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Question on Coralline algae and leds
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:: General Reef
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Question on Coralline algae and leds
Guys I am stumped here! As ya'll know I have kept reef tanks for close to fourty years now and I have always dealt with coralline algae all over everything. Some folks like coralline and I do to up to a point, it can get to be a pain. Well ever since I went to high output leds I can not get the purple stuff to grow. My jbj 28 is 11 months old and no coralline growing per say, I have noticed some blue and white new growth in spots. I started my 2.5 pico up from dead bleached rock and seeded it several times with coralline scrapings and there is not a speck of new coralline in that tank. I have noticed in the 28 that there is nice purple coralline underneath the rocks that is growing and spreading but up on top where the light hits there is no new growth and the coralline that came on the rock has turned to lighter colors like pink and blue.
My water parameters are fine, salinity 1025, PH-7.8-8.0, Calcium 420, Alk adjusted to 8 DKH, Mag 1300, plenty of flow and nothing that eats coralline, the only reason I can figure is the bright leds, it really ticks me off on the pico because I wanted the coralline for color and it will not grow under the leds. One plus I have noticed though is it don't seem like the other algaes like led light either thats gotta be a plus. If anyone has any ideas on how to force the coralline to grow please let me know. If I would have known I would not be able to get coralline to grow in the pico, I would have used live rock with coralline already on it. It seems that the coralline already on the rock stays it just does not spread.
My water parameters are fine, salinity 1025, PH-7.8-8.0, Calcium 420, Alk adjusted to 8 DKH, Mag 1300, plenty of flow and nothing that eats coralline, the only reason I can figure is the bright leds, it really ticks me off on the pico because I wanted the coralline for color and it will not grow under the leds. One plus I have noticed though is it don't seem like the other algaes like led light either thats gotta be a plus. If anyone has any ideas on how to force the coralline to grow please let me know. If I would have known I would not be able to get coralline to grow in the pico, I would have used live rock with coralline already on it. It seems that the coralline already on the rock stays it just does not spread.
DonnieP- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
I'll really be able to help out with this in the future because I added dry rock with no coralline to my tank recently. I have coralline growing on the glass in and around my fuge for sure... but less growing on my back glass and in the tank it seems. Maybe the coralline growth in and around my fuge is being fed by the CF lighting on my chaeto.
I'll really inspect the dry rock I added tonight and see if I can see any coralline spots. :-)
I'll really inspect the dry rock I added tonight and see if I can see any coralline spots. :-)
matt_longview- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
My back glass was completely covered when I had the Radium halides in. When I had the Ushio and the Phoenix the coralline would only grow on the lower rocks and the glass. Since I switched from the Radiums to the leds the coralline on the back glass is actually disappearing. If you can see in this picture, top right, the bare spots that used to be solid purple are starting to die off. I think the lights are just too bright.
Last edited by ritter678 on Wed 26 Oct 2011, 12:45 pm; edited 1 time in total
ritter678- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
Hmmmm... interesting that I've never read this on another forum. I wonder why nobody has talked about it?
Man... I really would like the dry rock I added to get some color to them! haha.
I hope it grows under my par 38 fixture...
Man... I really would like the dry rock I added to get some color to them! haha.
I hope it grows under my par 38 fixture...
matt_longview- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
matt_longview wrote:Hmmmm... interesting that I've never read this on another forum. I wonder why nobody has talked about it?
Man... I really would like the dry rock I added to get some color to them! haha.
I hope it grows under my par 38 fixture...
Matt
I have read this on other forums too, I really think it has to do with led not containing any uv. I bet if you added a little uv led that it would grow. I may order a couple of uv leds and put them on my pico and see. I bet you don't get any growth on your bare rock, my pico will atest to that. I am also switching salt, I'm tired of dosing alk in the reef crystals, right out of the box, I'm switching to red sea coral pro, I've read good things about it. Hey, I wll say though that the white coralline with blue caps on it is pretty cool just not much of it.
DonnieP- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
The new par 38 fixture I've got coming have UVs in it. So that's exciting. :-)
matt_longview- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
Remembered to check tonight. I've got no coraline growth in any direct light. However, I have new growth in shaded areas.
matt_longview- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
I meant to post on this but forgot and our good friend Yeti reminded me. My coralline has blown up in my tank, even under the LEDs. I'm going to need to scrape really soon or I won't be able to see in the tank. I think the coralline just doesn't grow in really bright areas. Jaiden's 10 gallon with the par38 doesnt have a scrap of coralline.
ritter678- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
I have a few spots of coraline growing now as well. I even have a few just a few inches below the top of the tank. It's not growing quickly though. It didn't show up at all (except over by the chaeto light) for the first 7 or 8 months.
matt_longview- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
I actually had coraline die off rocks after switching to LEDs.. Gabe's tank gives me hope it'll return
Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
I have actually started to see coralline start to thicken up on my back glass after starting the kalkwasser, I could see no difference with any two part solution but I think maybe the kalk is helping bring it around. The thought of scraping glass again reminds me how nice its been not to have a lot of coralline growth though, its kinda a double edge sword. I still have absolutely zero coralline in the pico, this dispite dosing twice a week with C-balance, this is good though, it would be tough to scrape from that tiny simi sealed system. A little color on the rocks would be nice though.
DonnieP- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
Since starting the kalk drip in my 75 the coralline is insane. I spent about a half hour this weekend scraping the front 3 panels of the glass. I couldn't see in some parts of the tank because of all the coralline. The back glass I won't even attempt because it's so thick and I'd probably end up breaking some sps trying to get to it. The 10 gallon with the par38 has started to grow coralline and I haven't even dosed or done a water change in about a month now. It's growing more in the lower light areas but it's growing for sure under leds.
ritter678- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
It's growing more in the lower light areas but it's growing for sure under leds.
Its the same with me, the coralline that is growing is in the shaded areas of the tank, I'm beginning to wonder if its that the leds have a spectrum the coralline does not like or if its just the intensity of the leds.
DonnieP- .
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ritter678- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
Daaaang. That's wild man!
matt_longview- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
No coralline problem there!
DonnieP- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
Is that on the front glass also?
Yeti- .
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Re: Question on Coralline algae and leds
Yeti wrote:Is that on the front glass also?
Yes. The back is solid purple. The specks you see all over are on the front glass. It was hard to photograph with the blue lights on but it looks like a snow globe with purple snow in it. If you look at the Bangaii Cardinal in the pic that gives you the best idea of what the rest of the tank looks like right now. I haven't had the time to scrape it either.
ritter678- .
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