base rock? coraline?

gio28

gio28

Active Member
i have 30 lbs of base rock in my tank and a few pieces of live rock to seed it...i would have bought all live rock but im 15 and short on money. so my question is will the live rock seed the base rock any time soon or is it a longgggg process? and will coraline grow on just base rock or does it have to be live for coraline to like it? thanks
oh and has anybody tried spreading coraline by scraping it off a coraline covered rock and using a powerhead to blow it everywhere in the tank? i heard this works good.
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
I have gone through a couple of spells of adding base rock to my 55 gal reef tank: I build it up, then give away some LR when I re-aquascape, then I just got about 30 more lbs of base last week when I decided once and for all to make the rock taller again. My LR is full of coaraline and it will eventually seed the new base rock, but I don't remember how long it took the last time I added base rock to the tank. I think your new rock will have to become seeded and become active before coarline algae will want to colonize it but also keep in mind that maintaining proper Ca, PH, and Alk levels will help support growth of coarline algae, whether on old or new rock. Providing a good enviornment for coarline is probably as important as spreading it throughout your tank as you mention doing: If it is already in your tank, it will spread by itself eventually.
How much LR do you have in your tank and is it a new or an established tank?
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
my tank is 4 months old probably..and there is about 7 lbs of live rock...my calcium and ph are perfect my lfs said. im gonna but a piece totally covered in coraline to help spread it easier.
 
tank a holic

tank a holic

Active Member
with good water and light coraline will grow on all rocks and glass
and yes its a good idea to scratch the existing coraline with a soft tooth brush to help seed it to the other rocks
 
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