Tips for good coraline?

[ScottyMcReefer]

I once had an amazingly purple tank...... that day vanished and my coraline bleached out. Still to this day I struggle to get that nice purple rock :( idk where I went wrong honestly.

Anyways. Could I get some tips? And what I should dose and check for good growth. I still have half of the coraline left but it won't spread.

Sent from Scottys HTC Evo 4g

 

[EW_Fish]

Good thread i'm going to follow. I had two rocks turn complete purple and all the other rocks never turned. I have a spot here and there on the back glass but nothing special. My calcium stays 420-460 I know you need other things that why im going to follow !!

 

[PolandSpring]

i felt the same way..just give it time.. mine took 4 months to come in and now (3 months later) all my rocks are covered ... now its starting to get to that anoying point where im scraping it off the back glass!

 

[Speg]

Just keep up with water changes and it should pop. Weekly or bi-weekly changes should get you where you need to be. Save money and forget about dosing.

 

[ScottyMcReefer]

Thanks for the input!

Sent from Scottys HTC Evo 4g

 

[hydroinnovations]

No doubt about it coraline loves low light. I can grow crazy coraline with just a simple 2 light flourscent in a QT tank, but it grows really slowly in my display. I recently switched my lighting from 400's to 250's and immediately I started getting coraline on the front glass which hasn't really happened before.

 

[Troylee]

never had it in my last 4 tanks besides dark areas thank gawd!!!! i hate scraping that crap!!!! haha... i think it's more about lighting than anything on my first display i used compact bulbs and it grew like a mad man since upgrading to mh and now leds i have never saw it again.....:squigglemouth:

 

[Wy Renegade]

I agree with Lee, its really about lighting; turn over a piece of your rock under MH lighting and you will see that it has lots of coralline on the understide, but little on top. I personally have found the green to be the most common type under strong MH lighting.

 

[slice]

FWIW and totally anecdotal:
About 8 months or so ago, I began to get nickel sized spots of pink and purple coralline on all the rock.

Then I changed from IO to Aquavitro and the coralline exploded. All over the rock, the glass, the PHs, silicone seams, everywhere.
It was about that time I really began to add coral, so I increased my photoperiod from a total of 8 hrs to a total of 10hrs.

I *believe* because of both the competition for ca and mag, combined with increased lighting, my coralline on the upper surfaces of the rock began to whiten and die.
But, of course, it continued to thrive everywhere I DID NOT want it...go figure...

Now that I have been dosing Ca, Alk and Mag for the last month or so, the coralline is coming back nicely. Coincidently, I *think*, shortly after replacing my T5 lamps.

 

[Paul_N]

I think for it to grow you need the holy trinity (not what you're thinking Rev...lol) to be in balance ....Ca, alk, Mag. Once that happens it will come. Also if you have a brand new tank, seeding it with even a small piece or rock with it from an already established tank helps.

 

[Dave3112]

Coraline likes a "bluer" spectrum of light to thrive, IMO. Also it needs Mag and Strontium. My coraline is the main way I tell when my system is out of balance. If the mag is off it starts to get really "faded" looking. I usually check my Mag every two weeks but I slacked off a while ago and I noticed my coraline was looking really light pinkish so I checked it and it had dropped to 1200 (I keep it at 1450-1500).