coralline algae turning white...

[colinsoon]

on nearly all my rocks... any idea why/????

[keithtanbb]

1) Do name us a list of sea critters in your tank, do you have sea urchin, especially the long black spikes type? they will scrape the coralline algae from the rocks! If you must get the shorter spikes variety

2) what is the kind of lighting system you have on and what is the photo period you have on?

[chrysurus]

Hi,

Coralline Algae is calcareous by nature, requiring many of the same things corals do in order to flourish:

SG apx 1.024

Calcium 350 to 480 ppm

Carbonate Alkalinity Between 2.5 and 4.0 meq/L (7-12 dKH)

Strontium

Low Phosphates (Close to Zero)

Low Nitrates (5 ppm or lower

Lighting,

Some types of Coralline will grow better under certain lighting while other types will grow better under a different lighting. For the most part, it seems that Coralline will grow under minimal reef type lighting (Corallines do well under 1.6 watts per gallon of a combination of 10000K and Actinic Blue),

or

2 Triton 40 watt bulbs to each Blue Moon 40 watt bulb has produced the fastest growth of Coraline algae."

[chrisyew]

1) Do name us a list of sea critters in your tank, do you have sea urchin, especially the long black spikes type? they will scrape the coralline algae from the rocks! If you must get the shorter spikes variety

2) what is the kind of lighting system you have on and what is the photo period you have on?

How to remove these long spike sea urchin? I've one dark pink color one grown from small to big and some of my rock are turning white too; tried to remove it but it stick onto the rock very hard, can't seem to pull it out.

[colinsoon]

SG apx 1.021

Calcium (no idea how much)

Carbonate Alkalinity ( no idea how much)

Strontium (no idea how much)

Low Phosphates (no idea how much)

Nitrates (25 ppm)

mine is a 2 footer tank, using dymax T5NO... 1 blue and 1 white, 12000K. most of the start of the discporation is occuring at the tips of the rocks... and spreads slowly... i got no urchins... only 3 chromis, 1 clown, 2 damsels, 1 copperband, 1 scooter blenny, 1 dottyback... none of which will bother my rocks... think its the water... but other dat that, there are orangey yellow stuff growing out of my rocks... quite a lot of it.. so my water parameters cant be dat bad rite..

[May&Bruce]

colinsoon.....this seems a fairly common problem (although I have not experienced it yet). I have seen lots of questions on other reef sites about it, but can not specifically remember the reasons. The answers given seemed to simply be to make sure that your water parameters are all within range, esp. calcium and alkalinity.

[barnacle]

check your Calcium and KH. they need these.

i believe your Calcium and KH are low.

[May&Bruce]

hey barnacle, those are the nicest buns that I have seen in a long time

[barnacle]

hey barnacle, those are the nicest buns that I have seen in a long time

those thing dun need calcium an KH.

AND THOSE ARE NOT MINE!!!

[May&Bruce]

hahahaha...nice anyway