How do you feel about Coralline algae in your tank?

[Rockytop_Reefer]

Coralline on the back glass really detracts from a tank in my opinion. Having multiple spots of different colored coraline in the background distracts the eye. Negative space is important to highlight and show off those corals we’re trying so hard to grow. So having a solid background (black/blue/clear) serves that purpose. It can take a great reef tank to an amazing looking reef tank instantly if you just put in some elbow grease once in a while.

 

[jgvergo]

I'm glad it's there, but it is a nuisance to keep clean. I grow it very thick and it covers everything, rocks, shells, rubble, glass, overflow, power heads, etc. I have to soak my powerheads in vinegar monthly and scrape my glass at least every three to four weeks. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad my system supports it, but it is a pain in the rear if you like a clean look. You can see how purple my rocks and the snail shell graveyard is in this gif:

I have a back spiny sea urchin that seems to keep it in check. I've heard others have had success with pincushion urchins. You may want to give it a shot.

 

[jgvergo]

I like it on the rocks and even on my overflow, but I don't like it on the back glass. Clean it every 3 days to keep it off. Other than that the only problem it causes me it to stop up my overflow slots raising the water level in the tank after a while. Not hard to break it off of them but it's a little bit of a nuisance.

What do you use to break it off?

 

[saltyhog]

What do you use to break it off?

I just took a pair of curved hemostats and stuck them in the remaining slot opening and pulled back. They broke off well below the slot most of the time. This is what it looked like when I was through.

 

[HB AL]

I use to love it, then those little white starfish over the coarse of a year ate the majority of it and I think it opened up the crevices in my rock that it covered and my tank really took off. A lot of the stars died off but there are still a few in there and they seem to take care of it, just not as quick. Bonus is I haven’t had to scrape coralline off my front or side panels in over 2 years. My corals are all thriving so coraline has no effect on the health of the system.

 

[EmptyWallet]

I love it and will go as far as saying I prefer the look of it over most corals - I'm talking about the brilliant pink / purple colours (not a spelling mistake, i'm an Aussie!) thick encrusted almost monti looking layer stack. If I could work out how to take a decent photo under blue light I would put in a photo of what I'm talking about. It's also a powerful ally in my war against GHA. Today it's thriving and quickly conquering the rock surface area. I have a black acrylic sheet as a background so don't really notice it growing on the back and as for the wave makers (I blackout my sump deliberately to keep everything algae free), lets say it forces me to keep ontop of my maintenance schedule, helping me prolong the life of the super expensive Vortechs.