How to maximize corraline growth?

[Eboman]

My first system was a 29 gallon FOWLR. It was COATED with corraline.

Now I've been running a 55 gallon FOWLR for about 2 years now and I cannot repeat my success with the corraline growth.

I use Seachem products, since they seemed to produce the best results last time. Today I got some TropicMarin biocalcium (it was on sale).

What would be the recommended water parameters for maximizing corraline growth?
I have my Lamotte test kits ready to go!!

Thanks,
Eboman

 

[drcarr]

Does dripping Kalk increase your corraline growth?

 

[Lunchbucket]

i can't get any on the back glass. just starting to get 3 or 4 discs about 1/2 a dime size on my left side.

any help please

later
Lunchbucket

 

[drcarr]

Does dripping Kalk increase or stimulate your corraline growth?????!!! Anyone...

 

[2poor2reef]

My experience has been that if you have some to start with and you maintain CA levels at 400 or above and the light is not too bright it will grow very well.

 

[drcarr]

How much do you need to start or seed the tank? I have a 70 gal. FOW a little LR.

 

[hectina]

I drip Kalk 24/7. Although it hasn't spread, the coraline is absolutely luxurious. I missed one week's dosage of Kent Strontium, and it started to die off quick. After dosing the tank it came right back.

 

[drcarr]

What else do y'all put in your tank to stimulate corraline algae. I dose kalk as top off water and nothing else. Should i be dosing other things to stimulate growth?

 

[jmeader]

Just keep your alk above 2.5 Meq and Cal above 375ppm. Then seed the tank with some coraline scrapings and LR. It is an algae and does need nitrates for food.

 

[Terra Ferma]

Use B-Ionic, it is the next best thing after a calc reactor. It works wonders.

 

[hectina]

drcarr,

Try adding strontium and iron. I mix in vinegar with my Kalk.

Another thing you might want to look at is the coraline itself. I purposely bought live rock from three different LFS. Each holding tank has different types of hitchhikers and different rock has different coraline algae.

Even though the coraline may look the same, there are subtle differences. Some species tend to form shelves and structures, some encrust tightly, Some get darker, some spread to adjacent areas. This is just a theory, but perhaps you have species that don't like to colonize new areas. it just builds up on itself.

 

[myreef]

I will agree with Jmeader...keeping ALK not only in the acceptable range, but keeping all your parameters as constant as they can be. Mine never really took off until I added my CA reactor. This not only kept my CA and ALK up, it also added strontium and Magnesium. It is the lazy man's way of maintainging things....but I wouldn't get rid of it for anything!

 

[Jeff Hood]

the frustrating thing for me is I have a 75 gallon tank with 250 halides, perfect water, good calcium ( 400) etc... and very little growth. Nothing not even bad algae.
On my 5 gallon walmart tank with one piece of live rock, biowheel and carbon pad and neglected with a few snails and hermits and unknown parameters is growing coraline like crazy. there is only one fluresent tube in there and not very bright. Not much current either. I also put goldfish food in there for the hermits and pods and no other algae except for the coraline growing. I did test for nitrate a while back and there was none.


Its not fair.

Jeff

 

[jimbo]

My coralline algae didn't really take off until I started to drip kalkwasser 24X7. I had been running my reef for 10 Months at that point. Now it covers the back, sides, overflow and front if I don't scrape.

 

[something fishy]

My 120 g tank displayed no corraline at all for about 3 years. About 6 months ago i began doing water changes with naturally collected water rather than mixes, built my own Kalk reactor, and began to scrounge any small piece or rock in LFS that had good corraline growth on it (usually they were pieces so small they were happy to give them to me!). Now the tank is a mass of pinks & purples and looks great (if I do say so myself).

I'm not sure which was of most benefit, but they all happened within a couple of weeks of each other, and the development was almost immediate.

 

[SteveP]

I just started dripping Kalk 24x7 and I've seen an acceleration in the growth of my existing coralline on the LR. No new growths on the glass or powerheads yet. Based on reading I've done the other element that is supposed to be good for coralline growth is magnesium.

Steve
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