Off the glass and on the rocks. Photo by M. Layne. To much delight, I received the March / April CORAL this week. Another great issue all around. Visually, Matthew Wittenrich’s planktonic photography stole the show. Matt Pedersen’s piece on the future of Harlequin filefish was also quite good… but I have to give it [...]
Off the glass and on the rocks. Photo by M. Layne.
To much delight, I received the March / April CORAL this week. Another great issue all around. Visually, Matthew Wittenrich’s planktonic photography stole the show. Matt Pedersen’s piece on the future of Harlequin filefish was also quite good… but I have to give it to Mr. Delbeek. You may have missed his brief piece, it is the very last article in the magazine (pg 91-92). If you have passed over it, I urge you to read it. Although they are truly aesthetic peeves held by Charles Delbeek, they are right on point.
When I first got involved in keeping SPS corals back in the 90s it was all about the purple encrusting nuisance. Glass covered in thick encrusted coralline algae was a sign of a mature system and experience on behalf of the aquarist. At this time alkalinity levels of 12dkh and calcium levels of 500ppm were also common!
Today, we know coralline algae has no direct correlation with coral health or experience. When on the glass it does nothing… beyond detracting from the actual displays that we slave over. Regarding pink dots on the glass Charles states,
“Today, if I see this, my immediate impression is that the tank is dirty and not well maintained. In my opinion, nothing shatters the illusion of looking into a slice of the ocean more than tank walls blotched with algal spots.”
Perhaps if aquarists read this from Mr. Delbeek they will be more likely to act on it. Or at least I am hoping so. What I find the most entertaining is the rationalization that is sometimes made. That coralline algae on the glass somehow looks good and actually adds to the look of the tank. Let’s not kid ourselves. The only thing it contributes is fewer back aches and one less trip to the local hardware store for fresh razor-blades.
If you’ve let the coralline build up, give the clean glass look a shot. Corals and fish pop much better against a clean and solid background color. It’s a pain at first, but the end result is well worth the labor.
