deans7269 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Just got my tank 1 week ago. I got 30lbs of live rock. 65lbs of dead rock. 75 gallon tank. One 125 gallon capacity. super skimmer. One Magnum 350 canister filter. Second day using Purple Up. Coraline Algae Accelerator. I am already seeing little spots of orange Algae on the dead rocks. It says to use 1 cap for every 50 gallons. I'm using 1 and 1/2 the correct dosage. How much more should I use this. It says to use it every day. Once it starts growing good. How much coverage should I see before discontinuing use? I was in a hurry to get things started. Now I want to slow down a little. Maybe I should skip a few days. It says to use at least once per week. Its made with super sea calcium. The Algae is the same color as the Algae on my live rocks. It seems I am heading in the right direction. I still need to get a test kit. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. I still don't have the right lighting for corals. I have live rock from several stores. So I'm not sure if its the right kind of Algae or not. It says in the bottle it encourages pink and purple Algae to grow. In a couple of weeks I can afford lighting or a EcoSystem Sump. Which is more important at this point. Lighting or a Sump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgreenthumb Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Be very careful not to overdose the purple up! You probably don't need to add any for a little while. You should bring your water into a lfs and have them test calcium and alkalinity. Do you have anything else in the tank? Definitely do not continue to dose every day espically without knowing what your calcium level is. You don't want to add to much and precipitate all of your calcium out of the water. Before I used a calcium reactor I used purple up for a little while and I used it at about 2 caps every week for a 90 gallon. The directions are pretty vague for purple up. Its hard to say how much each tank is going to need because each tank is going to use calcium at a different rate based on whats in the tank. Right now if you have if you have no coral in your tank then the only thing really using up any of that calcium is the coralline algea, and it doesn't take much purple up to maintain the coralline. So in conclusion, I highly recommend either having your water tested or getting some test kits. Most lfs's will do it for free or 1 dollar or something. Just definitely hold off for a a week or so though, and discontinue daily use. As for as whats more important, I would definitely go with the sump. You want to have good filtration and an established tank before you throw a nice light on it. filtration, water movement, and water quality all take priority over lighting, if any of these are out of wack nusiance algea and other problems are soon to follow, and these problems would be intensified by having a brighter light that can grow more bad algea faster. Thats my 2 cents. HTH By the way welcome to the forum!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Welcome to the PNWMAS Forum Dean!(rock2) If you would like to receive notifications of PNWMAS meetings and events, send me your e-mail address by PM. You will then be added then to our Evite list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
downhill_biker Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 let me add to what was said above... purple up is basically ca and alk in a bottle, which without corals you should be able to maintain with water changes alone. i would go ahead and take your water in to test, as suggested above. you may find that the purple up is not needed. it is an expensive way to dose ca and alk. as for your next purchase i would say both. get yourself a sump and a light from the classified thread on the site, and pay less than you would for one or the other new. people are getting rid of these things all the time. as for flow, i would recommend the koralia powerheads. i have 2x #4 koralias in my 75 gallon, and the flow is perfect. a little on the high side, but absolutely great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I got some purple up free at a meeting once. When I used it the coraline actually grew slower on my glass than when I didn't use it. I did finish the bottle, then went back to kalkwasser. Coraline started growing like mad again. I would not pay money for another bottle of purpleup. :( Also, like was said above, with no corals, there is probably no need to use any calcium or alkalinity supplement. You should be fine with your normal water changes. Welcome to the club. Take some pics of your tank and start a thread so you can keep track of how your tank changes. It is amazing to watch the growth. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deans7269 Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 OK: I have been using Purple up. Just a few days. I have stopped to see how the Algae grows without it. My tank is new. I have mostly dead rock. I got the purple up to Cure the dead rock. To get living stuff growing on it to help get things started. At 5.00 to 9.00 per pound for live rock you cannot blame me for doing this. I understand why it costs so much for live rock. I just cannot afford to buy the amount I want. Everyone says the more live rock the better. I'm doing just that. If I have to fix the calcium balance later that's fine with me. I am getting a test kit today. I'm going to start testing my water daily. I'm going to read up on the results and how to correct any highs or lows. I actually want to do a bunch of research on what to put in. Not just for fish but corals as well. So I will take as much time as I want to decide the next step. The algae is growing steadily There's just a few more spots each day. And it is the Purple Algae I was hoping for. It feels good to see results! I am taking all of your advice as well. I will get a battery charger for my camera. 7.2 megapixel. I will try to post some pictures. And when I feel like I have a grasp on the testing. Meaning I'm doing in correctly. I will post the results here for more advice. Thank you everyone! I look at this kinda like recreating the ocean in my living room. Its not going to come easy or fast. Thanks again! Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Read this one. Pay attention to the myth #15 http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/eb/index.php It will help you with stocking your tank, and how much time to wait. If you can keep to this schedule, you should have a dynamite tank. Try to make it to a meeting. Then you can get advice face to face. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgreenthumb Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Wow what a great read! I espically liked the refugium myth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deans7269 Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 Please explain "refugium myth" TY! Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deans7269 Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 OK I see the myth thing. My experience with freshwater is very different. With fresh water I have had to do my own thing. All of the water additives I have found to do more harm htan good. My fresh Water 40 gallon. 3 kinds of snails. 3 kinds of Shrimp. Six kinds of plants. And yes I like it when the snails eat the plants. Its good for them and the aqauruim. FOr goldfish 30 tetras 3 platies and two guppies. Dual waterfall bio filter and on 10inch bubble stone. This natural balance works good for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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