Im stumpped??

i would be willing to bet with alk and calcium your magnesium is all out of wack and from what i can tell with my tanks low mag wont allow it to grow

quit doseing for a wile let the tank stableize 380-420 cal 7-11 dkh mag 1250-1350 work on keeping thame stable may take a couple more months paitionce is key in this hobby and is easyer than it seems

after that borrow onr of your friends small rocks ans use a razor blade and scrape some in your tank it will take off in no time

 

Im using RO mix saltwater purchased at LFS. After some research and gt's post I beleive its the magnesium. I have not tested for that nor have I supplied the tank with it. Im going to add it and see. I have not dose it in a while cal or alk so lets see. (fingers crossed gesture)

 

My first question is, do you have any coralline in your tank currently? Coralline needs to be seeded in order to grow (a rock, snail shell etc. which has the algae on it) – sorry, I am uncertain if purple up has seeds or if its just is calcium, magnesium and strontium)

Anyway, most say strong lighting is required – the fact is, any lighting works – I have coralline in my dark overflows, wrapping under rock ledges and just about everywhere you can imagine.

Specifically, good calcium around 350-450. 8-12 DKH, no phosphates or nitrates. Dose Strontium – and test for it, do NOT add anything to your tank you can not test. Alternatively, regular water changes will do all of the above.

All you need to do is ensure no phosphates and nitrates, such as utilizing RO/DI and not overfeeding etc.

The starting point it to seed the tank with scrapings from another tank – if you have a few spots I suggest sacrificing them. Turn off your skimmer and scrap the coralline until its gone, this will distribute the seed throughout your tank and it will grow if you follow the above.

The simple fact is that a tank seeded with coralline spores will grow coralline as a by product to your efforts of maintaining your water quality without doing anything special. Focus on the water, fish, corals and the rest will take care of itself.

 

I have a hard time beliving your alk and ca are where they are. Your Mg has to be all out of whack. I find it hard to imagine maintaining those numbers without precipitation. Coraline or no coraline, you need to get those squared away. Don't buy any coral till you do. You will shock the crap out of them putting them in your tank.

I also know you want coraline... honestly it's over rated. Seems when a tank is bare purple rocks seems like a good idea... till you have to constantly scrape the stuff off everything. I didn't want a tank full of purple rocks, I wanted a tank full of coral. When it grows out you won't even see rock.

But listen to Crimson Ghost, coraline is a byproduct of good water quality, not of special conditions. Focus on getting your chemistry straight.

 

ok thanks guys the skimmer is off and trying to get everything in order. ill keep you posted thanks again