trying for coralline growth

[DetectiveTofu]

I have a fowlr tank, however I am going to try and aim for some coralline algae growth simply because it looks great and I'd rather have that in my tank rather than nuisance algae.
Just now I starting using Kent Marine concentrated liquid calcium. I am planning to dose about half a capful per week - is this sufficient in your opinions? I do have about 10ppm nitrates in my water; do you think this will prevent any coralline from growing?

thanks
RF

 

[DiazE]

Use kalkwasser powder and an Aqua Dose unit from Kent Marine.
Coralline algae need calcium to grow.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

Kent Marine concentrated liquid calcium isn't sufficient enough?

 

[650-IS350]

I'd figure with a healthy tank, especially if the liverock that you have put there already has coraline algae... that would spread all over your tank...

 

[Elite]

You don't have any coral why dosing stuff?? Do you have test kit for stuff you dose? Give it sometimes.. One thing about this hobby you need to learn first is you can't rush thing.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

Just adjust your parameters to something like:

Ca 430 ppm
Alk 3.4 meq
Mg 1350 ppm

Seed with some coraline, and pretty soon you'll be sorry about having to scrape the glass all the time.

 

[650-IS350]

Yeah you'll be wishing it wasn't growing toooo much as you'll be spending a lot of time scrapping...:lol:

and for folks like me who has plexi... it really sucks...:rolleye1:

 

[DarkXerox]

thats weird, I get coralline growth in my 12g nanocube and all I do are water changes on that.

Then again in my 90, I cant seem to get any...its totally bizarre

 

[juaninsac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9864857#post9864857 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rhythmicfire
Kent Marine concentrated liquid calcium isn't sufficient enough?

No, it's not. Long story short, it will do more harm than good long term to your tank if you solely dose with calcium chloride. You need to provide calcium and carbonate to the tank in balanced amounts to get coralline algae growing.

Easiest and cheapest way to do this is to slowly drip kalkwasser in every day as DiazE suggested. You can buy kalk (calcium hydroxide) very cheaply as food safe pickling lime in the grocery store. "Ball's" and "Mrs. Wages" are 2 brands I've used with good results.

Things calcareous algae need to grow best, in my opinion: Strong flow, medium light (metal halides will bleach it), and the proper levels of Ca, Alkalinity, and pH. Pretty simple really. Then you'll be sorry you ever started to grow it in the first place.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9866230#post9866230 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DarkXerox
thats weird, I get coralline growth in my 12g nanocube and all I do are water changes on that.

Then again in my 90, I cant seem to get any...its totally bizarre

If your calcification load is low, you can get by with water changes for supporting coralline growth.

If you have a lot of sps/lps, then you may need to supplement your alk and Ca.

Also, if your 90 is newer, it can take a while before the coralline shows up.

The coralline likes flow, and it also helps if you add some coralline scrapings to seed the growth.

 

[DiazE]

Question:

Does heavy growth of Grape and Feather Calerpa suck up huge amounts of calcium?

 

[DetectiveTofu]

actually I just thought of something that might be a problem. I think the light I have provides ENOUGH light...but I am using this light because I used it for a freshwater planted tank I had before. Therefore this fixture has a 12k and a pink bulb. I think this may be problematic in growing coralline?

I was also wondering if anyone in the sf area had a PC system that is 36 in. long, and ranges between 55-65W watts. I would like to purchase it.

 

[DiazE]

rhythmicfire

Check the sellers forums or the unanswered threads (bottom of top menu on home page).

 

[Mr. Ugly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9867136#post9867136 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DiazE
Question:

Does heavy growth of Grape and Feather Calerpa suck up huge amounts of calcium?

Not that I know of.

Halimeda needs calcium though.

 

[DarkXerox]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9867105#post9867105 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr. Ugly
If your calcification load is low, you can get by with water changes for supporting coralline growth.

If you have a lot of sps/lps, then you may need to supplement your alk and Ca.

Also, if your 90 is newer, it can take a while before the coralline shows up.

The coralline likes flow, and it also helps if you add some coralline scrapings to seed the growth.

The 90 has been up for about a year and used everything from the old 55g which was up for over 5 years. I attributed no coralline growth in the 55G to a hitchhiking longspine urchin that we discovered and finally got rid of during the switchover.

I'll take some coralline covered stuff from my 29G and toss it in there along with scrapings.

 

[Vincerama2]

My experience is this;

When I changed my lights from 10K to 12/14K (two bulbs, one of each 175W MH) the coralline growth exploded. I hate it. It grows more on glass than rocks!

Strong flow and bluer, or less intense lights.

Some people add Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulf***?) to boost magnesium which appears to help.

V

 

[DetectiveTofu]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9866014#post9866014 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elite
You don't have any coral why dosing stuff?? Do you have test kit for stuff you dose? Give it sometimes.. One thing about this hobby you need to learn first is you can't rush thing.

I am not rushing anything.
I just said I am dosing with calcium to help it out.

 

[Mr. Ugly]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9870227#post9870227 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Vincerama2
When I changed my lights from 10K to 12/14K (two bulbs, one of each 175W MH) the coralline growth exploded. I hate it.

On my first tank, it had no coralline for almost a year. Right after I started testing Ca and alk, and dosing 2-part, the coralline took off like crazy.

 

[dots]

I hate the stuff!!!! Instead of sand in the corners I have piles of coraline!!! It gets on the PHs and flakes off the bottom like mad.....bought me a pincushin and he is in hog heaven. Find someone like me near you who has the same problem and get some scrapings to seed your tank.

Soon you will have more than you want.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

Hm, I am intriguied by the handful of people who say calcium won' do it. I don't think I am adding calcium chloride for one...I'll have to re-read the bottle...so far as I know, it is just calcium. Also, I've talked to my LFS, and a couple of colleagues who say supplementing with calcium, good water conditions, and lighting will allow coralline to prosper.