How to create Coralline Algae

[Newbie1]

i have a 60 gal tank in my garage that I won’t be able to set up for about 6-8 months.. in the meantime I want to fill it with my used salt water from my other tank. I’m going to put a heater and a jet inside the tank. then once I get all of 60+ dry rock im going to put it in the tank in hopes of growing coralline( I’ll introduce it with another rock that is covered with it). Will this method work? Should I use my two ocean revives that I have standing by? If so what settings should they be at? And the times? Or keep it on for 24 hours?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Yea, set it up like a reef tank with flow and light.

 

[bsn_rn_cen]

Welcome to reef2reef

 

[Crabs McJones]

i have a 60 gal tank in my garage that I won’t be able to set up for about 6-8 months.. in the meantime I want to fill it with my used salt water from my other tank. I’m going to put a heater and a jet inside the tank. then once I get all of 60+ dry rock im going to put it in the tank in hopes of growing coralline( I’ll introduce it with another rock that is covered with it). Will this method work? Should I use my two ocean revives that I have standing by? If so what settings should they be at? And the times? Or keep it on for 24 hours?

What salty said. And a really good way to get the coraline to spread quickly, is take a rock covered in it, and scrape off the coraline algae, and dump that into your tank, the spores will spread out and grow all over the place

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Water, salt, flow, light, and a source of coraline and it'll grow. You'll likely get nasty algae first but once it goes away the coraline will take over. Usually at the 4-6 month mark.

 

[Newbie1]

Yea, set it up like a reef tank with flow and light.

Do I need it to have a filter as well? Do I need to conduct water changes? Or just let it grow algae etc. ( let it get funky?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Do I need it to have a filter as well? Do I need to conduct water changes? Or just let it grow algae etc. ( let it get funky?

Nah. You can check the numbers if ya want.
Ime , I had a usualy emty coral qt. No fish. After a while the nutrients actually bottomed out.

 

[Newbie1]

Nah. You can check the numbers if ya want.
Ime , I had a usualy emty coral qt. No fish. After a while the nutrients actually bottomed out.

What do you mean “empty coral qt”? And “while the nutrients actually bottomed out”? When nutrients bottom out that mean they are primed for the new tank and assist with the diatom process? Or does it mean something negative?

 

[Stephen Reed]

What do you mean “empty coral qt”? And “while the nutrients actually bottomed out”? When nutrients bottom out that mean they are primed for the new tank and assist with the diatom process? Or does it mean something negative?

Qt - quarantine tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What do you mean “empty coral qt”? And “while the nutrients actually bottomed out”? When nutrients bottom out that mean they are primed for the new tank and assist with the diatom process? Or does it mean something negative?

I didn’t feed the empty tank with sand and rocks so the bacteria actually ate all the available no3 and Po4.

Got so low I killed Xenia.

 

[Newbie1]

I’m sorry, now I’m confused. I’m going to run the tank like a usual tank minus the filter. The items inside the tank will be heater, jet maybe two jets, and 60+ lbs of dry rock. In that time you’re saying all the Bacteria will basically starve to death and dissipate. Too include hare algae and let desirable algae (coralline) grow and flourish?

Again I’m a newbie hence the name. I just want to understand how things are working and why.

Million thank you s!

David

 

[rkpetersen]

Here's how I did it. With my most recent tank setup, I really wanted to avoid the ugly phase and establish coralline algae quickly; this approach worked.

https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/4672389/

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’m sorry, now I’m confused. I’m going to run the tank like a usual tank minus the filter. The items inside the tank will be heater, jet maybe two jets, and 60+ lbs of dry rock. In that time you’re saying all the Bacteria will basically starve to death and dissipate. Too include hare algae and let desirable algae (coralline) grow and flourish?

Again I’m a newbie hence the name. I just want to understand how things are working and why.

Million thank you s!

David

Basically yes.

But don’t think of it as starve to death. Mine was a fun experiment for about 4-5 months.
It does illustrate the power of the bacteria.

For fun, test the no3 and Po4 a couple days after you put the rock in.

Then a month or so later.

 

[Newbie1]

@rkpetersen thank you for the info. However I didn’t uunderstand approxiamtly 95%.

what settings should I set the Ocean Revives at? And the times? Or keep it on for 24 hours?

Pic of what I got. Started approximately mid July. Everything is doing awesome and growing and multiplying except I learned I hate Favias! Lol

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

1:1 ratio @ 50% for 8-10 hrs imo.
For corraline you want warms. It’s an algae.

 

[Newbie1]

I’m sorry can you explain the 1 to 1 ratio?

 

[P-Dub]

It is really not complicated at all. I kept three black Rubbermaid like tubs with yellow tops purchased at HD with a circulation pump in each stored outside. No heater was needed for me due to my local climate. I threw in a small pinch of flake food once a week, give or take, and did about a 100% water change once a month. Let the whole process run its course and didn't give things a second thought. After three and a half months the rocks were well seeded with coralline algae and the whole ugly cycle completed. That's it. The rocks were clean and algae, bloom free. Been the most painless process I have ever done. No algae outbreaks, dyno outbreaks, or other unpleasantries in my Display Tank normally associated with setting up a tank. If you have the room outdoors and the patience to wait, I strongly recommend this method.
You can see one of the tubs in the lower left corner of the photo below. I kept the lids off whenever I could but kept them covered about 60-70% of the time. This is effective with the yellow lids to allow light through. I would not do this with a dark lid. The tubs were these. https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-27-Gal-Tough-Storage-Tote-in-Black-HDX27GONLINE-5/205978361

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’m sorry can you explain the 1 to 1 ratio?

White to blue even levels.
Or all sliders even.

 

[Newbie1]

Ok, so I received rock from two different sources. They have both been deployed in other tanks. Should I bleach them first or continue with my plan without the bleach?

 

[Subsea]

Ok, so I received rock from two different sources. They have both been deployed in other tanks. Should I bleach them first or continue with my plan without the bleach?

Did I miss something? Where did bleaching rock come from?