Coralline Algae

[realhiphop]

What would you recommend as far as promoting nice coralline growth on live rock? The Garf Grunge, or the IPSF Live Sand Activator?

[tyoberg]

Neither will have any appreciable affect on coralline growth. The more coralline you have, the faster it will grow. Coralline needs both calcium and carbonate (alkalinity) to grow. Maintaining those levels will definitely help. Lighting seems to affect the color of the coralline that dominates, and some flavors may grow faster than others.

 

I would focus on calcium/alk. For a small tank, I would recommend either ESV's B-Ionic or Kent's TechA&B. Get a salifert calcium test kit.

 

Ty

[MKramer]

While either of those "Live Sand Activates" won't promote faster coraline growth outright, they will both enhance the TYPE of coraline growth. Most people only ever see the standard pacific purple coraline, but there are quite a few other types of coraline algae. Other colors, other thicknesses, other light requirements.... Andt here are actually some types that will spread faster. I don't know anything about IPSF's product, but the people at GARF have collected some incredible diversity, and it really does show. Look at a tank that was primarily seeded with Garf Grunge sometime (I know there are members of this site, or there have been in the past, that can attest to this), and you will be shocked by the coraline. It really does not look like your typical rock in there.

[printerdown01]

I have actually heard terrible things about GARF GRUNGE... People around here haven't been happy with the stuff... Apparently it is really chunky! You can often find coralline diversity on LR at a LFS (you will find that that you probably have a LFS that has better LR than any of the others). This is probably the easiest way to get the diversity you are tying to achieve (the more diversity the more likely that it is that you will find a coralline algae that will grow quickly in your tanks conditions).

[tyoberg]

My tank has a couple 3-4 flavors of purple/pink coralline and also some green. I keep an eye out at the LFS and at other peoples tanks for rubble and shells with interesting colored coralline. Sometimes I drop it in and nothing comes of it... You will find that certain areas of the tank have species that dominate in those particular conditions. If you put dark purple coralline under intense light, it'll probably bleach--what I'm saying is that if you want to cultivate different corallines, think about placement in the tank. Pink stuff usually loves light. Purple stuff not so much.

 

Garf: Nuff said.

 

Ty

[spectre]

I currently have 5 different coralline algae species in my tank. Lighting will definitely make a different on which species grow the best, as well as water chemistry and temperature.

I use Kent Tech A&B and this product really does the job.

I have some really deep purple coralline aroung the bottom alot of green and orange about midway up, and then some pink and some sort of a bone colored type at the very top. makes for a very colorful display.