purple coraline die off?

[Cozen89]

I had a nice growth of coraline going in my tank about a month ago. My tank is a 2 month old upgrade. During that time I also had a case of diatoms.

The diatoms are now gone thankfully, but I noticed the coraline is starting to turn white in some spots and is no longer spreading.

The only things I've changed in my ssytem is dosing iodine in small amounts daily rather than weekly. And I added another hydor powerhead for more circulation.

What could be the reason my coraline is no longer growing and is there anything to be worried about?

[kaihonu82]

some of my coralline has died off as well, so I'm also interested..

[kevin2000]

Coraline growth is primarily tied to calcium levels and tank maturity. Often regular water changes will provide sufficient calcium for coraline in a new tank.

Not sure why your adding iodine ... many would argue that no tank needs supplemental iodine .. and I doubt that anyone would argue that a FOWL needs any iodine .. might consider saving your money.

[barbra]

That seems like a lot of iodine additions. Are you sure that much is needed?

Magnesium is important for coralline growth as well. A change in lighting, usually to brighter, will kill some off or cause bleaching.

[Cozen89]

ny iodine I mean the Kent Marine Iodine that contains DI water, potassium iodide, calcium iodide, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium tetraborate.

I was told this was a good supplement for my reef tank.

Was I misinformed?

[Cozen89]

I also do water changes quite often with catalina water. Probably about every 7-10 days 5 gallons at a time.

[kevin2000]

Heres an article which may help with your iodine question.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2003/chem.htm

Your going to find the "supplements" are a real racket with LFS's and the operative word is "buyer beware". Many would argue that you simply don't need to add most supplements .. and iodine is on that list.

Hope this helps.

[ahullsb]

I agree. I would not be adding iodine. And if you are I hope you are testing for it. Magnesium is also a problem if it's too low. Buy a test kit and make sure it is around 1300. Stronger lighting will cut down on your coraline growth, and it might not come back. That happened to me when I switched from power compacts to mh's. Now I only get coraline on the under side of rocks and in caves.

[seapug]

Check your Alkalinity, too. It's something that's important for coralline but gets depleted quickly as a tank matures and needs to be supplemented. I ran my tank with ReefCrystals, iodine supplementation and 2Xwk water changes for a long time without checking my alk and noticed my coralline was turning white. When I finally tested, my Calcium was at 520 and my Alk was only 4 dkh! After 2 months of Alk monitoring & baking soda additions its up to 12dkh and coralline has rebounded big time.

[Cozen89]

baking soda additions?

[demonsp]

Test all readings and never add unless ypu need it. If the coraline was exposed to air then it will die off. Also poor water ( tap or unlevel readings ) . Its best to try consistancy , and there will be less stress on system.

[oct2274]

3 things to check for coraline algae growth issues = alk, calcium, magnesium. If you have those three things in check you will be fine. I'm guessing your alk was probably low