Tank up for over 6 months still no coralline algae

[Jon532]

So like the title says... my tank has been up for around 7 months. Still no visible coralline algae. I have introduced snails with Coralline on their shell and while the shells still have the algae on them I cannot find any that has began growing on the rocks.... what can I do to get this started? Or what could be the cause of this not getting started. The tank is being lit by two Kessil A360


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[TokiHacker]

This can take some time or sometime it doesn't. It usually falls on your water parameters. What are those?

 

[Scorpius]

Time and stable water parameters. One day you'll wake up and it'll be everywhere and you'll be wishing for the days you never had it. :lol:

 

[Jon532]

Lol sounds good... parameter all seem good except nitrates they have gone up quite a bit from 5ppm all the way over 20ppm. However a big water change has began to bring them down. I plan to do another 30 gallon change tomorrow


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[Sk8r]

Imitate my parameters below: you'll be scraping it off the glass.

 

[jlmawp]

So like the title says... my tank has been up for around 7 months. Still no visible coralline algae. I have introduced snails with Coralline on their shell and while the shells still have the algae on them I cannot find any that has began growing on the rocks.... what can I do to get this started? Or what could be the cause of this not getting started. The tank is being lit by two Kessil A360


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If you are looking to have it spread quicker, take a crappy knife and scrape off the coralline from the snails into a small bowl with a little tank water, then dump the mixture into your tank in front of your pump/power head.

Instant mass seeding. But like the others said, be ready to start scraping it off the glass while cursing me in a few months for telling you this.

 

[Jon532]

Thanks everyone for all the help


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[sde1500]

Never understand the obsession with coralline. My current tank has been up a year and I barely have any, thankfully. The less to scrape off the glass and use up what is better used for corals.

 

[Xxero]

I believe maintaining a high Magnesium level has a lot to do with it. I held my Magnesium levels in the 1500 range for about 6 months. The next thing I knew, the whole tank was covered with Coralline algae. I have reduced the Mag level down to around 1350 for about a month now, and the Coralline is falling off of the back glass in sheets.

 

[rsepiphyte]

LOL, you either love it or hate it.

 

[Jon532]

Never understand the obsession with coralline. My current tank has been up a year and I barely have any, thankfully. The less to scrape off the glass and use up what is better used for corals.

Well I'm new to all this (first sw tank) I was told that if coralline is growing your tank is right for coral... if not something's wrong.
Is this not the case?


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[sde1500]

Well I'm new to all this (first sw tank) I was told that if coralline is growing your tank is right for coral... if not something's wrong.
Is this not the case?


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No it's totally fine. The purple looks nice on the rocks and even the back glass. And then it gets on the front and side panes and you're constantly scraping it off and I find it a pita.

 

[jlmawp]

Well I'm new to all this (first sw tank) I was told that if coralline is growing your tank is right for coral... if not something's wrong.
Is this not the case?


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Coralline growth is a good indicator of decent water quality, for sure. But most people on here have gotten to that point, and it has turned into a matter of preference. I'm still fairly new so I still like it, but they are right. It becomes a pretty big pain in the ***. Worth it to me to have it all over my rock, but the weekly scrapings become old after a while.

 

[ClownFishGuy6]

I've had my tank for 6 years. Just a couple months ago I spotted coraline algae on my rock which was about 1 year after I put a crab shell in the tank with some. Also your water parameters like everyone else said could effect it.

 

[UTCReefer]

I know its probably snake oil, but purple up gave me the best dark purple coralline algae. It could also have been that my water was perfect.
I havent used it in quite a few years, this was back when i was first getting it the hobby. I still havent had that same purple coralline since ive stopped dosing it, now i just get the pink stuff.

 

[CrayolaViolence]

When I had kessils I couldn't get coralline algae to grow to save my life. But--as some already said, scrape some algae off a rock from the LFS and you will help it along. And UTCReefer isn't imagining things, purple up does help.