usually minimal buildup and I've yet to have to replace an impeller on something that wasn't many years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Leonard, might check your phosphates if it's developing that fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesterisdead Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 planning on doing full test of water this weekend. being out on vacation last week I'm sure my water parameters are all over the place which I'm workingreally hard automating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invert Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 Dustin, as my understanding goes, please correct me if I am not understanding correctly, there are only 4 main requirements for coraline to grow. Since coralline algae is calcerious, as with any other calcifying organism (such as hard corals) it requires similar conditions. This would include: suitable light intensity stable and sufficient calcium concentration stable and sufficient alkalnity levels low phosphate concentrations So wouldn't the lack of PO4 and an abundance of Ca, Alk and Light support a faster growth rate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jesterisdead Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 He was referring to the brown dusting I get I believe. I hijacked a thread as I'm prone to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin1300 Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 He was referring to the brown dusting I get I believe. I hijacked a thread as I'm prone to do. Yeah, sorry invert...Was responding to what Leonard said on the brown dusting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invert Posted June 11, 2013 Report Share Posted June 11, 2013 lol it's ok...I sort of hijacked the thread too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roush2000 Posted July 19, 2014 Report Share Posted July 19, 2014 You can have whatever is in my tank. I wish it would have never started growing in mine, just more work for me having to scrape glass! Urchins will destroy that coralline for you. They love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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