Coralline Algea growth

[pickront]

What's the best way to promote coraline algea growth.

[Afishianado]

Keep your Ca around 400ppm, keep your Alk around 3-5 Meq/l. Be sure you have decent flow within the system. Seed your tank with Coralline form another source. A peice of live rock with coralline on it will work, so will scrapings of coralline form another reefers tank. Lghting isn't all that important, I have seen coralline grow well in very little light. But it does grow better in the presence of actinic lighting, which you should have already anyway.

[Cnidae]

Don't forget to keep your silicates really low. The rock has to be clean for it to grow fast, if you diatoms growing on your rocks they will compete for space and ussually the coralline will lose. Phosphates also effect coralline growth, just keep them low.

[pickront]

What are silicates and whats the best way to clean live rock

[eudaimonia]

Good advice.

Silicates come from silica. Some sands have it, some sands don't. Only use sand w/o silicates in marine aquariums as it can lead to some nasty diatom and nuisance algae growth.

I found a good way to clean nuisance algae off my rocks is with an old soft well cleaned toothbrush. A gentle scrub is all you need to remove whatever it is you want to remove.

[Cnidae]

The main contributor of silicates are from your replacement water. In my opinion I would leave your rocks alone, let the animals eat the diatoms. You may remove something you don't want to by scrubbing them. If your animals are eating them to slow they will eventually die and end back up in your water as silicates. I would test your water and determine if you need a RO unit. Many companies make products to remove silicates from your water.

[StirCrazy]

Why are people still blammng silica sand for diatom out breaks?
this link is to a material handeling guide for silica sand.. while it is toxic if you breath it in (crystals imbed in the lungs) it is classed as insoluable in water.
http://www.u-s-silica.com/material.html

SECTION 9 - PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES states;
Appearance: White or tan sand; granular, crushed, or ground.
Boiling Point: 4046°F
Odor: None
Vapor Pressure (mm Hg.): None
Specific Gravity (Water = 1): 2.65
Vapor Density (Air = 1): None
Melting Point: 3110°F
Solubility in Water: Insoluble in water
Evaporation Rate (Butyl Acetate = 1): None

SECTION 10 - STABILITY AND REACTIVITY
Stability: Crystalline silica (quartz) is stable.
Incompatibility (Materials to Avoid): Contact with powerful oxidizing agents, such as fluorine, chlorine trifluoride and oxygen difluoride, may cause fires.
Hazardous Decomposition or Byproducts: Silica will dissolve in hydrofluoric acid and produce a corrosive gas - silicon tetrafluoride.
Hazardous Polymerization: Will not occur.

SECTION 12 - ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Crystalline silica (quartz) is not known to be ecotoxic; i.e., there is no data which suggests that crystalline silica (quartz) is toxic to birds, fish, invertebrates, microorganisms or plants. For additional information on crystalline silica (quartz), see Sections 9 (physical and chemical properties) and 10 (stability and reactivity) of this MSDS


I think the myth about silica being bad was started by companys try to push argonite sand @ 10 to 20 times the cost.

StirCrazy

[Guy]

Originally posted by StirCrazy
Why are people still blammng silica sand for diatom out breaks?

Because not everyone buys pure silica sand. Many (most, not all) silicon based sands contain Feldspar. Feldspar can and will leach silicates and WILL dissolve in water. If you buy 100% silica sand it will not dissolve in any appreciable amount.

That is where the "rumours" come from.

[StirCrazy]

oh ok thanks for clairafying that Guy, I use silica pool filter sand in my freshwater tanks (it is pure) and my brother has always used silica sand in his salt water tanks and we have never had a problem.. but we do buy pure so that must be it then.. I assumed some one buying sand for a tank would always buy pure or 100% silica sand. instead of a low grade mixed sand

StirCrazy