Carib Sea Purple Up Coralline Algae Growth Accelerator???

mwanttie · 03-10-2005, 10:06 AM

I have been having trouble keeping my pH up to 8.2. My total alkalinity had been fairly constant at 4.5 meq/L. It has recently dropped to around 8.0. I used some SeaChem Reef Buffer which is supposed to raise my pH and Alkalinity. When I tested the next day my pH had risen to 8.1 but my Alkalinity had dropped to 4.0 meq/L.

Now, to my question. When I went to my LFS, the saltwater guy talked me into buying a product called Carib Sea Purple Up Coralline Algae Growth Accelerator. He said he uses it in all his tanks and it keeps everything stable as well as promoting coralline. Do any of you have experience with this product?

icebear · 03-10-2005, 10:10 AM

boy... i would think that no matter what you add for liquid magic, the coralline ain't gonna grow untill the water conditions are right for it.

its like growing houseplants in complete darkness...

BUT if the stuff is supposed to stabilize the water-- and it actually does that somehow..... i guess its possible....

but i'm no good at chemistry

wanareef · 03-10-2005, 10:17 AM

Our PH stay's at 8.0 can't raise and it won't go under. The coraline grows like crazy but in the shady areas of the tank and not in the bright light. Just make sure your Stroat and Mag are up to where they are suppose to be.

mwanttie · 03-10-2005, 10:27 AM

My biggest concern right now is the water parameters, not the coraline. Obviously everyone wants nice coraline and if that is a side affect then great. I guess my question is if anyone uses it to control water parameters?

I tend to do almost all of my shopping online (for everything not just reef stuff) but I am really trying to build a decent relationship with a LFS, even though my experiences have not been great so far. This saltwater guy at the LFS swears by the stuff to control water parameters so I thought I would try it.

I will test again tonight (I try to do it at the same time of the day) and see if it helped.

drsyme · 03-10-2005, 10:58 AM

pH, alkalinity, and calcium is a complicated subject, and they are all intertwined.

How do you check your alkalinity? What is your calcium level?

My first suggestion is that, most likely, if your alkalinity is normal, then you would not want to add buffer (alkalinity) in order to correct pH.

What you need to do, is figure out why your pH is low.

What are your ammonia/nitrate/nitrite levels? Do you know the CO2 level near your tank?

Doing water changes is almost always going to help, and is almost always not going to hurt.

mwanttie · 03-10-2005, 11:48 AM

I did a 50 gallon water change on Saturday. It was Tuesday when I noticed the pH was low. I use the SeaChem test for total alkalinity. The buffer was for pH but it said that it would also raise Alkalinity. I am waiting for a new Salifert Calcium test so I don't know what my calcuim level is. As far as the CO2, I don't know that either but it is cold here and the house is closed up so it may be somewhat high. No different than it has been for the last few months though. Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is 0, and Nitrate is between 2-5.

I did use an entire stick of Aquastic Epoxy Putty on Saturday and my skimmer has been going mad with foam. It is just starting to settle down this morning. I suppose that could be the problem with the pH. Maybe I should just be patient and see if it works itself out.