Coralline algae How fast does it grow

[quicksilver]

Last week I started seeing coralline algae growing on my back wall now its doubling in size every 2 or 3 days my calcium is droping .20 ppm buy the time I get off of work can this be bad for the tank. how fast has this grown in your tanks.

[quicksilver]

by bad I mean sucking up all your calcium so fast.

[Riderc82]

I was reading an article the other day that stated in most systems coralline algae is the biggest user of calcium.  Once my aquarium started getting coralline it took off pretty fast.  Out of most peoples systems I have seen I think I have double the amount of most people.  Coralline algae grows faster the higher K bulbs/lamps you use, is what I have read.

[MechanicalEngineer]

It took me a year to really get good coralline growth since I started off with mostly base rock...and only a couple of small pieces of live rock.  Once it starts growing fast, it's hard to keep the tank clean.  I scrape all glass about once a week with a razor blade...and then run a magnet across it every day or two.  If you're not letting it grow, it won't suck the Ca up as fast.

I also have 3 urchins that eat the coralline...so they're covering the rocks while I cover the glass. 

Just from coralline though...that's a lot of Ca to be losing.  Unless you have a lot of SPS (which I don't recall you having), that's probably too high of a loss.  What's your Mag & Alk? 

[quicksilver]

right now in my tank i have like 4 or 5 acropora's 2 open brains one of them is about 5x5 3 giant clams a gigas about 8+ a squamosa 6+ and a maxima 4+ inches also have 2 areas of star polyps frog spawn and some other type of coral I think it is elk horn or something and 1 orange monti (5x4) and purple idaho grape monit (2x2).

[JoeAyers]

I would say with that load and that many clams it is more likely your corals/inverts using up your CA. Are you seeing decent growth out of your clams/corals?

[quicksilver]

On the gigas a very smaill layer on layer I think but the other 2 I cant tell its only been about 2 weeks since I have had them. but coraline algae is all over now like its exploding.