Coralline Algae Early Addition

JohnNYC8 · May 18, 2023

I'm setting up a new reef tank in a Red Sea Max Nano Peninsula (26 gallons). I plan to add two clownfish after my cycle completes along with clean up crew members as needed. My first coral addition will be a small zoa garden and I eventually plan to add one or two SPS corals when I reach a comfortable level of stability. Dosing equipment is in the budget and I don't mind the work of additional water changes and testing.

My question: is it crazy to add the clownfish, work on my numbers and stability, and then kickstart Coralline algae growth with a product like Purple Helix live algae spores? I like the idea of getting a healthy mix of coralline going early. I've searched around and I can't find anyone who has gone in this order.

My thought process is that if I have an environment that promotes coralline growth I know that I have a healthy environment for a variety of corals. I understand that this could end up slowing down the build but I don't mind being patient.

If this route isn't crazy, should I add 4-5 small zoa frags to start the zoa garden at the same time to bring more balance to the reef?

jda · May 18, 2023

Once your tank is stable and you have some film algae and stuff, then get some snails and crabs. The coralline on their shells is more than enough and actually the real deal coralline.

Be careful what you wish for. Coralline is kinda like kids learning how to talk... you are all excited at first, but then they just won't shut up... for life. Scraping coralline is the worst part of my reefing experience.

Put me on the list that coralline is a bottle is a joke. Spend the money elsewhere.

Some of the suppliers in the Keys can ship you blue zoas on jewelbox clam shells. These shells usually have a wide amount of microfauna and coralline on them that can jumpstart diversity your tank. reeftopia.com is a good place to look, but there are others. Some of these things will not tolerate high nitrate levels very well, so be patient and wait until your tank settles down a bit.