Calcium
|
I've never been able to get the Calcium levels
in this tank over 360. During the greatest period of Coralline growth, the
Calcium levels fell in the range of 290 - 330. I have never regularly dosed
Calcium, other than temporary attempts of raising the Calcium levels. These
attempts usually lasted two weeks before I gave up due to lack of results.
During these attempts at raising Calcium levels, Kent's two part Tech-CB
was the product used. Ten to twenty percent water changes were performed
every 2 to 4 weeks depending on how busy I happened to be. This seemed to
affect Calcium levels more than any dosing I attempted. |
Alkalinity & pH
|
Around six months before the above picture was taken I began
keeping a much closer eye on my alkalinity and pH. At that time, the tank
was running a pH of 7.9 and an alkalinity of < 5 dKH (1.8 meq/L). I began
buffering with Kent Pro-buffer dKH to bring up my alkalinity and pH. From
that point on, the tank has maintained a pH of 8.3 and alkalinity range
between 9 - 11 dKH (3.2 - 3.9 meq/L). This is the factor I believe has the
most relevance to the success of Coralline in this tank. |
Lighting
|
Lighting is very important with Coralline growth. Different
species of Coralline have different lighting requirements. Any time you
upgrade your lighting, you will experience Coralline die-off. However, new
Coralline will replace it quickly, and usually it will come back better
and more deeply colored than before. Three months before the above picture
was taken, I upgraded from 2 48" NO bulbs (total of 80 watts) to 2 48" VHO
bulbs (total of 220 watts). This resulted in the Coralline turning white
around the edges (As Coralline dies and grows the edges of the it looked
"bleached"), and dying back. After about a month the die off stopped and
quickly reversed into a growth that within 2 months resulted in the above
picture. I have again downgraded the tank since the picture to 80 watts
of light, and the Coralline growth is still excellent, but not as striking
as the picture. Bulb type in all cases was one aquasun and one actinic. |
Predators
|
Coralline does have predators, and I have a few in this tank.
There is about 4 dozen snails, 3 dozen hermit crabs (scarlet and blue-legged),
and a Coral Beauty in the tank, which do "pick" on the Coralline. I've watched
all of them "munch" on the Coralline, but I've seen no adverse effects long-term.
I do not consider them to be serious threats. Starfish on the other hand
can do a lot of damage to Coralline in a short period of time. My Chocolate
chip starfish could destroy a circle of Coralline 2" in diameter in a matter
of 30 minutes. I've heard reports of other smaller types of starfish also
feeding on Coralline. |
Competitors
|
Coralline does have competition. There is an infinite number
of nuisance algae and macro-algae that will compete for both space and light
needed by the Coralline. You will need to keep them under control to allow
the Coralline to take hold. I have noticed that well colonized Coralline
rock will not be infested by hair algae as quickly as rock without Coralline. |
Bio-load
|
I do not know how much impact bio-load has on Coralline growth,
but I can say that the tank pictured above has had an extremely low bio-load.
During several of the six months prior to the picture above, the tank had
no fish or corals whatsoever. The highest load has been 3 small fish (2
false Perculas and a Coral Beauty) and 2 corals. |
Seed
|
There is much more chance for success if you are starting with
at least one rock with substantial growth. When shopping for LR, I'm always
looking for good color and Coralline growth. I've heard of people using
Coralline shavings to "seed" the tank, but I've never tried it so I don't
know whether it works or not. |
Water Current
|
High water flow seems to be a common theme for success in all
the tanks I've seen with heavy Coralline growth. The 55 gallon tank pictured
above gets roughly 1000 gph turnover. I suggest putting a powerhead directed
on a LR with good Coralline angled toward the rock you'd like to have Coralline
on. This seems to aid in the spread of the algae, although I never did this
in the tank above, I let nature take its course. I'm more patient than most. |
