• Carolina oppresses zoanthids.

  • Daniel4967

Good afternoon, there is a problem: Carolina is suffocating the zoanthids. First, it covers the body of the colony, then it climbs up the zoanthus polyp, wraps it, and eventually the umbrellas close one by one, shrink, and disappear under the Carolina crusts. So far, the only method of rescue is transplanting to a new rock, but the remnants of the algae start to grow back quite quickly (in a month or two), and the story repeats itself. Maybe someone has faced this issue and knows how to help the zoanthids prevail over Carolina.

Brianna

Hedgehog? Feed the umbrellas. And check the magnesium level (suspicious growth rates of Carolina).

Joseph

Two months ago, I had tests done in the laboratory, Ca-424 Mg-1260 I didn't understand about the Hedgehog))

Monica

Yes, also, this only happens with J.K. (living stones), everything is fine on artificial slabs.

William5838

Hedgehogs eat it, I have a globe, so in the samp it will crawl and leave a white trace on Carolina. He was a good decorator, worked for two and a half years and loved the lower classes.

Jeffrey6189

There are moments when the light causes this. A spectrum of 10k and below stimulates the growth of these algae well. There was such a problem in the nursery. The lamps were 10k (T5) and already not the freshest—plus, the lighting for 12 hours a day led to a rapid growth of Carolina. I was able to slow it down by changing the lamps to a more "blue" spectrum. The growth stopped. I can't say for sure, but it helped me personally.

Lindsay

Unfortunately, this is not my case; in the breeding tank, only the royal blue LED is on. By the way, when these same umbrellas were in the main aquarium under full spectrum lighting, the situation was the same. Maybe this is just the fast-growing variety of Carolina.

Tracey

I have LEDs shining, almost only the blue part of the spectrum, coralline algae doesn't grow at all. LPS and SPS will grow, umbrellas too.

Brandon9634

I noticed that in my tank at home, the light only shines above the hitemorph in a separate compartment, while in the other compartments, the side light barely reaches. It’s precisely in the areas with less light that Carolina grows very strongly, while there is none where the light is bright. Here are two photos; this is the compartment with the penicillium. I should note that I soak the penicillium in vinegar every month and a half to remove all the growths, and I used to clean the walls from Carolina, but I’ve stopped doing that.

Alicia5489

In general, it is called Lithophyllum stictaeforme. It grows visibly, unlike the familiar Carolina, and is capable of growing not only on the surface but also "hanging" like a leafy Montipora.

Alyssa1438

I agree, it looks like Lithophyllum stictaeforme. I couldn't resist and immediately took a photo of one rock in my reef (the size of a half-liter aquarium); it is completely covered with coralline algae, crusts, and is original even without any frags. I should note that if you accidentally break it, it grows back very quickly. Here’s the photo for review.

Amy9618

Introduce a sea urchin; it will clean up this algae. Plant a Watermelon or a Tripneustes. But make sure your corals are well secured, otherwise the urchins will take them away.

Colin1418

I think that when Carolina is in the reef, it's great, beautiful. I've seen aquariums where there is little of it, and it doesn't look impressive at all.

Angela

I decided to compare two photos taken a month apart, and it's noticeable how quickly Carolina has grown in photo #1 and photo #2, while in photo #3, Carolina is in the sandbox.