Coralline Algae

[RayAllen]

I was thinking about coralline algae and there may be no rhyme or reason, but what determines it's color?

When I had the BioCube reef I had tons of light pinkish to darker purple algae.

Now in my 180g reef several months in I have majority red coralline with little purple.

This isnt an issue, just wondering what determines color.... My several years in the hobby I never really put much thought into this untill now.

[Kristy]

I've got no answers for you, Ray, but I will add to your ponderings. In our oldest and most established corraline-covered rock, it seems that it has gone from pink / purple coralline to turquise and pink. The turquoise reminds me of oxidized copper.

[tony]

mine also tends to be more red than purple

[RayAllen]

Turquoise would be kind of cool to have. Ive never seen that in my aquariums.

Ive also started to get these random dark almost black spots a few months ago, maybe a black sponge or something.

[cbianco]

I was thinking about coralline algae and there may be no rhyme or reason, but what determines it's color?...

I would say quality and type of lighting.

Christopher

[RayAllen]

You would think type of lighting. My BioCube was Basic PCs and grew purple all day. When I was running a 250 Watt MH i could not grow it for nothing.

In the ocean there are many colors all in the same spot which they all get the same sun. May be more of a chemical nutrient thing....

[neogenix]

I have some patches that are neon red... I always assumed it was different strains and lighting...

[RayAllen]

Its a mystery, but im glad to have any coralline algae.

I think the more actinic light the better though

Who knows....

[bullstedman]

Good topic have never thought of it before could it just be differnt strains and the coulditions detirmen what does best?

[RayAllen]

Heres a good little read on it.

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Coralline_algae

I like this paragraph from the article

Coralline algae are widespread in all of the world's oceans, where they often cover close to 100% of rocky substrata. Many are epiphytic (grow on other algae or marine angiosperms), or epizoic (grow on animals), and some are even parasitic on other corallines. Despite their ubiquity, the coralline algae are poorly known by ecologists, and even by specialist phycologists (people who study algae).

[RayAllen]

Even the biologist are a little puzzeled.