What can I do to improve coraline algea growth

[frosty]

I have a 55gallon reef tank with 260watt pc. I just want to know how to get coraline algea to grow. Everytime I get a piece of LR it turns dark green in a matter of weeks instead of the purple and pink algea growth. I know this must be a nuisance algae but why is this happening.
Water Parameters
ph 8.1
alk 300ppm
nitrate 10ppm
am 0
nitrite 0
salinity 1.024
calcium 400
hardness 10
What is a good way to get coraline algea to grow?

 

[thangbom]

man.. i honestly think it's a hit miss thing... my tank bearly have any coralline in her but my bro's is covered in it.. colors up the wazoo in coralin (white,purple,red,bergandy,yellow,green,dark green ) i dont understand.. we use the same sant, test kit, everything, only different is our light, he have a 400 watt halide and i run pc's but i know light is no tthe issue ( coraline grow better in low light then high ) but why wont it grow in my tank?? i have done rock swaps from his tank that was covered and it would fade away and only have some reminece remaning. hum.. what a bugger..

 

[kelly shaw]

choraline algea needs calcium. try purple up. i have used it for a couple weeks now and i saw improvement after the first week. if your tank is low in calcium it will not grow. but you don't want too much calcium in there or you will start getting deposits on your rock. you want your calcium not to exceed 420. if your going to dose it you need to test for it.

 

[frosty]

I have tried the purple up. I have been using it every other night for about a month and a half. My calcium is 400 right now and thats what it usually is when I test it. My tank has been up and running for almost 9 months now. With the PC lights up for about 4 months. Am I just being impatient? How long does it take to be able to notice growth? It seems like when I put a rock from the LFS the coraline dies.

 

[kelly shaw]

i don't know then, i had very little on my rocks. i started dosing with purple up, and it made a noticeable difference. the colors are brighter, new patches are appearing. different shades of green, red, purples. don't know what to say.

 

[alyssia]

If you know someone who has coralline you can use a scraping off their tank and put it in yours.

 

[frosty]

Originally Posted by kelly shaw
i don't know then, i had very little on my rocks. i started dosing with purple up, and it made a noticeable difference. the colors are brighter, new patches are appearing. different shades of green, red, purples. don't know what to say.
How long did it take you to notice a difference?

 

[drewsta]

I have had my tank up for about 2 months now and I already have coraline on my back wall and all over anything that is plastic I mixed calcium in with the salt and the ro/di water when I first started.

It worked for me

 

[mag395]

I noticed a difference in the first week. Very faint purple spots in random places around the tank.

 

[alyssia]

I have been using purple up in my 55 and 20 gallon tanks for 2 weeks and haven't noticed anything new at all. I used kalk in my 75 and now the coraline is everywhere.

 

[jmick]

Originally Posted by alyssia
I have been using purple up in my 55 and 20 gallon tanks for 2 weeks and haven't noticed anything new at all. I used kalk in my 75 and now the coraline is everywhere.
I’ve been dosing with Kalk for 14 months and when I began using it the growth of coralline was noticeable. I have to scrape the front of my tank every 2 weeks to keep it from building up—it grows very quickly.

 

[coachklm]

make sure you dont have an urchin in your tank....

 

[key00west]

Originally Posted by coachKLM
make sure you dont have an urchin in your tank....

check your Phosphates too

 

[saltwater8]

Originally Posted by kelly shaw
you want your calcium not to exceed 420. if your going to dose it you need to test for it.
I thought a target of 450 was ideal?

 

[myocean]

i have been using it for two months and it is growing fine i had some base rock and it is starting to turn a fant pink and red i put it in every night my calcum is at 420

 

[peckhead]

is it ok to cure lr with tap water and salt? cause i dont have a ro unit and we need to cure it now as it has been sitting in a bucket with SW for a little less then a day...