Ideas on enticing coralline algae to grow?

[El Scorpio]

I've got some live rock in my tank, and so far the only thing I've gotten to grow on it is copepod larvae and black hair algae. I'd like to get some coralline growing on the stuff, but will admit that I don't know much about it, or much about live rock for that matter, as this is my first marine aquarium. So, does anyone know what kind of special parameters coralline likes/does not like? Will it grow on its own or am I gonna have to seed it somehow? Thanks in advance.

[Pufferpunk]

Mine always grew on it's own. What brand salt are you using? You're gonna have to be diligent & pull that HA out by hand for a while.

[El Scorpio]

I'm using Red Sea salt. I've been keeping that hair algae in check, with help from my little pig of a sleeper goby who likes to eat just about everything (he even killed and ate a ghost shrimp, once.)

[c333davis]

Interesting question! I never thought about it.

I googled your question and found this article: http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutc ... alline.htm

Let us know how it goes if you try out any of the processes in the article.

[El Scorpio]

Figured out why I don't have any coralline on my live rock; they require calcium in the water. No calcium = no coralline. So, I picked up a calcium test kit and my water has maybe 40 ppm of calcium in it. Probably from me using RO water, but our tap water has an insane amount of silica and phosphorous in it, and I simply can't use it without a massive diatom/cyanobacteria explosion. Need some calcium! Anybody got any calcium...?

[Blaine]

I'm fairly new as well,...but Instant Ocean Reef Crystals have 455 ppm Calcium and 1345 ppm Magnesium at 1.026 sg. I was using regular Instant Ocean before but I have switched to Reef Crystals to facilitate coral growth

[FADE2BLACK_1973]

Yep calcium and magnesium is the most very key elements for good coraline algae grow, oh and a good 50/50 lighting, imo. Thats how I had my marine and reef tanks in the past get covered in coraline algae. Mainly the pink coraline and alittle bit purple. I supplemented alot though. I used Seachem and Kent Marine products but there is alot of other great brands out there that probelly do the same.

[El Scorpio]

LFS didn't have any Reef Crystals but they did have a bucket of Red Sea Coral Pro which is practically the same thing, just different brand (high in calcium and magnesium, no nitrates, no phosphates.) I'll start using that for water changes. I do use 50/50 lighting in my tank, so once the mineral levels get to where they need be I should start to see something.