Lots of calcium but no Coraline!

[sen5241b]

I finally have my calcium holding at 450 but my coralline algae is still growing very slowly. My calcium was hovering a little above 300. The article about coralline on this site says this:

Calcium: 380-450 ppm
Alkalinity: 2.8-4.3 meq/L, or 8-12 DKH
pH: 8.1-8.3
Magnesium: 1200-1400 ppm
Nutrients low

The article does not mention anything about iodine. Foster and Smith says coralline needs some trace iodine. Can this be measured?

My real question though is: has anyone followed a precise chemistry for coralline and then watched it grow like crazy?

 

[Bifferwine]

Salt mixes contain trace iodine, I don't think there's any purpose in measuring it and dosing for it for the sake of growing coralline.

What kind of lighting do you have?

 

[fatman]

Iodine changes (to iodide) so fast in the water (within a few days) that that it is hard to really determine its levels with any accuracy with standard tests. Biffer is right in that mixes usually contain ample iodine. The really only heavy users of iodine are some of the soft corals and leathers. Often intense lighting slows the growth of coraline algae. Once a lighting gets some age to it the coraline grows more as the lighting weakens and the color range (K value) changes with age. Then it grows good until the bulbs are changed and it starts dieing back some and goes through a slow growth spell again. Usually when this happens you will notice an increase of algae in the corners and on the tank back and side walls more than on the rock. It really does not require a lot of light to grow coraline algae. I have never seen any precise chemistry studies posted on coraline algae growth.

 

[Reefgyrl]

My tank took a long time for coralline to grow. It kind of has a mind of it's own. I bought a new lighting system and now my coralline has decided to recess for awhile. I don't think there is much you can do but just sit and wait.

 

[fatman]

Anthony Calfo highly recommends calcium polygluconate for coralline algae growth.

 

[sen5241b]

My bulbs are a few months old but I really don't have that much lighting. 72 watts for 29G: •

1– Coralife 10,000K 36Watt Compact Fluorescent lamp
1– Coralife Actinic blue 36Watt Compact Fluorescent lamp

I leave the blue off a lot.

I'm thinking the spectrum or "color range" has a lot do with coralline. I've put green coralline in my tank twice now and watched it bleach to white in a month except for the upside down piece that got very little indirect light and no direct light --it stayed green.

So now I'm wondering if there is a light that will give coralline just the right end of the spectrum so it can grow --without having to wait for bulbs to get old?

Is light shifted towards the red end of the spectrum better for red coralline? Does light color benefit the same color of coralline?

 

[tizapolgar]

I've always run at least one actinic, even when I didn't have hardly any light.

I ran blue, I have tons of coralline. Correlation does not equal causation, but you should probably be running that actinic for the full cycle, anyway, to get the benefit to the blue end of the spectrum (good for corals...probably algae too).

 

[daugherty]

i use one blue for every day bulb

 

[fatman]

A simpl experiment might sufice to give you an idea as to a cause. Put three or four layers of fiberglass screen (for windows) over your tank below your lights for a few weeks and if the difference is noticeable (more corraline),then the reason will be known. Your indiaction that thecorraline grew better not exposed to the direct light should indicate the intensity of the lighting is above what your corraline wants. It seems hard to believe that PC are intense but your corraline (at least the green) seems to indicate that.

 

[NewbReefer]

I've been really closely watching my trace elements for a couple weeks now that i can do water changes and have the time to manage my tank like it should be and i've been keeping my calcium over 400 and Alk at atleast 12 (sometimes too high i think) and i am now definitely getting some coraline growth but with my 2x 250w 14,000k bulbs plus T5 actinics over my 72g, 90% of the growth seems to be on the undersides of ledges where it gets much less light than on shelfs directly facing the lights so it seems that it likes lower light to get a good foothold on the rocks, not that it wont grow in high lighting but that it tends to take off quicker in those conditions. Did anyone else notice this when first getting coraline growth?

 

[daugherty]

most all my coraline is on the under sides of things

 

[NewbReefer]

what kinda lighting do you have Daugherty?

 

[daugherty]

four 96w pc and 1-175w 14k mh on a 50gal tank

 

[NewbReefer]

very nice, is that a fixture or a retro kit you put together? what brands?

 

[daugherty]

the pc's were a retro from custom sea life that i got about 8 years ago and the mh is a retro also not shure from where i dont remember. but i get great growth from my corals ecexpt the mushrooms that i have they stay pretty small and the coraline that i do get on the back of the tank turns white. but i have started to get some orange coraline.

 

[NewbReefer]

wow! orange? now thats a coraline color i've never seen before. very neat.

 

[daugherty]

it is strange it starts to grow quickly then it all turns white then starts to grow again over the old growth it is really different.

 

[fatman]

Suppliers of coralline covered live rock would of course try to povide rock that would please the majority of its purchasers, sadly if you provide good and intense light you are not of the majority. The majority provide pretty dismal lighting. As a resort the suppliers provide rock that allows those with dismal lighting to still be successful. This typically means corraline covered rock that does not require intense lighting, IE. rocks from depths of 30 or 40 feet or more. I do not in general have any coraline on the tops of most of my rocks in the top half of a 2 foot deep tank running 250 HQI halides with PC actinic supplemental. I myself would be very happy to pay some one to send me coraline scrapings from the tops of rocks that are kept under intense lighting. Any color or thickness.

 

[NewbReefer]

Suppliers of coralline covered live rock would of course try to povide rock that would please the majority of its purchasers, sadly if you provide good and intense light you are not of the majority. The majority provide pretty dismal lighting. As a resort the suppliers provide rock that allows those with dismal lighting to still be successful. This typically means corraline covered rock that does not require intense lighting, IE. rocks from depths of 30 or 40 feet or more. I do not in general have any coraline on the tops of most of my rocks in the top half of a 2 foot deep tank running 250 HQI halides with PC actinic supplemental. I myself would be very happy to pay some one to send me coraline scrapings from the tops of rocks that are kept under intense lighting. Any color or thickness.

indeed, so then does it just take a long time to get that coraline to grow in IE? or is it a different type of coraline that if you dont have introduced into your tank your SOL unless you can find someone to give you some to seed from?

 

[daugherty]

as far as i know you need to find rock that is not very deep in the water or someone that has it already i have looked for the rock on the net but have never found anything yet.