How much of an issue is light? I have a tank that was set up 6 months now and while I had some coralline on the plastics, it was nowhere else. In fact the coralline and the coralline on the seed rocks (15 lbs) turned from purple to white except in the shady spots.
It looked like it was starting to come in and the rocks were at that green stage with a few purple spots when I got Ich in the tank. Had to take a lot of the rocks out to catch the fish to put in hospital tank. I turned the temp up to 83 for a month and let the tank run fallow with just hermits and shrimp for 8 weeks. After treatment I returned the fish and lowered the Temperature to 77 degrees but now the rocks actually have a reddish/brown rust looking coating on places.
Is this normal or did the disruption ruin things?
My parameters are Alk = 9.9 dkh, Mg = 1300, Ca = 400. My first batch of salt was only 7 dkh and I supplemented it to get it to 9.9. Now the 2nd batch of salt measures 11 dkh (Red Sea). But I've only done a few water changes so Alk is still 9.9. Oh and the tank is 55G (36 X 18 X 20)
Appreciate the input.
PS I've learned the importance and benefit of quarantine that's for sure!
it can be a pretty big factor.. It doesn't seem(at least in my systems previously) to want to grow in extremely high lights areas "at first".. But that's only the first couple months.. Keeping parameters as stable as possible helps anything (i keep sps, and the corraline now just comes, but I remember those days when I used to struggle to get it to grow). If you give it time, it will indeed and for sure grow..
The most interesting strain I have run across is the rose bud.. Absolutely beautiful, and grows much like montipora cap..
But normal corraline usually comes in phases. First the green, and then, the purple, pink, and sometimes Orange. The pink I have had grow in higher light up front, while the purple tends to just grow everywhere..
The first place to look are on your plastic parts.. You will see tiny little specs of it.. If you see that, honestly "anywhere" your already there, and just have to give it time.. That's if you want it.
After it begins to grow, as stated, you will find that, while it can be very pretty(I'm trying to grow it on my bare bottom tank for the first time), it is the right thing to scrape off in large patches.. And you have to stay on top of it.. Not only that, but it competes with your coral for elements.. Maybe not much, or a lot. I'm not sure to be honest, but it for sure does. But it's the maintenance of it that is a pain once you have it.
Ultra much like xenia and gsp when you first begin. You want it, and it's cool, then you find out how much of a pain it can be and is.. That's just my opinion though, and it is cool, even to me, to "see" a tank covered in thick corraline.. Now do I want my tank like that? No.. But it's still cool and brings back memories..
But you really don't need to do anything honestly. As long as the conditions are favorable, it will grow.. I use it as an indicator of the almost passing of the initial stage of setting up a system..
From note 5.. rip note 7
