Coraline

what are some colors purple is the one i see most often but what other color have you seen also does it need light to grow

 

There is a ton and a half of different colors purple is just the most common (come to think of it i wonder why). Google Coraline you'll probably find a list.

 

It needs calcium and light (especially actinic) and patience to grow. There is also a product called Purple Up I have heard of that is supposed to encourage growth. Try putting a rock with a corralina patch next to a PH. It might help to spread the sporophytes around your tank.

 

It does need light because it is an algae. But it does prefer low light over high. That is why it grows at the bottom of the tank first. The color comes from pigments designed to protect it from UV radiation as well as pigments used for photosynthesis.

 

That I have seen, there is purple, blue, yellow, and green

 

I currently have purple, dark maroon, and green, but mine is still growing, most of my rock was base rock so it is just now starting to color up. I wouldn't use purple up, just let nature run her course! "Go slow and let it grow!"

 

I used purple up for awhile but got tired of scraping coralline from the glass all the time, it's a pain in the butt if you ask me. Stopped using purple up and I still have enough coralline on my rocks to give my tank some color but now I don't have to scrape the glass as much. Yeah for me, I win! Purple up is expensive and it will not create coralline, it only helps what you have to grow better/faster. If you use a toothbrush on your existing coralline with the skimmer and aim a powerhead onto the rocks your brushing, it will help the coralline to spread faster. Mission6 is right, high intensity light will kill it off.

 

Never used anything for coraline.. Just time...