Coral growth opinions

[earlysteven]

Just curious what everyone likes to use to help there corals grow faster. I am currently using fuel,phytoplankton,and purple up for my rock.Anyone have any suggestions on anything else that works good ?


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[Mebbid]

Clean water, proper light, and regular water changes. Never heard of the fuel before, the phytoplankton is just going to add unnecessary nutrients into the water unless it's a living culture, and purple up should be avoided like the plague.

 

[earlysteven]

Really I've always heard great reviews on both of them is this personal experience ?


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[Mebbid]

Really I've always heard great reviews on both of them is this personal experience ?


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Purple up is nothing but calcium, iodine, and some trace elements. Regular weekly 10% water changes is more than enough to supplement everything that's added by purple up. If your tank is consuming more calcium and alkalinity than water changes are adding then the purple up will never make up the difference. You would be much better off doing a 2 part dosing at that point.

Beyond that, I've seen many people here on the forums have problems when supplementing with the purple up that went away when they were told to stop using it. Coincidence? Possibly, but imho water changes will always be far better for your tank. Ive never used it personally, but its commonly used among newcomers to the hobby and is avoided by the experienced reefers.

As for the bottled phyto, I did use it for a while until I started my own phytoplankton culture. When it's not refrigerated phytoplankton doesn't live for a terribly long time, and is good for at most 2 to 3 months. Bottled phytoplankton is all dead and just extra nutrients to throw in your tank.

 

[earlysteven]

Purple up does not effect your calcium level at all . And I feel that when you use to much of anything ya there could be problems that would occur. I've Ben using it for a year and never have had a problem lol . As the phytoplankton goes growing it Is just too much work from everything I've seen and would prefer to stick with less time consuming stuff . Especially when it comes to my 150g tank lol.


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[Mebbid]

Purple up does not effect your calcium level at all . And I feel that when you use to much of anything ya there could be problems that would occur. I've Ben using it for a year and never have had a problem lol . As the phytoplankton goes growing it Is just too much work from everything I've seen and would prefer to stick with less time consuming stuff . Especially when it comes to my 150g tank lol.


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Which directly shows just how effective the purple up is. On the carib sea website it claims that it's an ionic calcium compound that will raise the dissolved calcium levels in your aquarium. If you're not seeing a calcium increase when that's the products primary claim then how good can it really be?

As for growing phyto, its simple. Takes 10 minutes to set up and I ignore it for a week.

 

[bribo12]

Purple up does not effect your calcium level at all . And I feel that when you use to much of anything ya there could be problems that would occur. I've Ben using it for a year and never have had a problem lol . As the phytoplankton goes growing it Is just too much work from everything I've seen and would prefer to stick with less time consuming stuff . Especially when it comes to my 150g tank lol.


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Do you have a lot of corals? You can save yourself $10-15 not buying any of that crap. Do you test calcium levels? If it truly doesn't affect calcium than I see even less reason to use it.
On your original question I use b-ionic 2 part as I lose 1 dKh every day in alk and about 10 ppm calcium daily. When I get an auto top off soon I'm gonna start dripping kalk. Stability is the key to fast coral growth. Nothing else beats it.


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[earlysteven]

I do have a good bit of corals and I've always used it for my live rock not for the calcium . It has always helped with my coralline algae growth just never effected my calcium lvl at all .


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[earlysteven]

Phyto is really that easy huh how did you start yours up?


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[54seaweed]

if you want purple rocks should have bought purple rocks that were dyed
purple up never helped me with any purple Coraline or any other color for that matter

I've Been using it for a year

and you probably still haven't seen any results , check your calcium levels bet there off the charts
just a big waist of money IMO ,

 

[earlysteven]

My calcium lvl was actually perfect last time I checked it and it helped my coralline algae spread .


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[Mebbid]

I do have a good bit of corals and I've always used it for my live rock not for the calcium . It has always helped with my coralline algae growth just never effected my calcium lvl at all .


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Its easy to blame a product for coralline growth. Coralline is grown over time. The more it grows the faster it grows. Its easy to add a product and blame that for enhanced coralline growth when it's really just you keeping a healthy tank.

Phyto is really that easy huh how did you start yours up?


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2 liter bottles of tap water. Drill a hole in the cap for an air line and another smaller hole for the air to escape.

Add the fertilizer and phyto culture

then add light and wait for it to grow.

 

[earlysteven]

That could very well be true . And that's the same way I looked at doing the phytoplankton before but was told it was better to swirl the bottles around once a day ?


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[Mebbid]

That could very well be true . And that's the same way I looked at doing the phytoplankton before but was told it was better to swirl the bottles around once a day ?


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Not needed. I just shake mine up whenever I dose it. Probably 2 to 3 times a week.

 

[earlysteven]

Not bad at all then .


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[BigRedsReefs10]

My calcium lvl was actually perfect last time I checked it and it helped my coralline algae spread .


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What's perfect?

 

[54seaweed]

What's perfect?

I hate that word !!!! it's just not a answer lol

 

[bribo12]

Coraline uses calcium an alkalinity to grow just like corals.


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[earlysteven]

400ppm


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[earlysteven]

And also I asked what people use to help there coral grow not a bunch of *** hole comments .


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