Exposing corals / coraline algae to air during water changes. Am I doing something bad?

[Tundra Cuttle]

I'd guess your lights are probably fine.

My coraline algae started about 4 months in - little itty bitty spots here and there on the rocks. Nothing on the glass. But it never really grew much - just dots. Then I battled dinos for what seemed like forever, and frankly nothing was growing well during that time. But then it just exploded, starting sometime around the beginning of april. It's growing in spots that are only about 100 PAR. Now it seems to grow everywhere - EXCEPT, above the water change line, on the glass.

Very interesting, I wonder what it is.

 

[LacViet]

i don't know what cause coraline algea did not grow above the water line in your tank, but back in the day and until now, live rock with coraline encrushed ship dry with nothing but damp paper cover it world wide for few days before we can put in our tank and no die back of coraline algae. Maybe something on the glass that coraline algae could not attach to? or maybe sudden exposed to high PAR by out of water compare to low PAR under water? Regardless, you can try to attach small piece of rock with coraline algae above the water change line and see if they die after few water changes. if they didn't die, then something on the glass prevent them to grow.

 

[Tundra Cuttle]

i don't know what cause coraline algea did not grow above the water line in your tank, but back in the day and until now, live rock with coraline encrushed ship dry with nothing but damp paper cover it world wide for few days before we can put in our tank and no die back of coraline algae. Maybe something on the glass that coraline algae could not attach to? or maybe sudden exposed to high PAR by out of water compare to low PAR under water? Regardless, you can try to attach small piece of rock with coraline algae above the water change line and see if they die after few water changes. if they didn't die, then something on the glass prevent them to grow.

I like it, a good experiment to try.

 

[Cell]

Coralline does not do well when exposed to air. Your corals can slime up for protection.

 

[zoaprince]

Cool! Well I guess that confirms it then - it's just a thing... Guess some coraline algae just isn't as hardy as corals themselves.

I have the same thing. A very straight line right where my usual water change level is where coralline (or other algae for that matter) doesn't grow.

 

[Lebowski_]

Cool! Well I guess that confirms it then - it's just a thing... Guess some coraline algae just isn't as hardy as corals themselves.

Old thread, but I am wondering if that pic might be influenced by the angle of the light. The very top back edge of the tank probably gets much less light than rest of the wall below it.

Came across this thread while googling and enjoyed the read through.

 

[Kongar]

Yup very old thread. I’ve learned a bit since this. It’s 100% the water changes. I’ve switched between weekly 25% vs every other week 50% water changes. The coraline algae dies with the water line/air exposure. I’ve tried speeding the time up so they aren’t exposed to air for more than a couple of minutes. I’ve watched the ambient room temp. I’ve turned the lights off. No changes. Coraline below the water line but not above.

Interestingly, it only happens on plastic, not on rock or glass. It turns bright pink, clearly showing signs the coraline is stressed, but it recovers in a day. But not on plastic (power heads, return jets). I’ve just chalked it up to the coraline in my tank - it just is what it is.

Tank turns three years old in 4 days, it’s doing great!

 

[zheka757]

Yup very old thread. I’ve learned a bit since this. It’s 100% the water changes. I’ve switched between weekly 25% vs every other week 50% water changes. The coraline algae dies with the water line/air exposure. I’ve tried speeding the time up so they aren’t exposed to air for more than a couple of minutes. I’ve watched the ambient room temp. I’ve turned the lights off. No changes. Coraline below the water line but not above.

Interestingly, it only happens on plastic, not on rock or glass. It turns bright pink, clearly showing signs the coraline is stressed, but it recovers in a day. But not on plastic (power heads, return jets). I’ve just chalked it up to the coraline in my tank - it just is what it is.

Tank turns three years old in 4 days, it’s doing great!

Rock still moist, when out of water for a long time, vrs plastic that dosent absorb any water into it-dries out faster