live rock question

[jam]

ok , so i used purple up, and its been good, but, is there a white or green coralline algae?, i have a rock that got a lot of purple and red and dark red, but also some green and some white that i can best describe as that it looks like some kind of frosting or white icing, is that good or bad, does it mean my lights are not good enough? i have t5 lighting...thanks for the help..

[fatman]

I have seen white, pink, green, blue, red, purple, green and yellow coralline. But what you describe might also be a sponge. Does it look meaty or flat and plate like? Coralline is flat and plate like. Sorta like little sheets of material, whereas a sponge usually has more substantial mass to it.

[jam]

yeah, it is kinda plate like, i dont think its a sponge, so , the lights are ok then?

[reeffreak]

Many times during the cycle and right after coralline may die-off or bleach(turn white).In most cases it will return and yes your lights are okay.

[Bifferwine]

Like others have said, coralline comes in all sorts of colors. Usually you end up with purple and pink, but die off will turn it white.

[Altohombre]

my rocks have just about every color mentioned yet they are in the regrowing stage. After my cycle there was a bit of die-off and they are a much faded color of what they will be in several months time.

[fatman]

Most coralline does not like really intense lights and as T5's are below halides in intensity so your coralline should do fine. Typically most live rock is taken from waters of 30 feet depth or more so they are not used to really intense lights. Plus a 29 gallon is a a fairly deep tank giving your coralline a good range of light intensities to grow and spread. You will, however, probably notice that the coralline will grow heaviest on the rocks at middle to lower depths versus the ones at the very top of the tank. Often the shaded parts of the rock have the heaviest growth.

[jhnrb]

Coraline algae - Rhodophyta. lacks flagella at all stages. Generally redish due to water soluble pigments called phycobilins. The dormant red pigment R-phycoerythrin reflects red light and obsorbs blue light. Since they obsorb blue light, the red pigments allow Rhodophytes to live deeper than other algaes. coraline algae can appear yellow, green, bluish, from the chlorophyll and other pigments present. They come in multible shades of red, pink, green, brown, and contribute more to reef building than the other algaes.

Partial exert from Algae l- by Julian Sprung.

[Oscarsdad608]

I was just about to say the same thing.

Originally Posted by jhnrb

Coraline algae - Rhodophyta. lacks flagella at all stages. Generally redish due to water soluble pigments called phycobilins. The dormant red pigment R-phycoerythrin reflects red light and obsorbs blue light. Since they obsorb blue light, the red pigments allow Rhodophytes to live deeper than other algaes. coraline algae can appear yellow, green, bluish, from the chlorophyll and other pigments present. They come in multible shades of red, pink, green, brown, and contribute more to reef building than the other algaes.

Partial exert from Algae l- by Julian Sprung.

[Bifferwine]

Well of course you were!!