Whats Going On With My Coraline?...

[Stu1210]

My rocks are covered in mostly purple coraline...

Just lately the Purple has been coming away and seeding the sand bed nicely...

Underneath is a deep red algae that isn't so "Plastic looking" as the Purple as it has a matt appearance...

Also i am getting speckling of white on most of the existing purple... is it diminishing!?...

On the Higher rocks the Coraline has started to turn Orange/Brown in some areas... Is this normal?.. It isn't diatoms because it doesn't brush away and the Turbo's can't shift it....

Here are the Params:

Amm & Nit - 0
Nitrate - less than 5ppm
ph - 8.1
SG - 1.024
phos - 0
Cal - 400
DKH - 105

Any idea's?....

 

[Stu1210]

anyone?...

 

[maidenfan]

hi stu
mmmmmmmm new one on me not sure about coraline coming off the rocks never seen much sign of this in my tank
how long have you been set up what equipment are you using could you post any pics

 

[Stu1210]

can post pics tomorrow...

Could Low Mg levels be to blame?... I haven't tested for Mg so i'm going to buy a kit tonight...

 

[N1z]

I do know that coraline can come in different colours, such as red, pink, purple and green. Not sure about the brown though, could be diatoms but as you said it doesnt brush off.

 

[SkiFletch]

I do know that coraline can come in different colours, such as red, pink, purple and green. Not sure about the brown though, could be diatoms but as you said it doesnt brush off.

It comes in brown allright... I have a brown calcerous algae strain that grows on my glass. Real PITA

Whats your lighting like Stu?

 

[poo-tang]

also who lives in this tank...i have some snails that when i first introduced them, they plowed a couple of spots of corraline clean. i have also seen my emerald crad snatching up small specks from time to time though his damage is neglible...urchins also can do some serious damage to corraline...something to consider.

 

[Stu1210]

i have an arcadia overtank luminaire 2ft T5... standard tubes (2 white, 2 blues)

tank inhabitants:

1 x Perc clown
1 x Cleaner Wrasse
1 x Purple Firefish

1 x toadstool leather
1 x finger leather
Zoa's colony
Mushrooms

2 x blue legged hermits
4 x astrea snails

i went to buy a Mg test kit last night but they had sold out so i couldn't test my Mg levels...

i brought a replacement Alk test though as i had my suspicions on the Hagen test...

and yep... my DkH is about 6!!!

i have reef buffer to raise this but don't want to add any till i have checked my Mg levels as all 3 have a correlation....

All live stock is healthy and to be honest! Thriving!....

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hey Stu

It could've been when you were aquascaping the rocks, it only takes a little exposure to the air for coraline to die off. I don't think it's something you need to worry about too much as it should start growing back soon

 

[Stu1210]

Hey Stu

It could've been when you were aquascaping the rocks, it only takes a little exposure to the air for coraline to die off. I don't think it's something you need to worry about too much as it should start growing back soon

Hi Dan...

i'm not too worried about it to be honest! i just thought it may be a bit interesting to know what was going on...

I paid a visit to Billy at MG marines yesterday and brought a few more KG of Premium Live rock... i wanted a few flat pieces as i'm re-scaping the tank this weekend to a L shape lagoon to give me better scope for the corals and future additions.

Tank is looking great and i'm very happy with it!

I think i may have found the problem with your temperature (you said you were struggling to get lowered) Well the Jager heater is a bit faulty. No matter what temperature you set the dial to it kept the tank at a steady 27.8°...

I have brought a new one and it seems to be fine....

I'm still getting the odd Aiptasia spring up here and there and yesterday i had a huge one appear on the new LR... I need to get hold of a needle and syringe to kill these little buggers!... I think a peppermint shrimp might have to be purchased to keep these pests under wraps! Thing is i hate Peppermints.. They are so ugly...

New tank is looking nice though mate!

 

[SkiFletch]

and yep... my DkH is about 6!!!

Coraline algae loves high alkalinity and will suffer when it drops, especially if it drops as low as 6dKH. There's your problem right there

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Hey Stu

Are you using the original tank or did you get a replacement?

No wonder i couldn't get the temp down then, i was told Jager heaters were one of the best on the market but i won't be using them again if thats what the problem was

You can just use any old test tube like the one that is used for the refactometer, just a nightmare trying to find one, like the chap above said you could try the chemist but they will think you want to inject yourself! take the bottle of JJ's with you and they might understand

Looking forward to seeing how you've scaped it, just waiting for me mum to make her mind up if she wants to move or not and then i might be planning a new nano, will be good to have the experience from the last one. Might Pm you in a couple of months about installing a outside tap if she wants to stay

Dan

 

[Stu1210]

Hey Stu

Are you using the original tank or did you get a replacement?

No wonder i couldn't get the temp down then, i was told Jager heaters were one of the best on the market but i won't be using them again if thats what the problem was

You can just use any old test tube like the one that is used for the refactometer, just a nightmare trying to find one, like the chap above said you could try the chemist but they will think you want to inject yourself! take the bottle of JJ's with you and they might understand

Looking forward to seeing how you've scaped it, just waiting for me mum to make her mind up if she wants to move or not and then i might be planning a new nano, will be good to have the experience from the last one. Might Pm you in a couple of months about installing a outside tap if she wants to stay

Dan

Thats no problem dan..

i stuck with the original tank... as i didn't want to stress the fish out too much by keep moving them around...

I swapped the Purple firefish out and have added a 6 Line wrasse as a replacement... He doesn't hide as much at the firefish...

I tackled the Aips in the end by shutting off the powerheads and squirting the jj on top f them... I'll be getting a peppermint to tackle any new-comers

I got the bug back now and am already planning on a custom built 24" cube running on a closed loop system....

We'll see for now though...

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Sounds good, 6 lines are nice fish

That's the problems with nano's as they just don't last long enough as you want to upgrade straight away