Coralline not growing
 

Lately I've been having a problem getting the coralline to grow on my live rock. It's growing on the back wall, not everywhere yet, but the rock that I've had in the tank for a year is not growing anything more than what was there a year ago. I've added a bunch of really nice pieces completely encrusted in live rock to help speed the process up a bit and all that's done is manage to make the coralline on the new rock look sick and start to fade. Any ideas?

My Calcium is always above 400 and I've used everything from Kent part B solution to aragamilk to Kent liquid reactor.

Do you have any sea urchins in the tank?

Also, how's your phosphates?

Try dosing Kalkwasser aswell.

alk
 

Jason
check your alk as well. I find my coraline grows rapidly anywhere around 6-9 dkh especially with the ca at that level.

try adding iodine. I use reef iodide by seachem. that might help. also try trace elemets I think Kent makes it.

Brad

Re: alk
 

Alk's usually around 10.

No sea urchins yet but will be picking one up in a month's time. Is that good or bad?

Don't have a phosphate test kit so not too sure actually. As for Kalk, i'm not sure if they sell it in town here but I would like to start using it.

coraline
 

If you don't have a lot of coraline an urchin will definately strip what you have and IF you arn't growing any he will starve and you will have little coraline. My tuxedo carves a 1cm trail about 10ft per day right down to the white rock or glass...I have lots of coraline so it grow back quick and I like the cycle......coraline ....urchin poop....to more coraline.
Two methods of increasing coraline growth in a reef tanks, that I have come across are:
1) Take a good size powerhead and place it, up close and personal, blast a heavily encrusted rock continually untill desired purple is reached :smile:
2) Scrape the coraline off some of the back glass (or wherever you can get it), pulverize it and, either , in a fine net bag, placed in a high flow area or turn off your flow and sprinkle all over and let settle...season to taste :smile:
I have also noticed that different color coralines dominate different surfaces and light levels .
IMHE Good Luck

How's your magnesium? If low, it will inhibit the ability of calcium utilization.

Articles of interest:

Solving Calcium and Alkalinity Problems:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm

Magnesium in Reef Aquaria:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2003/chem.htm

The Reef Chemistry Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Aquarium System Volume Calculator:

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/volcalc.html

Re: alk
 

You can buy it in town, but you'll need a bank loan. Get in touch with Shao, he sells it by the bag for next to nothing. I may have an extra bag here if you need some to carry you over.

My secret recipe for coralline growth. Get a large glass container, open a cold beer and pour it into the container. Discard bottle in the recycling bin.
Now find a real comfy chair and sit in this chair in front of your tank. Watch the fishies swim around. Relax. Think happy thoughts. Relax some more. Drink said beer from the glass container. Repeat this regularly, and wham!! pretty soon you have coralline all over the place. Really.

Re: alk
 

I have tried this method many times. Unfortunately, the only thing that seems to grow rapidly with this method is me. If only fish drank beer, they'd all be as healthy as me.

i buffer with kent pro buffer. it has a coralline accelerator in it, i have no idea what that is but im growing coralline like a mad man and the tanks about 2 months old. i also use kalk and pc lights so im sure that helps.

reply
 

Bev said:You really like magnisium don't you Bev? :razz:

I really like the crushed coraline idea, I'll be changing tanks soon but I'm taking my scrapings with me. Also, what was said about certain types of coraline only growing on certain surfaces is true. Some rocks aren't prone to coraline growth at all, while others may grow only purple or red or orange.

Bev, his Ca is above 400, his Mg is fine, if your Mg is low enuf to affect growth you won't be able to get your Ca over 300. I went through that game.

Steve

Re: reply
 

Hey, I didn't do all that freaking reading for nothing :mrgreen: Gotta spread the word that magnesium is as important to reef chemistry as calcium and alkalinity :biggrin:

Re: reply
 

Mg is the most underrated element in the tank that controles so much. hardly anyone measures for it, and it can be easaly depleated in a new set up, and it causes a lot of the problems people are having with the Ca levels.

Steve

reply
 

The problem is finding a Mg test kit too. I've looked all over and nothing! I guess the LFS's don't understand the importants of Mg either. :confused:

Re: reply
 

Got my test kit (Salifert) and Mg (Kent) at J&L.

reply
 

J&L doesn't accept Amex. Other wise I'd be broke! But thanks anyway Bev.

Be happy that it's not growing.

It was becoming such a plague/nusuiance for me that I stopped dosing kalk until it stopped growing. Scraping the glass every week to get rid of the numerous coralline spots, and watching the rock pores get choked over by coralline sucks.

reply
 

Sounds like you could use a coraline eating urchin.

Hey jaws i have the same problem, i cant grow coralline all my params are fine also. my tank is about a 7 months old from day 1 it doesnt grow, i notice coraline is only in the shaded areas on my tank. im going to try dripping kalk this week.

kalk
 

Let me know if you notice a difference.

Lower light(actinic is good) helps, lots of flow, and also one thing that wasnt mentioned yet is strontium. I dose that along with calcium and magnesium. I get great growth! My secret? Seachem Reef-Complete, and Lower light.

Chris