Any way to keep corals alive in a bucket for a few weeks?

[Fatal Morgana]

If things settle on the rock on a bare-bottom tank, the flow is low

Seriously, I should use the term water velocity instead of flow rate. In my tank, the coralline only grow in relatively dim place with very strong water velocity, like several feet a second where the water from my return pump dumps the back back into the tank.

 

[Fastmarc]

I would even venture to say that the lack of coralline growth might indicate a presence of phosphates.
It's presence in excess is thought to inhibit calcification rates in corals and other calcifying organisms.

 

[Ben1]

I would even venture to say that the lack of coralline growth might indicate a presence of phosphates

I agree with that.

In all the tanks I have had over the years hair algea was always something easy for me to beat using water changes. Of course I also scrubbed the exsisting hair off the rock with a tooth brush but after that several large water changes to reduce the over all nutrient in the system is very wise.

You may also try cleaning the collection cup twice a week untill the hair is gone. This way you know your getting 100% from the skimmer and no scum on the side of the riser is still polluting the tank. I had a Euro-reef for some time and hated cleaning the body, but I also had the CS8-3 in a stand that gave the cup almost zero clearance above it.

 

[Fatal Morgana]

Fellows, we can go on forever on phosphate and its effect on calcification of coral and coralline algea, but the issue here is that the coralline grows on glass, not on rock. See the following line:

.. why the coraline does not grow on the LR adn only on the glass?

 

[brahm]

..one word..

rowaphos.

 

[Anonymous]

I chnaged my flow patterns on the closed loop last night. I am aiming the out puts straight down onto the LR. More detrits went flying.

I am going away this weekend.

I am thinking next week to try and remove all the LR again and shake the LR out in a bucket of SW and then put back into the tank. This might help get the LR cleaned out????

Another thing is my Alk is low. about 7.6 DKH. I have been dosing Kalk through me reactor for all topoff and the CA is still 440 but the Alk will not rise. I have tried using the Alk part of B-Ionic only but no change. Any ideas? Are they related to my problem?
_________________
Mercedes Benz SL Class

 

[ChrisRD]

Keep storming the rock and put a micron bag on the sump drain so you can just clean that out. Should make it easier to get the rock cleaned up.

I think your alk is OK (it's in the range of NSW). A bit higher would be OK too, but I wouldn't worry about it personally...

 

[Fatal Morgana]

Don't worry about your alk. Do what Chris suggested since taking the rock out of the tank is a lot of work. It is not going to be cleaner than blasting them right in the tank.