Promoting the growth of Coralline?

[bigsnuff]

I have just bought 10lbs. of LR with some great coralline algea growth. Is there anything I can add to the water to promote its growth? Of course the guy at my LFS tried to sell me on about $200 worth of stuff to add to my water. I figured I would pose the question here and get some advice before I add a bunch of "whatever" to my tank. Thanks!!

 

[reefrunner69]

Maintain CA levels above 400 mg/l with a balanced alk and if there is enough light it will spread. You can encourage it's spreading by having a powerhead blow across the coraline, this will spread the spores throughout the tank.

 

[BillyZ]

please correct me if i'm wrong (cause i'm not positive)

but a sign that your coraline alge is growing is sometimes a slight white line along the edge of the patch.

true? (obviously not for all strains)

 

[d9hp]

I have also heard movement on the rocks helps a lot..

 

[steve-s]

I have also heard movement on the rocks helps a lot..

Anything that scrapes the coralline will release spores into the water column. It is easily done manualy with a knife or other sharp object.

I would advise shutting down the skimmer for an hour or so during the process. Skimmers are increadibley efficient at removing coralline spores.

If there are no heavy light dependant corals/animals in the tank, I would also use primarily just the actinic lights for awhile. Coralline does best in moderate light and the spectrum of these bulbs will perform best. Intense MH lighting will not increase but rather slow it's growth.

Cheers
Steve

 

[loganj]

Depending on the size of the tank, and what kind of corals you are going to add...or have added, one of the two part calcium/alkalinity supplements might work well for you. I'd try monitoring the levels for a while and see if water changes will supply enough cal/alk to keep the levels up where they need to be. If not, you might try the Kent Tech CB A+B or the Bionic two part. Don't dose anything, no matter what the guy at the LFS says, that you don't intend to test for. Some folks will tell you that you have to dose a whole array of things just to get you to buy them. All I add is the cal/alk supplement and an iodine supplement. I test for both regularly. Unless you have a large bioload, there is a good chance regular water changes will take care of it.

 

[colorblindpicas]

If money is a factor you might consider adding something like pickling lime. I have been using it in my tanks for several months and have had great results. Just make sure you test for alkalinity and calcium on a fairly regular basis to get your dosing correct. Adding half a teaspoon with my biweekly water changes has worked for me.

Christopher

 

[reefrunner69]

Adding half a teaspoon with my biweekly water changes has worked for me.

I think you'll find this to be a problem over time, and it is doing little for your CA and alk levels, if anything it's depleting the alk. Pickling lime (calcium hydroxide...aka kalkwasser), should be mixed with cool RO/DI water and dosed as top off at night, dripped slowly. When done properly, kalk will precipitate phosphates, maintain CA and ALK levels, stabalize an overnight ph and fuel coraline algae growth

 

[colorblindpicas]

Yes... forgot to mention the late night thing. That’s actually when I do my water changes. And RO water is my best friend. Having a big RO/DI system at work is a newbie hobbyist’s dream. Regardless, my CA levels stay at around 400 with little support from store CA supplements. Reefrunner69, can you define “over time” so I can be on the lookout for problems?

Christopher

 

[reefrunner69]

Reefrunner69, can you define “over time” so I can be on the lookout for problems?

I'll have to look up, the problems associated and the approx time frames (if any) when I get home this afternoon (unless someone else beats me to it). What is your ALK?

 

[colorblindpicas]

It is generally around 1.7. But I think this is where my water chemistry knowledge breaks down the most. (buffering, the affects of salt mix, etc.) I have a lot to learn in this area still! The only reason I feel confident to continue with what I’ve been doing is anecdotal evidence over the past few months. Which is why I’d be very interested in learning more about CA, ALK, and their interaction.

Christopher

 

[steve-s]

This "snip it" was copied from Advanced Aquarium Online. You can read the entire article >>here<<

On the negative side, limewater does have some concerns that don’t apply to most other systems. One is the effect of overdosing. All calcium and alkalinity additives, if added in sufficient overdose, can case abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate in the tank. Limewater, however, is especially prone to this effect for two reasons. If overdosed, the high pH of the limewater will rapidly convert much of the bicarbonate in the tank to carbonate, increasing the likelihood of precipitating calcium carbonate. Also, addition of solid lime particles can cause local extreme spikes in pH and calcium that nucleate precipitation of calcium carbonate. Consequently, limewater overdose, especially dosing of lime solids, is by far the most frequent cause of “snowstorm” events where calcium carbonate precipitates out all through the water column. In some cases, the tank can look like milk. The good news is that this event rarely causes lasting harm to tank inhabitants (at least that has been recorded to date), but it is nearly always upsetting to the aquarist

The article does not give time references to possible abiotic precipitation but it is a good read.

Cheers
Steve