Coraline Algae

[Scubajoe1]

So I have had my tank for about a year now and I do not see a lot of coraline algae on the tank walls but rocks have good growth of the burgundy coraline algae. The is some purple coraline algae on the rocks but now the kicker. I started with maybe 10 trochus snails and probably have close to 200 now despite giving some away and some dying because they can't get off their backs in the sand a lot of times. All these snails and I mean ALL are covered in purple coralline algae. So much that it could easily cover the back of my tank. Should I harvest like 150 out and give em away? Are their shells consuming all the coraline algae components?

Thanks

Joe

 

[Fish Keeper82]

Dont mess with a good thing. I personally hate corraline algae especially when it gets on the glass. It looks great everwhere else but the glass scraping trumps all the nice looks for me.
My goal on this new tank is to keep it out as long as i can. So far im winning about 8 months in and only a couple of snails have it and a bit of small spots on rocks ....but it's inevitable it will take hold after enough time and be everywhere.

If you really want it to grow, grab some of those corraline covered snails with the color corraline you like and scrape off the corraline with a knife. Then scatter the scrapings in your tank. This will help you get those rocks covered ( and everything else).... be careful what you wish for. :spin3:

 

[Scubajoe1]

Dont mess with a good thing. I personally hate corraline algae especially when it gets on the glass. It looks great everwhere else but the glass scraping trumps all the nice looks for me.
My goal on this new tank is to keep it out as long as i can. So far im winning about 8 months in and only a couple of snails have it and a bit of small spots on rocks ....but it's inevitable it will take hold after enough time and be everywhere.

If you really want it to grow, grab some of those corraline covered snails with the color corraline you like and scrape off the corraline with a knife. Then scatter the scrapings in your tank. This will help you get those rocks covered ( and everything else).... be careful what you wish for. :spin3:

Well it's kinda all over the rocks too. See below.

 

[RobTheReefer]

Sorry for the off topic question. Did your trochus snails reproduce in your tank to become 200 strong?

I have tiny limpets everywhere. I believe my royal gramma is munching down on them before they can get very big. They came in on some tbs rock almost a decade ago.

 

[Scubajoe1]

Sorry for the off topic question. Did your trochus snails reproduce in your tank to become 200 strong?

I have tiny limpets everywhere. I believe my royal gramma is munching down on them before they can get very big. They came in on some tbs rock almost a decade ago.

Yeah they did reproduce. I started with 10 and gave like 50+ away 4 months ago. Either they get it on all at the same time or one produces a ton of snails as they are the size on pinheads all over the glass when I notice them with super tiny shells.

 

[Mark9]

Holy Coraline Batman!
You are loaded.
You should feel lucky and relieved it's not on your glass, such a pain to clean.
How's your alk swings with so much?
I too experienced a trochus event, little guys all over the place.

 

[BadgeNC]

The coralline rocks look great. I wouldn't sweat not having it on the glass, as others mentioned it's a pain to scrape if you want to! My tanks been up fro about 6 months and almost no coralline growth, I'm wondering if it's my urchin that's eating it all? If you want to give away/sell some of those trochus' let me know!

 

[Scubajoe1]

Holy Coraline Batman!
You are loaded.
You should feel lucky and relieved it's not on your glass, such a pain to clean.
How's your alk swings with so much?
I too experienced a trochus event, little guys all over the place.

No noticeable alk swings. I does like 120 times a day. every time I measure it day or night it's right about 9.5

pH swings from 8.15-8.33