To clean or not to clean? That really is the qestion!

I am attempting to let the coraline algae grow on my back glass but it looks dirty. Do I clean the glass and if I do will that clean off the coraline algae as well? What is the best way to allow the algae to grow? It has a few spots on the back glass already.

 

generally its up to you, ive decided to let mine grow on the back glass and leave the front and side glass clear of it.

I know some users who dont want it on any of their glass. I cant keep up with cleaning the back glass all the time.

 

Coraline algae is hard and difficult to remove w/o a razor blade or some kind of scraper. I personally like an all black or all blue background, but some others like the coraline on the back.

If you want the coraline then I would use a mag-float on the back wall. They are easy to use, but are not coarse enough to go through coraline.

This one, on the other hand, is intended to remove coraline.

 

honestly your probably not gonna want it when it takes over your tank..lol umm whats the tank size? if you get an urchin that "eats" algae it will poop out corailline spores thus causing it to grow. also good water quality helps. also using something similar to a credit card usually takes off the bad algae and keeps the corailline algae.

 

Coralline algae grows over or out competes the film algae on my glass. In areas like behind power heads the film algae flourishes as well as the coralline. If the algae is something like GHA than yes, I think coralline might have difficulty gaining a foot hold IMO.

Also make sure the big 3 are in line. Calcium, Alk and Magnesium consistantly, that will go along way in promoting coralline.

 

noobish question, I can understand that you would want some algae for a specific type of nutrient for fish or coral but other than that why would you want it on your tank? I to think it would look dirty and would prefer to get it off the glass (but that is me)

 

most people think that Coraline algae is pretty. I think it is, i mean it comes in so many different colors. (pink, blue, purple, orange, red.....etc)