Lost, need help

I have small patches on the rocks here and there, but nothing on the glass yet. I can tell the patches are getting larger though.

Any advice?

 

After 8 months my back glass was completely covered in coraline. I wonder if your lighting needs to be adjusted or if your water quality is off. I was using a 4x60 W Odyssea PC fixture on a 72 gal bowfront. Perhaps you need more actinic lighting. The LR I bought was really covered with it though so maybe that's the difference.

 

Just a reminder....we can't judge (in most instances) others tanks by our own or by things we read or hear. Lfs guy told me he had hardly no Coraline for 2 years then it took of. My 55 gal. (the new one) is now about that old and didn't get a lot until 6 mos. ago and it is mostly on the rock where I want it because I don't like the look of it on the glass. I do allow it on the corner overflow and power heads though.

 

I doubt I need anymore Actnic lighting, lol. I already have 4 Actnic bulbs out of the 6.

Like I said I have some, it just isn't growing as fast as others.

All test show that everything is fine, cept Ca. Droped a little bit over the pass 2 weeks. But I know why that is.

 

You can always try sticking a corralina covered rock next to a PH to help distribute the spores--or powderizing some and letting it go in the tank. I don't know if those techniques work but some people use them.

I think it is important to remember three facts about corralina:
a) it does not like bright lighting so it tends to grow on the lower half and the in the back of tanks first.
b) it can take quite some time to seed rocks with corralina but once a spot has been established it can spread quickly in a radius around that spot.
c) there are several varieties and there can be an order of succession where one type grows, dies, then gives way to another type. It can be several years until the final version of corralina covering has developed.

 

Didn't mean to judge or offend anyone with my coraline comment. Sorry, if anybody took it that way.

Lots of people have told me that it is an indicator of good tank health so I figured I'd ask if it was being manually removed or if it was slow growing for some reason. I just changed my lighting myself from dimmer PCs to T5s so we'll see if mine starts to recede.

I know what you mean by not liking the way it looks on the back glass. My wife hates the way it looks. I don't mind it.

 

So I thought about my flow and change a few things slightly. Been over 24 hours now and I'm only getting that algae on the bottom left hand side of the tank which is ok. It is not very much though.

I also reduced my lights from 14 to 12 hours.

Did a tank cleaning and some testing.

All test still show fine if not perfect. Again I know my Ca is lower, but I know why that is.

Also, the glass was not covered in green tint/algae.

Perfect gas exchange, too.

The fish seem to like the new flow as they are enjoying both sides of the tank.