can I prevent coraline growth?

[knockout]

I am setting up a second tank to use as a refugium (http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=10129.0)

I will have about 100lbs of live rock in there, but I really only want the rock as natural filtration, I do not want it to deplete my calcium, I will also have chaeto in the tank and I would like to run lighting in this tank when my display tank is off to also help stabilize the pH.

Should I pile up all the rock to one side of the tank, chaeto to the other side and just light up the side of the tank with the chaeto? will this prevent coraline growth?

Thanks.

 

[reefsandrotts]

As long as you have light and calcium in your system your going to have coraline.
Don't know how you would stop it unless you left your sump in the dark.

 

[Phyl]

I wouldn't mix my rock bin with macro algae. You'll end up ruining the rock by having it infested with algae that will not be easily removed from it, should you decide you needed it in the display (or wanted to sell it) later.

Coraline doesn't just grow on rocks. It grows on anything it can latch onto. The light over our fuge is just a strip light. We do have coraline growth on the walls of that tank. Not so much as I would worry about depleting calcium in the system. We keep our rock in the sump and the sump isn't lit (except by spill over light from other tanks). I'm not sure if there's still coraline on those rocks, if it is growing or if it has stayed the same since I don't look at it for that.

 

[Brian]

The rock in my sump (no light) has lost any coralline that was present.

 

[knockout]

yeah I am really starting to just let it go!!!! :-\