Calcium and Coralline

scotikis

scotikis

Member
My tank is currently cycling with live rock. When I set the tank up a few of the rock pieces had red and purple coralline algae. This is spreading to other rocks in the system.
My questions are..the top off water i'm using is from my tap (well water, not city water) and has a calcium level of 6mg/L. Is this the reason my coralline is spreading? Will this level of calcium hurt anything?
 
florida joe

florida joe

Well-Known Member
Iodine, calcium, strontium, magnesium and carbonate all aided in the growth of coraline algae. Consider yourself lucky many people would love to have good continued growth of coraline IMO your tank should have a calcium test reading of 400 to 500 mg/l ppm when established
 
aztec reef

aztec reef

Active Member
Coraline takes a little longer than a month to take-off and grow like a weed. That said, it takes good waterchemistry + sufficient water flow throughout tank.. We can't expect neither of those 2 factors to be taking place in a cycling tank..
Are you sure that red coraline isn't slimy? In other words could it be Cyano?
Im not worried about the high calcium levels...Im more worried about the impurities,inorganics,metals ect.. coming from the well water..
 
scotikis

scotikis

Member
Thanks for the feedback. I just tried to upload 2 pic's, but I'm getting a connection error message. These 164k photos must wreak havok on this high speed line. WTF?
I checked out the three pieces of rock that have the new algae on them and none of it is slimy. The red algae is like a small stones attached to the rock, each probably the size of a bb. It's very hard. Both the purple and green algae aren't bumpy, rather they cover the surface of the rock. I tried to scrape it off with my fingernail, but couldn't. Here are the parameters of my water as of 12-31-08
Ammonia .25
Nitrite .1
Nitrate 2.5
Alkalinity (only provides a range) 1.7-2.8
pH 8.6
SG 1.022
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I recommend a better test kit for Alkalinity. Salifert makes a good one.
Alkalinity is the most ignored parameter in reefkeeping. You cannot be successful without maintaining adequate alkalinity.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top