growing corraline algae

norcal

norcal

Member
hey i was wondering what some of you use or have found that works well to grow corraline algae. My lfs is trying to push some stuff called B-I-onic on me. supposedly it raises alkalinity to stop other algae from growing, while adding nutrients that corraline needs to grow. anybody know about this stuff??? Its kinda expensive so i dont wanna just buy it without knowing more. also, if not, let me know what you have found to work good, so i can get me some purple rocks! :yes:
 
speg

speg

Active Member
I noticed that when I started adding calcium and didnt have the wattage of lights I have now the coralline went crazy in my tank.. since i've added better lighting and im keeping my tank lit more hours of the day the coralline has kinda came to a standstill.. still some growth but nothing like when I had the dimmer light.
Calcium is the biggest key though! I personally wouldnt buy that corraline accelerator.
 
norcal

norcal

Member
ok so if i just buy a calcium additive and lessen the amount of light it will really speed it up? if so, what is a good level to keep my calcium at? also do you know if alkalinity really matters too much, if so what level should i have it at approximately? i dont really understand the best conditions to have to make it grow the quickest. if anyone has like a formula or something to make it grow really fast let me know please :notsure: thanks for the advice in the meantime speg, i think ill try getting some calcium instead of that expensive corraline accelerator.
 
mudplayerx

mudplayerx

Active Member
Same here Speg. I get very thick, purple coraline growth in the shaded areas of my tank. In the areas of my tank directly under the metal halide lighting, the coraline is in patches and much less dark in color.
 
norcal

norcal

Member
ok, should i lessen hours of light in the tank. its fish only, so its not like i have to have it on as much. also does alkalinity even matter, or is my lfs full of crap. they say it needs to be high, what do you guys think??
 
A

andretti

Guest
That's soo true. When I first got into the hobby, I couldn't figure out why I was not growing good coraline. My lights were great, so were my calcium levels, and pH...but my alkalinity was off. As soon as I got all of them up to specs, the stuff almost grew out of my tank. :eek:
 
golfish

golfish

Active Member
I've found that good Ca levels (around 400+) and Alk levels between say 2.8-3.6 work best for me..I'd rather not grow the stuff myself..I feel I had better growth under PC's then I do under MH's. I know the color was better under PC's.
Good water flow helps a lot too.
 
A

andretti

Guest
Oh yeah, another trick is to brush off any existing coraline. This will help seed new growth into places that may take a while. If you have none, go buy a small piece of live rock that has lots of coraline growth and simply scrub where there is a lot of alage. Do this where there is good current or flow. And use a new scrub brush.
 
norcal

norcal

Member
sweet, im heading to the lfs right now to get some calcium additive and some test kits. i just have one more question that has not yet been adressed, does the ammount of lighting matter when growing this stuff. i have sort of gathered that less lighting is better. i know that mh arent good for growing it, and i dont have those. so i guess what im trying to figure out is if it matters the amount of hours i havve my lights on. will that affect how it grows? i have pc and moonlights, what is the best formula for my lighting? by the way, thanks a lot for all the advice (and the thread mud!).
 
mudplayerx

mudplayerx

Active Member
It would SEEM like less intense lighting promotes better coraline growth, but I think just Speg and I's experiences harldy qualify as scientific research. There are just too many other variables to just blame it on intense lighting.
My guess is that if your ph, alkalinity, calcium levels are all good that the coraline algae will grow really well regardless of your lighting. What seems like the most important factor for the growth in my tank is the surface of the rocks. The rocks with smooth, calcareous skeletons grow the coraline way faster than the pourous, rough areas.
Also, don't forget that coraline algae secretes chemicals that discourage microalgae growth on the rock surface, so thats always a plus :)
 
latino277

latino277

Member
the lfs is pushing B-ion on you to increase your Calc/alk. I have used it for a while now and am happy with the product. just remember that you should test before you add. so get a good Calc and alk test kit.
 
norcal

norcal

Member
ok, so i just went ahead and bought the b-ionic stuff along with some test kits for alk and calcium. my first test had alk at 4.0 and calcium at 240. so i need to lower the alk and raise the calcium. im going to start the b-ion tommorow, will let you all know how it works for me. thanks for all the advice!
 
norcal

norcal

Member
oh hey latino, i have a question for you. how exactly does this stuff work, i thought i understood, but im slightly confused now. so should i JUST add the calcium part at this point?? and then when it gets to the level i want start to add the alkalinity as well, or how do you do it. i was going to add both, but it doesnt really make sense to do that now that i think about it. lemme know how you use it....thanks
 
jer4916

jer4916

Active Member
when i wanted to get my corraline algae started i added a few rocks with some dark corraline on them..and scratched them...then i added reef complete...and wow did my rock take off...i have corraline eveywhere now.
~chris
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
IMO B-Ionic is an excellent product. If Calcium is low, only add part B, if ALK is low only add part A.
Use both parts in equal doses to maintain levels.
Be sure to not dose them at the same time, wait at least 5 minutes between doses.
Small doses every day are better than large doses once a week.
With Calcium that low I would suggest you start out with just a large water change.
 
norcal

norcal

Member
Bang Guy, do you think i have to do a water change....i just did recently and all my levels (besides calcium) are beautiful. I guess i was just hoping that i could just add some of the calcium part the next couple of days and see if that would raise it up. if you think a water change is a much better idea, i wont disagree being the obviously less experienced here. let me know if you think i could get by without a H2O change. Man i have heard to scrape off the coraline from like so many people so i guess i will do that too. it sucks though i love my small patches of it, i dont wanna destroy them!!! soo cool lookin.
 
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