Coralline algae

[Jeroen1975]

Here is a thought....

If phosphate gets sucked up by rock and algae thrive at the rocksurface....
Will it be benificial to close off that surface with coralline algae... and if phosphate contaminates the calcium structure, it is better to let it cover the surface at low phosphate, so it grows faster and greates a better barrier?

Maybe I want to see it, but live rock with coralline seems to have less algae as to dry rock.

 

[ryanjohn1]

The coraline algae out competes the other species, that’s why you prefer to have it rather than the ugly types of algae.

 

[Waters]

Yes.....if your rock surface is covered with coralline, algae will not (and cannot) grow there.

 

[blecki]

Algae can grow on coralline. Varies by species. The real difference here is that coralline can often survive being overgrown where other things will not.

You have the causes reversed. Coraline grows better than other algaes in a well running tank. It's not the abundance of coralline preventing algae growth, it's the system itself being in a place that is beneficial to coralline and not to algae.