Sigh: coraline grows well on plastic

[Moe_K]

Just an observation and common complaint.
I've got some dead rock in my tank and am psyched to see it turn all purple. Waiting... waiting...
Got the alk and calcium going. I see some coraline algae colonies spreading. This is going to work.
So I go downstairs and look into the plastic sump... the coraline os going crazy down there. The pumps are coated, the power cords are coated.
Why must coraline first grow on plastic?!?

End of rant.

 

[Rickeejb]

What's the difference in the lighting from your tank to the plastic sump. That would be another big reason.

 

[JayM]

Maybe a heat source? Maybe an EM source?

 

[deadhermitwalkin]

Light

First off Coraline is not effected by light, and prefers low to no light to grow. Get a flash light, and look under your sand bed from underneath your tank. You will see it growing underneath the sand bed on the glass. My suggestion is to increase your blue lighting, and decrease your white lighting. Unfortunately you most likely have corals in your tank, so this might not be best option.

 

[NateHanson]

Moe, my guess would be that the lower light in your sump is a better habitat for the coraline.

Have another beer and relax. You've made the rest of us wait 3 years to see this tank, you can wait another month.

 

[Gina McReeferson]

Scrape the stuff in the sump and let the scrapings go though the returns, this will help the seeding proccess along and speed it's take over of your tank, I think. Just a thought.

We were very impatient as well when starting our tank, now, we (I) scrape the glass every other week. Someone told us back then to be careful what we wish for, they were right! Looks nice though. You already know all this I know, but it has been so long I thought you may have forgotten.

-Dave

 

[Moe_K]

Another funny occurence...
I picked up a bunch of grass shrimp from JustDavidP.
I chucked them in my sump to help eat surplus food down there, and maybe spawn.
15 minutes later I saw grass shrimp swimming around the display tank.
Then I saw the hermits and stars go crazy. Pieces of some of the grass shrimp were coming out of the returns.
For some dumb reason the shrimp decided to take a ride upstairs. Some made it through unharmed. Some got chopped up.

 

[Greg Hiller]

I think that coraline does require some light to grow, but certainly, not a lot. It also likes a lot of water motion. You might want to check your magnesium level, if it's low, that might be slowing down the growth on your rocks.

 

[starrfish]

Moe - you should see how it grows on acrylic! I have to scrape the stuff off every day or it gets too thick to scrape. Ugh! I agree with Greg - check your magnesium. As soon as I started dosing magnesium my coraline took off.

 

[Moe_K]

Magnesium has to be good, but I haven't checked.
I dose a little bit twice a week, and there are no SPS corals or clams in the tank. The alk is at 11 dkH.
I'm confident my levels are good, I'm just impatient.

 

[Pinkskunk]

I have an Acrylic tank, and somehow coraline decide to grow on the tank panels before they would grow on rocks..................never an Acrylic tank again in my life..........

 

[JeremyR]

No matter the water conditions, it will always grow on plastic first/faster. Just one of those things.

 

[JustDavidP]

Moe...

I've got more shrimp if you want some..

How's the Xenia Weed?

Dave

 

[JustDavidP]

No matter the water conditions, it will always grow on plastic first/faster. Just one of those things.

Unfortunately....so does hair algae *sigh*

 

[Moe_K]

Moe...

I've got more shrimp if you want some..

How's the Xenia Weed?

Dave

Xenia is doing well, thanks. Pretty stuff.

 

[Moe_K]

Measured my calcium, and I'm a little low. I'm fixing that now.
Good little colonies of coraline are growing on the unlive rock.
Still too slow for the impatient.

 

[Chris L]

have another beer then