Ok I'm Stumped...

[pleuralplexus]

I've got a decent setup at this point. 28g JBJ with auto everything, stable chemistry, stable temperature, excellent flow, plenty of light, and my acropora and montipora colonies are content and growing. The tank's been running sice january. I dose B-Ionic two part in measured doses daily and do regular water changes. So I just don't get it. Why won't my aquarium grow coralline algae?? I've set up two nanos before and they both purpled up right away. This one just won't do it. There's not a trace of coraline on the back or the glass. I'm absolutely stumped. Any thoughts?

 

[Nano sapiens]

I have the same thing in my 12g nano tank. Corals (stony and soft) are all doing good with moderate growth, but coralline growth is restricted to a very small amount at the overflow. I've lost a good amount of my original coralline from my previously fully covered LR from a 50g. I take good care to keep parameters correct and stable ('0' NO3 and PO4) and perform bi-weekly WCs (~1-1/4g/wk). Sand is also vacuumed weekly to remove detritus.

My previous 50g was a coralline jungle. Once a year WC (20%), 100% Kalkwasser top off with no Cal or Alk testing and lower light levels. I would have to scrape the coralline off the glass every week or two just to have a clear view inside. Gravel would be lightly vacuumed only 2-3X/year.

I've been increasing the food additions for my fish/coral recently and I have seen a tad more coralline growth. I wonder if some of the best maintained tanks may be just a bit too clean for good coralline growth. Whatever nutrients are available are used up quickly by the corals,turf algaes, etc. so the coralline doesn't grow much (if at all).

 

[WickedBlue28]

What salt are you using? Reef crystals has high MG and mine does quite well with it and my set up is much like yours. My snails are even covered in the purp

 

[AliciaP]

Is there any "seed" coralline in the tank to begin with? Need a little to grow it.

 

[Anemone]

How much B-Ionic are you dosing and how often? My setup is still fairly new and I'm dosing 20ml per day and I already have coralline showing up on my LR.

Kevin

 

[petere1989]

Ya there has to be something with coroline algea on it. It wont grow out of thin air.
Go to ur lfs and get a small piece of live roock with sonme on it. As long as your parameters are good, you will see it within a few weeks.

 

[pleuralplexus]

How much B-Ionic are you dosing and how often? My setup is still fairly new and I'm dosing 20ml per day and I already have coralline showing up on my LR.

Kevin

I'm dosing 10ml per day per component of B-ionic, and it keeps my parameters balanced for now. In fact, I'm adding dosing pumps this weekend to my DA ReefKeeper so soon that will be automated too... But no coraline growth.

Ya there has to be something with coroline algea on it. It wont grow out of thin air.
Go to ur lfs and get a small piece of live roock with sonme on it. As long as your parameters are good, you will see it within a few weeks.

Yeah I have plenty of nice, mature purple live rock; some from ly previous nano builds, some I added since the ank is larger. Even so, it isnt spreading/growing anywhere.

 

[nwnugget]

LFS recommended to me to shut off my pumps and filter for a few minutes, scrape some coraline into the water column, leave the pumps off for another few minutes so the stuff can settle some. After I did that it was a matter of days before the stuff was growing everywhere.

 

[Spirofucci]

Who knows? lol

A few months ago I finally got some to grow even though I've had it on frags and snail shells form the get go. Now it grows like crazy on the plastic and glass, but almost nothing on my rocks. WTH?