Question about coraline growth....

[Christopher311]

Just curious why half my hermit crabs have tons of coraline growing on their shells but it is growing so slowly on my rock work.

 

[Flreefer]

The crabs were probably seeded at wherever you got them from, therefore, had a head start on your rocks. Just a thought, though.

 

[Octavio]

Yup thats it the crabs did it same here I seed it my tank too with margarita snails and sum scrapings and 2 small live rocks with the coralline algea and its also working....

Add some pictures

 

[Sniperhank]

I seed my tanks with margarita snails to get the coraline growing. If you take a toothbrush to some coraline, it will help spread the spores faster from what I've been told. Not sure if it works or not though.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I seed my tanks with margarita snails to get the coraline growing. If you take a toothbrush to some coraline, it will help spread the spores faster from what I've been told. Not sure if it works or not though.

As long as you remove your mechanical filtration and shut off the skimmer for half a day it works well. I like the "scrape the stuff off with a knife" method myself. The little pieces settle into rock crevices and grow well from my experience. Tiny purple colonies start all over. Won't work nearly as well if it gets trapped in a sock or skimmed out though. Do it in the morning on a day you aren't feeding and dose a little iodine, strontium and magnesium if you need it.

 

[HairlessPotter]

My snails and hermits started getting a lot then like 2 months later it started growing on rocks like crazy