coralline algae

[blalocksreef]

Does anyone have a good way that they promote coralline algae growth?

[Satchmo]

No real secret, just keep your alkalinity and calcium nice and high. From my experience, certain colors or coralline have trouble growing in high light. I get mostly the purple and pink stuff in direct light. The nicer colors (greens, reds, etc) seem to flourish in the more cryptic areas of the tank.

[ERRN7]

Seconds Satchmo.....
I have a 72gal bowfront with live sand and live rock....gulfview. It has a frag piece of toadstool leather as well as a couple mushroom rocks. I have coralline on the back wall, all in powerheads as well as rocks. Low wattage light is key along with keeping CA and ALK up. I use two 25 watt 10K NO bulbs, along with 1 50/50 and 1 Actinic bulbs. With water changes I have to scrape small deposits of coralline alage from the front glass. Depending on what you wish to keep would determine your capacity for coralline growth.

[hammerandy]

I have it growing everywhere on both my 125 gallon reef and 90 gallon wanto be reef tank. On the 125 I use ESV bionic Ca and Alk. additives this tank has 200 lbs of live rock. My 90 gallon has 2 pcs of live and 10 pcs of base rock that we set up in my office with live sand for 9 months before we added anything. You should see the coraline all over the base rock. Now in this tank I don't add anything but a 12 gallon water change everyother week. The 90 has two 65 watt compacts and 125 gallon has 6-55 pc and 2-175 watt MH 10k. My 125 gallon has it growning up the side wall even with 700 watts of lighting.
Randy

[Dale W.]

You can also add Strontium and iodine to your tank to help promote coraline. On an interesting note. Some of the most encrusted peices that I come across are on the bottom sides of rocks away from the sun.