coralline algae...

[keitho]

in a effort to increase the rapidity with which the coralline algae colonizes my tank, i increased the calcium level to 550ppm. assuming proper magnesium and buffer levels in the tank, is this an effective method for boosting coralline algae growth or is it a waste of my calcium chloride? any help anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated.
p.s. the increased calcium "seems" to have sparked an increased growth in coralline algae. is this real or is this my hopeful imagination?

 

[kdlbem]

I read somewhere that excessive calcium will shorten the life of pumps and heaters.

 

[keitho]

that may be true, but seeing as how i ONLY have powerheads and one hester (AND i live in Texas), it seems that the aforementioned risks are acceptable. i was more interested in the effects of increased calcium levels on coralline algae growth...

 

[mal]

550 may be a little high. I have no research to fall back on in saying this, other than the pump and heater issue already mentioned. High water flow seems to rapidly encourage coralline algae growth also. Try adding some more water movement. In my tank I have the most coralline growth in my highest water flow areas.

 

[jimi]

Kietho I dont know who told you or where you read to increase your calcium to that level but it is not needed nor is it good. 400 ppm is more then enough to have excellent coralline growth. You would do better to increase the amount of coralline covered live rock in your tank by buying a few totally encrusted pieces and placing them in strong current. Strong current is a key factor.

 

[up north hermit]

One of the reasons 550 would be detremental is because your alkalinity level would suffer. And one thing everyone always forgets to mention is that a good alk level is essential in growing good coralline algae.
If your calcium is much above 450, it is extremely hard if not impossible to raise your alk to the desired level.
So a good plan is to raise your calcium AND alkalinity to respectable levels that encourage good algae growth.
I know since I started paying more attention to this issue, my algae has exploded. All of the sides and back of the glass and my powerheads are now covered.
I started using ProBuffer dkh, a product by Kent Marine, and it works great to raise the alk level. A simple capful everyday. I can handle that!
Anyways, HTH.
Hermit

 

[fender]

Up North makes a good point, often we fixate on calcium and forget about carbonate, which is what is measured by alkalinity - carbonate ions if I remember correctly. Coral and coralline need calcium carbonate to form skeletons, cells.