How to grow Coarlline help please

S

shanet1975

Reefing newb
Morning!!!
It's been a while since I've posted as things have been crazy. My tank has finally cycled and I have a Tomato clown and a damsel in there now with 75 lb's of liverock. I purchased 25 lb's of this liverock about a month ago and it was covered with coralline (bright purple). Now that it is my tank it has turned back to just regular colored liverock with not much color at all. I've been trying to search and read but thought I'd ask you guys what is the best way to get some coralline growth for color in my tank? I have 260 watt pc's and it is a 55 gallon.
Thanks again for your time.....
Shane
 
keep calcium levels up in tank, best way is to buy a rock with coralline algae and scrape some off in front of a powerhead and it will take off growing everywhere but you have to keep calcium and alkalinity up. Coralline grows from calcium, too high of phosphates can keep it from growing also.
 
I know I will be shamed by yote here but I went and tried purple up !

I have to say I Did start to see purple on my rock after 2 weeks of use,

all it is, is a calcium and alk buffer really, Shake the hell outta it before use.
 
Thanks for the posts....Alkalinity and Calcium huh? I don't even have tests for those....I have the basic saltwater set with the ph, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Looks like I'll need more test kits....
About that Purple up.....Is that just something you buy and add to the tank? Would I have to add anything else. I have 260 watts of light. Is that sufficient?
Thanks again...
 
I really like Purple Up. It worked amazingly well for my tank. It's just an additive that you put in the water. Your lighting should be sufficient.
 
Thanks again Bifferwine. Would I need to add anything else? Like more liverock with coralline on it, or will it just grow on it's own? There are small traces of purple left and some red here and there, but no where near how it was when I got it....
 
I was thinking of buying purple up because I have no purple that I can tell. I use too Have no idea why it disappeared my peremeters are all good. Once you start using it do you always have to use it or can you stop once the coraline starts to grow?
 
I have mix feelings about Purple Up.If you read the ingredients you will see that its aragonite that has been pulverized with some RO water.If you use the stuff test calcium and alkalinity first before using.The directions say no more than one capful per day.I say it would wise to use say once every three days instead.I do believe the product works though.
 
oh yeah i agree with freek . I do not use it as directed I use it every 2 or 3 days , and at about 1/2 the dosage.

It says a cap for every 50 gallons so i am using 2 caps in my 220.
 
Ha! I just DUMP that crap in! Seriously, I probably dose two or three times what the bottle says. Both times that I have used it (on my 55 and on my 240) I have seen coralline growth on the glass within two or three days of starting it (when there was no coralline growth on the glass before). I really do like it, but others have not had success with it :(.
 
purple up works, one good thing about it is it has iodine which you need for any shrimp or pods and crabs for molting process. The cheapest way to get good calcium and coralline take off like crazy is add mrs wages pickling lime to topoff water not sure exact amount could be a tsp or 2 per gallon and slow drip that in or in autotop off and that will help with calcium and corraline. You have to mix it real well to get it mixed in, and don't add to fast its like kalkwasser add to much to fast can drop your ph, plus pickling lime heats up water as soon as you add it so be careful not to get burned. Gets hot if you make small batches but cools off quick.
 
All you gotta do to make coralline grow is keep your calcium up between 400 and 450 with a DKH between 12 and 14.
I used to have trouble growing it myself.Tryed purple up.Still couldnt get it to grow.Switched to Oceanic salt and the coralline took off.
But if you really wanna spend the money that stuff instead of fish and corals,make sure you test before and during use.Its easy to get the calcium levels so high it perciptates out of the water.
 
I know my calcium is high enough it's 430 last time I tested. Maybe I'll try mixing my salt with another to see if that works. But then again purple up sounds so good. But on the other side I hate to add unnessary stuff to my tank.
 
I never could get coralline to grow when I used purple up.But it come on like a weed about a month after I quit doseing the stuff.
 
I would just make sure you have strong lighting, calcium, alkal ,reef safe iodine, other supplements ( I use reef plus) and live rock and you should be good

and patience
 

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