coraline growth and lighting experiment.

I need some to seed with. The nearest lfs is just over 100 miles away.....I like the way the test turned out though...

 

I do too ColdShot. I wish one could take a cheese grater to the coralline and just sprinkle it everywhere to seed!

 

Nice experiment! I am running a 70W 14000K HQI on my 20G and getting a ton of green coralline algae on my rocks and tank walls now, it's ugly. At least it hasn't overtaken the pink and purple though. *knock on wood* Maybe it's time I supplement with my 10000K and 420nm T5s.

 

Corallines do not like intense lighting thats why I always seed the systm and use only 420nm actinics and even then it always starts low in the tank and in shaded areas . Next time try lighting one half with the T5 what ever and no light at al on the other side .. the draker side will grow it faster..

 

I have some really pretty pinks growing on the bottom of my rocks in the shade. The stuff on my walls is actually growing but is almost a white. Its not dead bcause it is spreading and getting thicker but it pretty much white.

 

Interesting, maybe I'll move my HQI to one side of my tank and just leave the T5 actinics on the other side. I wonder how my anemone will take to it though.

 

Very nice!!! Love the experiment, you should put a piece of the same plastic as the overflow on the MH side and see how the changes the amount of growth. I always understond that it was the atinic lighting that coraline likes! k+ for you!

he will just move and kill everything in his way. At least this is what would probly happen in my tank, with my luck.
;D

You know what works great!?!...plastic razor blade and elbow grease:LolLolLol

 

I also think that the other side of the equation is turbulent water flow. in the corner of the tank where flow is mixed there is more growth and also where the intakes are on the overflow there also seems to be alot of growth. I guess there is a good mix of light and flow to produce the perfect condition for growing fast growth corline. But I would have to disagree with just lighting with t5 to grow corline. If you eventuly want to switch to halides you will have what I would call corline bleaching. I have had that when I move rocks in my tanks. Its seems to take long for new corline to take its place.
This experiment was just a cause of lack of funds and just a statement of the facts and shouldn't be taken as a short cut to corline production unless you intend to stay with that particuler lighting.

 

my snails seem to like to eat the green coraline. I also try to keep it off my viewing glass

 

My snails are lazy, they don't eat much of anything. They didn't eat the GHA (which I didn't expect they would) and will graze on diatoms after they have built up a bit on the sandbed when they realize that's all they have to eat. They do keep my rocks clean though. But they don't touch the green coralline algae though. I mainly have margarita snails.