Corallinales (coralline red algae) · also called Thin Branching Coralline, Tropical Jointed Coralline, Orange Encrusting Coralline, Encrusting Coralline
Coralline algae are calcified red algae, from jointed branches to the hard pink and purple crusts that coat mature reef tanks. The forms here carry the label Corallina or simply coralline, but true Corallina is jointed, so the label is a loose fit for crusts. They draw down calcium and alkalinity.
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Quick facts
Category
Marine & Algae
Family
Corallinaceae
Native origin
Seas worldwide, from cold coasts to tropical reefs
Care difficulty
Intermediate
Light
Medium light
Pet toxicity
Toxicity unknown
Light
Most corallines do well under moderate reef lighting, and keepers often report better growth under blue-rich actinic light than under harsh white light. Bring a new piece up to brighter light slowly. A piece that pales after a lighting change needs lower intensity or a shadier spot.
Water
Standard reef parameters: 23-27 C (74-80 F), salinity ~1.025 SG, pH 8.1-8.4. As calcifiers they need stable calcium (~400-450 ppm), alkalinity (8-11 dKH) and magnesium (~1300 ppm); low magnesium holds coralline growth back. Stability counts for more than any single reading.
Soil & potting
Encrusting forms spread over rock and other hard surfaces rather than growing in sand. Start them on a shell or rubble chip, which may be loose or attached, and set it on or near the rock you want covered. Wedge or tie jointed and branching forms to rock so they stay put.
Environment — humidity, temperature, placement
Suits any stable reef tank or refugium at standard reef temperature, 23-27 C (74-80 F), with moderate flow. Steady chemistry matters most, and it can take many months to show. Tropical Jointed Coralline is an Indo-Pacific form and differs from the jointed corallines of temperate coasts.
Propagation
Coralline usually has to be introduced, after which spores carried by the flow seed new rock. Add chips or pieces of coated rock to start it, and avoid scrubbing rock too often. Growth is slow, and rare forms such as Tropical Jointed Coralline stay small for a long time.
Toxicity detail
No source covers cats or dogs, so the rating stays unknown. No harm to tank animals is recorded, and corallines are a normal part of reef tanks. Their hard skeletons protect them from nearly all fish and invertebrates, but sea urchins will graze them, so keep urchins away from rare pieces. Crusts can spread over rock and frag plugs but are not known to harm corals.
Varieties & cultivars
Natural forms are the wild species; cultivars are selectively-bred colour or variegation forms of the same plant.
Natural forms4
Thin Branching Coralline
Species not identified. A heavily calcified coralline with thin lavender-purple branches, closer in look to an SPS coral than to a seaweed. It carries the label Corallina in the hobby, but that name may be loose for this form.
As a calcified alga it draws calcium and alkalinity from the water, so keep both steady.
Tropical Jointed Coralline
Species not identified. This very rare tropical coralline from the Indo-Pacific grows in hard, segmented sections with purple branches, and it should not be confused with temperate jointed corallines.
Its hard skeleton protects it from almost all fish and invertebrates, though sea urchins will graze it. Growth is very slow, so pieces stay small for a long time.
Orange Encrusting Coralline
Species not identified. An orange crustose coralline alga that spreads over rockwork. It carries the label Corallina in the hobby, but that is a jointed genus and does not fit.
Start it on a shell or rubble chip and let it spread over nearby rock.
Encrusting Coralline
Species not identified. Chips of crustose coralline algae, in lavender to deep purple, that can seed a tank.
Add chips to help seed it across your system. They can come free or fixed to a bit of shell or rock.
KinStation
Medium light
As a calcified alga it draws calcium and alkalinity from the water, so keep both steady.