How to kill coralline algae

[Fungia]

My coralline algae is covering all my live rock, plug n back wall. The tank is full of zoanthus without other type of corals. Now the coralline is start covering up some of my zoos. zoos are having hard time to grow. Please help! Any idea how to kill the coralline. I tried to drain out all the water for 2hours. Refill back the water. Didnt make any damage to them at all, as well as my zoos.

Tank size L24"xW12"xH12"
No3 5ppm
Alk 9dkh
Ca 400ppm
P04 0ppm
1.023
28c-29c
4xt5ho
no skimmer
refugiumSump 24x8x12

[CrazyZoa]

Coralline is covering up your polyps...you sure?

[Friday Night]

ummm... never heard of that happening before... pics?

:beer:

[d0ughb0y]

its probably red cyano. if that is the case, you need to manually remove it. blast it with turkey baster and siphon them out.

[coralj]

i never heard of that either it most be cyano..

[KafudaFish]

Interesting if it is coralline.

Why can't it be that and not cyano? Of course pictures would help. (I just want to see the tank).

I am going to give the benefit to Fungia since he or she probably knows the difference between the two if join date means anything.

[CrazyZoa]

I just don't see coralline being agressive enough to out compete a coral.

[Ludwigia73]

I've seen coralline plating in seasoned systems, looks almost like potato chips or really thin capricornis growing off the surface. I can see it happening, I wish I could get it to happen!

[Fungia]

Thank for reply, ok I will get the picture later. Ah.. I think I got 1 old picture. This plug show that the coralline fully grow on the plug, and the zoo having hard time to grow over them. Instead the coralline had cover the half of the plug. I think I have plenty of plug with fully cover by coralline without a polyp of zoo left.
I will take the latest picture of that plug later. Hope can get help from here.

[Fungia]

I've seen coralline plating in seasoned systems, looks almost like potato chips or really thin capricornis growing off the surface. I can see it happening, I wish I could get it to happen!

Trust me you will cry when it happen.:sad1:

[Fungia]

ok, heres are the picture. you can see the coralline start to cover the leg of the polyp n killing it.
Please help, I don't think this is only hapenning to me.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010113.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010115.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010116.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010114.jpg

[Fungia]

FTS
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1020117.jpg:mad:

[lbaldrey]

OMG! What an insane looking tank! ......drool..........

I would love to have this problem...

[KafudaFish]

Wow nice tank and sorry about your issue. So it looks like one of those that sort of plate as it grows and then covers the rocks like in the first picture.

The only other tank I can think of that had that much algae growth was HDTV"s FOWLR tank and that was because he wanted it and not plain gray rocks.

So what to do right?
First I am suprised since you have T5s running. Many people say that CA has a harder time growing in bright light but this does not seem to be the case.

The other is do you know your Mg level? When people report their CA is dying and turning white their Mg is usually very low like 1100 ppm or less.

On the rocks that you can remove can you take a screw driver, razor blade, dremel tool and cut it off?

As far as how to remove it otherwise long spine urchins will eat it. Can you get them in Malaysia?

Also are you doing for Ca and Alk or are those numbers just in that range?

Finally does it look like every colony is being affected or just luck of the draw?

[Akwarius]

What he said^^^

Also, what about lowering your mag and cal to limit the coralline growth? You have a softie tank so this should have a minimal effect on the corals. Either by using a salt mix that is lower in cal and mag or adding some fast growing hard corals such as monti digitata would help.

[Guygettnby]

this is a very interesting thread. i have had coraline algea be a problem in the past from it growing in plates and blocking light..... but never actually growing over top of a coral?? thats just plain crazy. are you dosing the tank with something? how about your Cal,Mag,Alk levels? do you have a calcium reactor on that tank? please supply more info about the tank, the equipment and its paremeters.

[Fungia]

Wow nice tank and sorry about your issue. So it looks like one of those that sort of plate as it grows and then covers the rocks like in the first picture.

The only other tank I can think of that had that much algae growth was HDTV"s FOWLR tank and that was because he wanted it and not plain gray rocks.

So what to do right?
First I am suprised since you have T5s running. Many people say that CA has a harder time growing in bright light but this does not seem to be the case.
Thanks for your reply, Yes I am running T5HO 2blue 2white Recently I tried running only 2 white. Hope the CA stop growing, but it won't work.

The other is do you know your Mg level? When people report their CA is dying and turning white their Mg is usually very low like 1100 ppm or less.
My Mg at 1200ppm


On the rocks that you can remove can you take a screw driver, razor blade, dremel tool and cut it off?
Yes, I think this is the final thing that I need to do.

As far as how to remove it otherwise long spine urchins will eat it. Can you get them in Malaysia?
Sure, But that urchin will grow very big with that kind of long spine in my 2ft tank. I don't think I like it so much.:rolleyes:

Also are you doing for Ca and Alk or are those numbers just in that range?
I add kh buffer or Mg buffer when I do top up water.

Finally does it look like every colony is being affected or just luck of the draw?
From the picture you can see all the plug and also the live rock infected.

[Fungia]

What he said^^^

Also, what about lowering your mag and cal to limit the coralline growth? You have a softie tank so this should have a minimal effect on the corals. Either by using a salt mix that is lower in cal and mag or adding some fast growing hard corals such as monti digitata would help.

Thank you,
Usually saw thread about how to increase CA grow,
Low NO3
Stable high Alk n Ca
Stable Temp.
Strong Blue Spectrum
etc

I am thinking of doing it reverse too? :lol2:

I don't think I can add sps to that tank. By the time the sps start growing, I need to worry about the Ca and alk again.:rolleyes:

[KafudaFish]

Akwarius:

I laughed when I read this because on the way to work I thought about a fuge with montis to compete for the Ca. Can you imagine the uproar in the sps forum?

Or how about a fuge with a cheap clip on light and just PVC pipe? The CA would grow there pretty quickly and you could take it out and kill it then replace the pipe. It would be something similar to an algae turf scrubber but for this.

Just thinking out loud if you will.

Caluerpa is also an option but one could be trading one evil for another.

Fungia:

I ran 2 blue and 2 + and I had little CA growth where the light hit so it may take some time.

I understand about the urchin. I have been slammed against them while snorkeling before and had to dig spines out of my hand the rest of the week.

I wonder if you could slow the growth down by not buffering as much. As said it is a softy tank and buffering is not needed as much.

[balto777]

Tuxedo urchin should eat it also and not get too big.

[RokleM]

Only downside of a urchin is the fact they are bulldozers. They can/will remove anything that's even remotely loose including new frags not fully attached, polyps that might get "dug up" during the rock/coralline eating process, everything in the sand is at risk of being hauled around and/or moved to other locations, etc.

[Akwarius]

Yeah, this seems like an easy fix in a softy tank. Less buffer, add a monti cap or digita and the coralline will slow if not stop growing entirely.

[chucktd321]

perfect example of too much of good thing can be bad lol. Id def add some hardy sps as the others say and manually remove as much as possible with a scraper. Never ever have i seen something like this.

[Fungia]

Take out the right side rock,
cut out most of the zoo,
scrap away the coralline as much as possible.
Reglue back the zoo. End up with lots of flag.:lol:
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010134.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010131.jpg

[Jacuzzi]

Never seen this very interesting and quite an issue but I think you can solve by the above ideas good luck

[Gill_bucket]

I have noticed the same problem in my tank the Coraline grew right on the flesh of a GSP frag which is now dead!!!

[KafudaFish]

Take one down pass it around .....

So do you think you will be able to save most of the polyps?

Are there any that were covered and now recovering?

Good luck again.

[boodlefish]

+1 for tux/ pincousin urchin- he keeps my CA in check without moving too much stuff around...

as far as the idea of adding something to limit excess cal/alk which ca needs what about a squamosa clam? i got one and it initially slowed all my sps & ca growth down by how fast/ well it sucks up alk/cal. if you got a small one it would fit the aesthetics of your tank and slow your ca growth. Green/orange monti digi also grow fast but i think a clam would be more fitting in your tank then some lower end sps.

[FrankenReef]

Maybe use halimeda in a refugium for calcium export?

[Fungia]

Take one down pass it around .....

So do you think you will be able to save most of the polyps?Yes I think so.

Are there any that were covered and now recovering? Still early to tell

Good luck again. Thank you

[Fungia]

Maybe use halimeda in a refugium for calcium export?

Yes, I have that growing like weed too.:spin2:

[reefkeeper01]

I feel for you and can empathize. I have only had this problem once and can tell you, DO NOT GET A SEA URCHIN to fix it. Once they get in your tank it is a pain to get them out. They work but can create more havoc once the algae is gone.

Since there are different types of coralline algae it is hard to fix the problem immediately. You may either have to decease or increase the time on your lighting. I found that keeping my 100 gallon to a weekly water change of 10% one week and 15% fixed the cal nd phos levels and a reduction in my moon lighting time fixed the problem.

I still have the algae present but it is no longer forming plates that become a problem.
The last option would be to routinely trade with your local fish store. Highly covered rock is coveted to a fish store that sells live rock. If you have any Colt Corals place them on pieces of the live rock, give it a few weeks 4-5 to adhere and trade it in for more $.

[Friday Night]

My coralline algae is covering all my live rock, plug n back wall. The tank is full of zoanthus without other type of corals. Now the coralline is start covering up some of my zoos. zoos are having hard time to grow. Please help! Any idea how to kill the coralline. I tried to drain out all the water for 2hours. Refill back the water. Didnt make any damage to them at all, as well as my zoos.

Tank size L24"xW12"xH12"
No3 5ppm
Alk 9dkh
Ca 400ppm
P04 0ppm
1.023
28c-29c
4xt5ho
no skimmer
refugiumSump 24x8x12

Any luck? updates?

[blasterman789]

Why is is it the guys who have insane coraline growth don't really want it? I have a friend with a 30gal that's pretty neglected and running cheap fish orientated T8s, and coraline is so thick and grows so fast even nuisance alage gets grown over. Tank looks just like Fungias, except even more encrusted.

I'm also going to guess Fungia is running older bulbs, or ones that have a reddish spectrum. I agree with above the limiting CA and magnesium should slow the coraline down.

Carbon dosing probably wouldn't hurt because it will strip any remaining nitrate out of the water, and fast growing coraline loves nitrate. However, this will slow down zoa growth as well.

[balto777]

I feel for you and can empathize. I have only had this problem once and can tell you, DO NOT GET A SEA URCHIN to fix it. Once they get in your tank it is a pain to get them out. They work but can create more havoc once the algae is gone.

I disagree with this statement. My sea urchin, which I have had for almost 2 years now, could be taken from the tank at anytime. I fact, I have plucked him off of pumps when I needed to take the pumps out for cleaning. I think the type of urchin could be important, as my experiance is with a tuxedo urchin.

As for corraline algea. My tank used to grow it fairly good, but it was never a nuisance. However, my urchin has gotten rid of most of it. It is only left in the places he can't reach.

[RokleM]

Why is is it the guys who have insane coraline growth don't really want it? I have a friend with a 30gal that's pretty neglected and running cheap fish orientated T8s, and coraline is so thick and grows so fast even nuisance alage gets grown over. Tank looks just like Fungias, except even more encrusted.

The best coralline growth I had was with two absolutely terrible 6-10kish T5 bulbs in a cheap fixture. It grew 1/8 - 3/16 inch thick coralline on my 100g poly. A lot of people have better luck with lower PAR, more white/yellow spectrum. So I can't say I'm surprised by your comment. While it grows in a SPS heavy tank under 400w, it's a slower process.

[Fungia]

Any luck? updates?

So far ok, I stop dosing anything hope will slow down or stop the CA grow.
Like to share the zoo open after clean out the CA.
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010153.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010152.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010154.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l132/Wonderland_aq/P1010155.jpg

[manhorsedog]

Those little star fish eat it. Not sure if you want them in your tank but it would help out a lot

[KafudaFish]

White rocks never looked so good.

Glad you are winning.