Purple coralline what's the big deal?

Altohombre

The Tennis Pro Reefer
I know I am new to the saltwater world, but why do people want purple coralline? I mean I would rather have the pink and red and other varieties of color show up on my Lalo rock than just one big purple rock. And what are the benefits of having it other than color? Also since nobody thinks that Purple Up works, what should I be using if anything at all. I don't plan on corals at this time.
 
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Coralline can be white, purple, red, pink, green... We want coralline on our rocks because it makes it a lot harder for nuisance algae to take ahold and establish iteself on the rocks. Coralline and nuisance algae compete for rock space, in a way. I think that Purple Up works! I think it did amazing stuff for both my tanks and I will use it again in my new nano when I set it up. It doesn't hurt to try, in my opinion. To get coralline to grow without using Purple Up, make sure your calcium and magnesium are at the proper levels and that you have good lighting.
 
Biff nailed it. where coralline is, hair algae ain't. I would much rather look at pretty purple and red coloring than gnarly hair algae

-Doc
 
Also understand that most coralline algae available likes moderate light rather than bright light. Most live rock is taken from areas where the rock is 30 or 40 feet deep, or deeper. Most reef aquariums have moderate lighting. Hence most coralline algaes available do best in areas without intense light. Nuisance algae can readily overgrow coralline algae if conditions are bad enough to promote their growth. Coralline algae likes pollution and stagnation no more than corals, and really is not that much more tolerant of pollution and stagnation than coral. Fish, now, those suckers are pretty tolerant to pollution and stagnation, in comparison to coral and coralline.
 
but will Purple Up only make purple color or will it just increase whatever color the rock already has deep within it?
 
purple up does'nt contain any coraline. it just contains the necassary trace elements to allow the coraline to grow, no matter what the color. the type of coraline that is seeded into the tank determines which color you get. and it will be different colors and different shades of purple depending on light strength. If you have dry rock only, and no rock with coraline allready on it, then it's not likely it will ever grow. you will have to introduce it into the tank. either from one small rock with a little on it. or even a snail with some growing on his shell will seed the tank.
 
Lots of coralline has been started through the use of aged water in new tanks. Better yet, when the other reefer isn't looking borrow a rock from his tank and using a tooth brush brush over the coralline algae whole holding it in front of a power head or pump return line. Quickly return rock to its right ful place and try not to grin too much after that. If you get caught blame it on Nemo. Actually just a little bit of rock or rock scrapings from as many tanks as you can all the better. Garf sells a sand, rubble mix that has lots of coralline, beneficial bacteria and critters in and on it. Try to get a handful of sand from every reefer you meet who has a stable tank. Swapping a little rock, sand and coralline is beneficial to both parties tanks. Stores sell little packets instead of handfulls and charge $10-$25 each. Lots of live rock looks devoid of even corraline when people receive it and yet it produces again coralline algae again without innoculations. Depends usually on whether it has been totally dried out since it was last in water containing coralline algae.
 
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I think purple looks the best and is probably the hardest to kill. I have had all different colors of coral line but eventually it died off. Only coral line that survived was purple and to this day it is still spreading at a fast rate and looks better then ever.
 
If I went scuba diving, I would come back a rich man, or I might even be in jail. I really want to go find some live rock and corals.
 
Purple Up does work. It seemed to lose it's effectiveness though as more coralline started to grow and after I added a bunch of stony corals. I just couldn't keep my calcium up. I now use Kent Turbo calcium and I barely have to dose to keep my calcium between 400-480. I've had zero problems with this calcium and no cloudiness.
 
I have a friend (not a reef keeper) that goes to the Philippines every winter and comes back with nothing. Well STD's , but no coral, live rock, sand or fish. Go figure.
 
wow for a second, I thought STD was one of the crazy forum abbreviations and I had to sit and think about what it meant... LOL sign of the times.
 
fatman, is this anything like the guy who goes to the doctor to ask questions about his "friend" that has the strange rash? :)
 
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