coralline algae growth help

[reefsluge]

My tank has been set up for several years. Corals and fish are all good. But I've never really been able to have alot of coralline growth. I have seen thoughs awesome tanks where the rocks are all pink with sps growing off of them. Thats what I want. My tanks a 110g. I run a calcium reactor and no other additives are used. Some people say it's because of the intence lighting, which I run two 400's. Some people say I need to seed the tank with it, which I have bought peases of rock covered in it and in a few days it dies off.

Water chemistry consist of:
Calcium=400
KH=9
PH=7.9-8.1
Temp=78
NO2=0
NO3=0
Phosphate=0

[fancyfish]

what is the kelvin rating on your lights? I have noticed thqat when I Switched my kelvin rating from 10K to 14K and no actinic that my growth slowed.
also may want to keep your calcium just a bit higher. I am no expert just making observations of my own tank

[reefsluge]

Originally posted by pja
what is the kelvin rating on your lights? I have noticed thqat when I Switched my kelvin rating from 10K to 14K and no actinic that my growth slowed.
also may want to keep your calcium just a bit higher. I am no expert just making observations of my own tank

I am also running 14k's. I thought about raiseing my calcium to 500.

[chadfarmer]

what is the magnesium

[reefsluge]

Originally posted by chadfarmer
what is the magnesium

Not sure!!

[steve68]

IME it's the 400.
every tank is see with 400's has little coralline.

[fancyfish]

iodine also has a role. I am thinking of adding back actinics with 10K for better growth

[grimmjohn]

I've also heard that intense halides will curtail coraline growth.

[jay24k]

I'm not saying it is full proof, but you need a good balance of 4 things.

Lights, magnesium, alk, calcium. When you have the rest good and boost your magnesium up to 1350, it should explode. I set up the 180 in april and it took a couple weeks to show corraline. It only took 1 week after I upped my magnesium. I used epsom salts as a one time deal. (It will raise sulfate too). My overflows are covered and my back glass is all pink.

I have 10k's with VHO actinic so you don't need 14k's

[marilynrn711]

Jay
Whatn are you using for Can and Alk?

[kruxy]

check your strontium while you are at it. almost every "coraline magic in a bottle" product is really just a mix of water and stronitum... a lack of it will keep coraline from growing, but it is easy to overdose, so don't go dumping bottles of additives until you determine if you have a defeciency.

[jay24k]

I used to think that about strontium, but from what I've read, there is no direct link. Oceanic salt has no strontium from what I've read. I haven't added any and my test kit reads very very low. Forgot the numbers off the top of my head. Calcium I was using ocean's blends but I ran out of it. Now I use dowflake and make my own. Alkilinity I used baking soda. Just dose slowly so you don't drop your ph.

[sweetmindy]

check your mag level, Iron levels and also your iodine.

[jda]

Coralline is a curse... just another thing that you have to scrape off.

I use Oceanic salt, have 250W DE Phoenix (high PAR) bulbs and still have it everywhere. If 400W would cut it back, I would switch in a heartbeat.

I keep my tank at 440 and 8.3 (with a korallin reactor) and do weekly 10-15% water changes. I dose nothing that does not come in the salt.

[Rogger Castells]

I have the pink rocks and back glass basiacally corralin everywhere, my only difference from your set up are the lights 3-250 watts 10k w/4-super actinic vho's and I drip Kalkwasser instead of the calcium reactor.
Hope this help

[dymaxiun]

Originally posted by jda
Coralline is a curse... just another thing that you have to scrape off.

Quoted for truth....

[steve68]

still no one with 400's has said they have good groth, everyone so far has 250 or lower.
it's the 400's.
SJME.

[jay24k]

I've seen tanks with 400 watters with corraline. Oceanic has high magnesium. That is why imo corraline grows so dang well with it.

[Rogger Castells]

Actually, one of my LFS has a show tank set up with 4-400 wtt only and this tank is completely cover in corallin.

[marilynrn711]

I thought the higher the wattage the less the coraline.

[loc01]

Keep your ph at 8.4-8.5,they will grow like hell.

Loc

[steve68]

thats cool if u get ur balance up & coralline starts to grow like crazy please post a picture on this thread even if it's a year from now.

[marilynrn711]

my coraline seems to like to grow on the side of the tank much better than on the rocks

[AtlanticReef]

I used to have three 400w 20K xm bulbs light in my 180 gallons tank....the coralline was growing like crazy....when I upgraded my tank and downgrade my light to four 250w 14K Phoenix seems less coraline growing....

[masson]

When I took the actinic lights off my tank I almost stopped growth of coraline. Crappy jebo lights = coraline , expesive metal halide lights = no coraline