Coralline algae scrapings question

[ChitownRomeo]

I purchased some coralline algae spores off ebay 5 months ago. Seeded my why dry dead rock. So this is what it looks like today. Is this really coralline algae?

5 months ago

Today...

 

[pjb9166]

cool.

Do you notice any growth any other place but the rock?

Paul

 

[ChitownRomeo]

just the rock, over flow and back glass.

 

[sicksnoopy71]

Normal. Looks good. All rocks react different, depends on many factors. However, as long as that's not noticeably slimy and coming off like moisty looking (red slime) your good. Get all your water parameters right and your coraline will range from pink to purple to red to dark purples.

 

[ddelozier]

Coraline isnt hard to grow/get. In fact, before all is said and done, you will not want it anymore. It starts off, Oh my rock is so white and ugly. It progresses(6mo or so later), look most of my rock is covered in pretty red Coraline. It ends up (1yr+) Everything is covered in this red crap. I have to scrape it off the glass, overflows, returns...OMG this is making me mad. If you really want it to spread fast, take a piece of rock with coraline on it, scrub it with a clean tooth brush directly in front of your powerhead. You will be cursing the red crap, yourself, and likely me for telling you how to do it, all in less than a year.

 

[BigAl07]

As sicksnoopy put it water parameters will play the biggest part to Coralline Algae growth. Here's my 2-cents on Coralline Algae:

Fist off ChitownRomeo this is in NO way a slam towards you or anything like that. I want to start off stating this up front as many times typed text can be hard to get a "feel" for what the person's real emotion is and who it's pointed towards. This is a post talking about reefing and additive corporations as a whole and the "trend" we've seen over the years.

Unfortunately what used to be a good "indicator" for a stable and healthy tank Coralline Algae has been made out to be the REASON for a stable and healthy tank. Let me go a bit deeper for a moment...

One of the first beneficial organisms to appear when the tank is stable and healthy is Coralline Algae. For years this was what we "Watched For" to indicate we were heading in the right direction. When you saw a tank with spreading Coralline Algae you knew things were "in the good" and you could add a beginner coral to the system and be pretty well assured your tank parameters were "liveable".

With the advent of Reef Tanks becoming main-stream (partially thanks to the great movie Finding Nemo which I loved) and so widely available people started wanting that "Mature" look before the tank was really mature or in many cases before it was even stable. This is when you saw products like PurpleUp (insert most any snake-oil name here) start popping up on every LFS shelf and in all the "Reefing" ads in magazines promoting quicker Coralline Algae growth. Instead of developing a stable mature system people are now able to "pour one into the tank" or at least this is the concept. The manufacturers have turned a "stable tank indicator" (Coralline Algae) into a "stable tank creator" which is totally off the mark and honestly a down-right lie. Coralline does nothing for creating a stable tank but the marketing/sales departments for "additive" companies have turned it around and "taught" people to believe that if they can grow Coralline Algae then they have created a mature/stable tank.

Also be very careful for what you wish for.. I too longed to see Coralline Algae growing on my rock work but I regret that because once it takes off in a stable system it can grow inches a month and quickly cover pumps, powerheads, heaters and of course glass. If you don't stay on top of your cleaning regimen you will soon lose performance in your equipment and lose viewing area in the glass. It's a pain to scrape if you don't do it at least weekly and if you ever take some time off and "just do it later" you'll have to invest in some type of metal scraper (my preference is Flipper Cleaner) and invest some serious elbow grease.

I hope this makes sense and doesn't step on any toes. I'm just disappointed with how our industry and turned Coralline Algae into such a miracle organism instead of what it really is just to sell more products.

 

[AC273]

^ Tis true! I just destroyed a metal scraper getting 'caught up' on the coraline maintenance in my 29g. I think it is pretty as I have light pink, dark pink, red, and green coraline algae, but it is also a HUGE pain in the ass to deal with long term.

 

[ddelozier]

I use a long handle on a razor blade scraper periodically. It works well for coraline algae on glass. and the razors are the normal disposable strait razors.

 

[sicksnoopy71]

Well said. And I totally agree with BiGAl..

As sicksnoopy put it water parameters will play the biggest part to Coralline Algae growth. Here's my 2-cents on Coralline Algae:

Fist off ChitownRomeo this is in NO way a slam towards you or anything like that. I want to start off stating this up front as many times typed text can be hard to get a "feel" for what the person's real emotion is and who it's pointed towards. This is a post talking about reefing and additive corporations as a whole and the "trend" we've seen over the years.

Unfortunately what used to be a good "indicator" for a stable and healthy tank Coralline Algae has been made out to be the REASON for a stable and healthy tank. Let me go a bit deeper for a moment...

One of the first beneficial organisms to appear when the tank is stable and healthy is Coralline Algae. For years this was what we "Watched For" to indicate we were heading in the right direction. When you saw a tank with spreading Coralline Algae you knew things were "in the good" and you could add a beginner coral to the system and be pretty well assured your tank parameters were "liveable".

With the advent of Reef Tanks becoming main-stream (partially thanks to the great movie Finding Nemo which I loved) and so widely available people started wanting that "Mature" look before the tank was really mature or in many cases before it was even stable. This is when you saw products like PurpleUp (insert most any snake-oil name here) start popping up on every LFS shelf and in all the "Reefing" ads in magazines promoting quicker Coralline Algae growth. Instead of developing a stable mature system people are now able to "pour one into the tank" or at least this is the concept. The manufacturers have turned a "stable tank indicator" (Coralline Algae) into a "stable tank creator" which is totally off the mark and honestly a down-right lie. Coralline does nothing for creating a stable tank but the marketing/sales departments for "additive" companies have turned it around and "taught" people to believe that if they can grow Coralline Algae then they have created a mature/stable tank.

Also be very careful for what you wish for.. I too longed to see Coralline Algae growing on my rock work but I regret that because once it takes off in a stable system it can grow inches a month and quickly cover pumps, powerheads, heaters and of course glass. If you don't stay on top of your cleaning regimen you will soon lose performance in your equipment and lose viewing area in the glass. It's a pain to scrape if you don't do it at least weekly and if you ever take some time off and "just do it later" you'll have to invest in some type of metal scraper (my preference is Flipper Cleaner) and invest some serious elbow grease.

I hope this makes sense and doesn't step on any toes. I'm just disappointed with how our industry and turned Coralline Algae into such a miracle organism instead of what it really is just to sell more products.

 

[sicksnoopy71]

Good coralline becomes hard and ruins equipment. It doesn't mean we won't do anything to attain it. But letting it run it's own course is best versus adding crap supplements like purple up and what not. I dose calcium because I have allot of corals, but regular water changes supply calcium and all other additives needed for coraline growth thats why your guru reefers will spend the extra money on the good salt.

 

[Mayja]

Good coralline becomes hard and ruins equipment. It doesn't mean we won't do anything to attain it. But letting it run it's own course is best versus adding crap supplements like purple up and what not. I dose calcium because I have allot of corals, but regular water changes supply calcium and all other additives needed for coraline growth thats why your guru reefers will spend the extra money on the good salt.

Guru reefers... I like that. :invisible

 

[ChitownRomeo]

I never added purple up. I once used live rock and it came with a mantis, gorilla crab, bryopsis and bubble algae. I stripped the whole tank and went with Tropic Eden live sand and ALL dry dead rock. I didn't buy Purple Up off ebay. Instead a college kid was trying to make money for college and was selling Coralline Algae Spores Scrapings. I thought it was crap but since he had good intentions I bought it. That's what I bought. I was surprised to see how well it started growing on my rocks considering there was NO live rock added to kick start the coralline and I wanted to make sure it was actually coralline that's all.

 

[BigAl07]

Chitown I think it's off to a great start

 

[ChitownRomeo]

Thanks alot