Coralline Algae

[Airborne]

My tank has been set up for about 18 months. I have Coralline Algae on the back of my tank, on the sump wall, in the check valve which I can no longer see into but almost none on my rock.

My neighbors tank has been set up for 10 months and his rock work is covered and purple.

All of my levels using Salifert and Hanna Checks are higher than his. Calcium, Magnesium and Alk. I used my own test kits on both tanks.

Why? Is there something in the water column? His LPS is off the hook, I can't keep LPS alive. My SPS is off the hook, his just won't color.

What is keeping my rock work from turning purple? It just stays gray.

Thanks

 

[bluebill]

Have you tried to scrape some of the coraline off of the glass, snail shell or one of your buddies rocks(preferably in a high/medium flow area), to spread the coraline through the water colum which will seed the rocks. Also if your sps is great you may have a ton of light (par) that may slow the process of coraline growth.

 

[1st timer]

What do you both use for lighting, and light schedule? Do you both have the same tank dimensions?
Have you tried scraping what coralline you do have, it is supposed to help it spread. Get a small rock from your neighbor if possible, and put it on/next to a semi shaded rock in your tank. Coralline for me starts way better under the lower light areas/lighter colored rocks.
You don't have a long spine urchin do you, they will munch the crap out of coralline, in which case you may never get it to take off, at least in my 1 experience with the urchin. Of course they do make quick work of hair algae to

 

[1st timer]

LOL i type too slow

 

[cham]

I have the same problem. Coraline COVERS every verticle surface in my tank. Quite a pain to constantly scrape it off the back glass and in the corners but almost none on any of my rocks.

I had a 20g frag tank plumbed to my DT and after a few months it had completely grown over to where I couldn't see into the tank at all, but the egg crate inside had none on it.

My tank has been set up for 2 years

 

[Smitty1782]

I started a 28g nanocube a little over a month ago. I had about 17 pounds of live rock and about 10 of dry. Within a few weeks time i was having quite a bit of coralline on the dry rocks but practically none on the back plastic and none on the glass.

The live rock i got was fully cured and covered in the purple stuff. It did a good job of seeding the dry.

 

[Airborne]

Thanks

Thanks

He just bought a new light fixture that has 2 (250) MH and 4 T'5s. Before he had old FL Tubes and this is why his SPS never colored. Now we will see if he loses some of the coralline algae.

By the way I have been using a TEK 8 Bulb T5 fixture that sits 5" off the water. Maybe way too much light.

****One last thing, I have alot of green type surface algae on my rock work but to get rid of it I just take my turkey baster to it and it just blows right off. What is this? I searched on the nuissance algae forums and it is not anything listed.

Thanks

 

[1st timer]

I would say too much light at the upper surface. My 4 bulb T5 left my upper flat rock almost no coralline, after 2 yrs. I had it everywhere else just not on the top of the rock. You could try shortening your daylight schedule by maybe an hour a day, or increasing just actinic by hour for week or so see what happens.