Coralline algea

[steve_karen]

It is my understanding that VHO lighting encourages coralline algea growth. Does it grow well under T5's as well?

 

[MyMonkey]

Well, my experience has been that VHO is not as hospitable to coraline as my PC lighting was. I am not whollely convinved at this point.

 

[dc]

Well I have lots of it in all my tanks, and my lighting ranges from 2-13w bulbs to 250w MH.

 

[clown2be]

Are you trying to get it to grow faster?

 

[aquaman67]

Calcium + Alkalinity = coralline aglae.

 

[AllenFord_SC]

Coralline can survive a "cooking" process of placing it in a dark container for months so this kind of tells me that lighting types have very little affect on it's growth rate. Aquaman said it best, Calcium and Alkalinity.

 

[mecold]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6704683#post6704683 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaman67
Calcium + Alkalinity = coralline aglae.

Ditto...


I use t5's and my rock is almost covered 100%.

 

[Shooter7]

If this is the case, then I don't understand my tanks. In my 26 gal I had coralline growing like crazy on the glass, pumps, everything - this was under PC lighting. On my new 120, which has been set up just short of a month and a half, I noted last night that I have coralline spots popping up all over the place on the overflows, back glass, base rock, loc-line returns - this is under 250W MH lighting. Both of these tanks had the issue of having ample calcium, typically over 480, but what is considered very low alk and a low pH. I measured the dKH in mine last night and it was 5.4 dKH and pH of 8.0. Now, I know that I need to get to work on establishing some kind of kalk supplement or something, I dosed some b-ionic last night after my tests to try and boost alk and pH, but given the readings I got on my previous tank and on this current tank with the low alk, how is it that I get coralline so fast and so heavy when others don't? (I use coralife salt btw)

 

[aquaman67]

Your alk is low. pH is ok.

8 - 11 dKH is what you should shoot for.

Here's a chart for Alk.

http://ozreef.org/content/view/5/2/

Here's how to figure out what you need to do.

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

Here's a calculator to help you figure out what to add and how much.

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

 

[Shooter7]

Thanks...I used that calculator last night when figuring out how much of the b-ionic to dose....that was alot of b-ionic. I didn't put it all in last night, didn't want to shock my system. Will test again this evening and see where things are.

Still, any idea why my quick coralline growth despite low alk?

 

[orlenz]

whats your Mag test at?

 

[Shooter7]

I didn't test that last night. I tested that last weekend right before I did a 20% water change (I had let the tank run for its first month without any water change, just topoffs) and the mag was 1170 on month old water.

 

[aquaman67]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6708612#post6708612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shooter7
Still, any idea why my quick coralline growth despite low alk?

It's low but not dire. There is some, enough for some to grow.

You'd have much, much more if your levels were in line.