coralline algae

[Guest]

I read alot of posts about people wanting to kickstart there coralline algae growth.

My LFS cronie sold me on Purpleup coralline algae accelerator.

It really seemed to get mine going. My tank is only about 4 months old and its starting to grow on the glass and rocks.

What I did was use the reccomended dosage for about 3 weeks to a month and now I doing about 1/2 dosage to try and wein the tank off it and sustain its self.

Its made by caribsea inc.

 

[melosu58]

I`ve heard of that stuff just not sold on it yet.

 

[ace1uno_00]

Purple Up Works great. I used it on my 12 gal. after 3 months it was up and runnin 2 weeks after used it i had coralline everywere.


I think its worth it. I heard Reef Milk does the same but i dunno.

 

[Guest]

good to hear.
I thought since it was not mentioned that is was some kind of taboo.

 

[JeridJohnson]

thanks for the tip.. I was just wondering what I could do to promote growth..

 

[drillsar]

I wouldnt use either.. AGain coraline will grow in time. I cant stress this enough:

DONT PUT ANYTHING IN TANK YOU CANT TEST FOR>> Patience is the key to this hobby..

 

[Fluff]

I've heard great things on this product and it is completely safe to use. I've never had a problem growing coralline, just the opposite really. Let us know how you like it. There is a product reviews section you could do a review on it there. Hint.

 

[drillsar]

Well I was always told never put anything in tank you cant test for, How you know its safe if you cant test for it? How do you know whats in it..

 

[drillsar]

If you just take care of your reef...and you maintain proper water chemistry you'll get a very good growth without it.

 

[Brenden]

I have never used purple up and can not keep coralline off my tank. If you do regular WC and keep CA levels up I bet you would get the same results. I read somewhere it was just CA and buffer but do not take that as fact.

 

[Fluff]

Well, at some point you have to have a bit of faith I guess and Carib Sea is a trusted company. I'd never dose iodine, mag, calcium and additives that can be tested for, without testing first. Again, I dont' use it but have heard plenty good about it so I suppose I'd take personal experience as a good resource on it as with most things.

 

[drillsar]

Im just pointing out that you dont really need this stuff, it may be safe it may not. How do you know what exactly is in it thats what I would be afraid of.

 

[Brenden]

Copied this from their info. Looks like it is just CA and essential elements you would replace with regular WC's

Purple-Up™ is a new pink and purple coralline algae accelerator. Since Purple-Up™ is not a fertilizer, it does not promote the growth of nuisance algae. How does it work? Purple-Up™ uses a unique dual method approach to coralline algae acceleration. It contains ionic calcium which immediately raises dissolved calcium levels in your aquarium water. At the same time Super Sea Calcium™ (a 10 micron aragonite powder derived from natural seawater) targets the live rock surface. Super Sea Calcium™ dissolves in situ; delivering calcium, strontium, magnesium, and carbonate right where it’s needed.
Purple-Up™ also replenishes iodine; an essential element for coralline algae tissues that quickly becomes depleted in closed systems.

 

[Fluff]

How do you know what's in your phytoplankton every time you feed the tank? Or your buffers you use? All you can do is use a trusted product from a reputable company. And not everyone can grow coralline, for whatever reason. It's also nice for those on a tight budget who can't afford to start out with lots of live rock. But, normally, yes. With patience and a nicely seeded tank and regular water changes, you will get coralline coverage over time.

 

[Phyl]

If you were to start with base rock and want a source to introduce that pretty purple color that in time you'll be swearing at while you struggle to keep it off of your glass, then purple up is a great product.

The "Don't add anything you can't test for" addage, which I whole heartedly support, doesn't so much apply to purple up as it is more of a coraline algae culture to be added to your tank that would otherwise need purple live rock to introduce. If you wanted to introduce the purple color quickly then there's nothing wrong with it. It is true though, given an initial source of coraline algae, you will find it grows well enough on its own in time.

I believe that there isn't enough Ca/etc in it to OD your system if used within the directions on the bottle.

 

[drillsar]

Ok if you use this product you should test for Calcium levels correct?

 

[Brenden]

Ok if you use this product you should test for Calcium levels correct?

Yes. But you should check Ca levels regularly anyways

 

[drillsar]

Yes I do, just wondering.

 

[MarineFlake]

IMO, Brenden is on the right track as well as other posters..Proper maint of a tank will yield algae growth. I have 3 tanks, 10, 29 and a 75. The 75 I have to scrape about once a month for the coralline. The other 2 don't really grow coralline on the tank walls (Which is fine w/me..) If your rock is seeded with coralline already, you'll have it, it just takes a while to grow. Trying to speed up the process is simple human impatience and as *many* here, including myself, can attest, most the time that leads to bad things. 8O 3 months is a very young tank. Consider what it would look like in a year. Other than that I have found, as others, that sometimes the negative affects of additives aren't discovered until things are almost out of control. If indeed this additive is mostly CA then your bound to run into long term ph/alk issues. Also, is the mg level of tank where it belongs to support dosing additional ca? Just some things that come to mind. If its working for you, great, just be wary of snake oil products. For every 1 product that works as it is marketed to us, there are 20 others out there that don't or have some down side that is left out of the nifty marketing material.

Peace.