Frogspawn and Hammers Still Not Happy :(

[ChadRaay86]

I've got four types of branching frogspawn and hammer corals in my 300 that have been unhappy for a couple of weeks. I had higher phosphates (.68) and now have them down to .03.

Other parameters

Temp 78-80

SG 1.0255
Alk 3.8
Calc 500+ (trying to get this down)
Nitrate 5-7 ppm
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0

They're under LEDs in the mid to lower range of the tank around moderate to low flow. They all extend to varying lengths, but none to what they should. I feed phyto, oyster feast, rods food, mysis, brine, noori etc (not all at the same time lol). I just can seem to get them to be happy :( I have various SPS and softies in my tank loving life, but for some reason these guys just won't adapt. I've heard others say that LEDs aren't always the answer with Hammers and Frogspawn, but I've seen others where its just fine...

[Capt56]

Your alk sounds kinda low. Try getting the range of 8-11 dkh

[ChadRaay86]

Your alk sounds kinda low. Try getting the range of 8-11 dkh

I did the alk test with a lamotte test kit. The guy at the LFS told me to divide the result (190) by 50.04 to get my reading (3.8). Do you think thats DKH or something else? I thought it was kind of low from everything I've seen...

Been dosing 30-40ML ESV Alk and have cut calc out completely...

Thanks for the input!

[RA]

I believe that you need to multiply the 3.8 reading by 2.8 to get the DKH value. In that case his DKH is 10.6. Someone please chime in if I'm wrong.

[Darkblack]

Well your numbers look fine. Led s with lps is not problem. Usually sps keepers have problem with them.try to change their place in the tank maybe they are not happy with water flow

[SaltLifeBob]

agree with changing there place in the tank, have some frogspawn and hammer corals and moved them last week and i swear they doubled in size in 1 week .. good luck

[E Rosewater]

I've had some frogspawns that I've had to move several times before they found a place where they were happy.

[ChadRaay86]

I believe that you need to multiply the 3.8 reading by 2.8 to get the DKH value. In that case his DKH is 10.6. Someone please chime in if I'm wrong.

Hmm, I wonder... I'll take a sample in tomorrow and see what it tests at there.

Well your numbers look fine. Led s with lps is not problem. Usually sps keepers have problem with them.try to change their place in the tank maybe they are not happy with water flow

Hmm, I didn't think the LEDs were an issue, especially because my sps are growing like crazy. I epoxied them into the rockwork (oops!) so I'll have to figure out some way to get them out... I did just order a couple new wavemakers to increase my flow in the tank, maybe that will make them happier :D

agree with changing there place in the tank, have some frogspawn and hammer corals and moved them last week and i swear they doubled in size in 1 week .. good luck

Thats reassuring, these are one of my favorite corals and I'd hate to not have them opened up in all their glory :(

[RA]

Well you really need to know what term you are using to express the alkalinity value. A 3.8 dkh value is troublesome. If the reading is meq/l of 3.8, then to get dkh you multiply by 2.8 to get a dkh value. Get a test kit like Salifert and put your readings in dkh so that everyone can understand what your alk value is.

[ChadRaay86]

Well you really need to know what term you are using to express the alkalinity value. A 3.8 dkh value is troublesome. If the reading is meq/l of 3.8, then to get dkh you multiply by 2.8 to get a dkh value. Get a test kit like Salifert and put your readings in dkh so that everyone can understand what your alk value is.

Haha, I'll ask the guy at the LFS to break it down for me today. I'm using the lamotte test, which should give a pretty accurate reading, that is if I knew what I was reading :(

[Reef Bass]

This site does easy conversions between alk, dkh and meg/l

Alk, dkh, meg/l converter (http://saltyzoo.com/SaltyCalcs/AlkConv.php)

[mess7777]

As much as the sites tend to say euphyllia are easy, that has not been my experience. High phosphates don't seem to mix well with them, and perhaps they are just showing the effects of your previous high phosphates. Flow is important as well....need to be random. If it's too directional they tend to get annoyed.

I have also experienced them to be highly susceptible to bacterial or fungal infections.....or what I can better decribe as 'no f'in idea why they died'.

[Reef Bass]

I feel you. Euphyllia are not bullet proof, and I've lost one or two in my time. Currently I have 5 or 6 thriving Euphyllia and would modify the public sentiment as "Euphyllia are easy for stony corals".

Stonies have a more critical need for happy stable water chemistry than softies, and the levels of alkalinity, calcium and magnesium levels are especially important. Dialing those in long term can be a stumbling block.

[fishmanfabiano]

My recommendation is to keep any eupyllia species such as torches, hammers and frogspawns in lower areas of the aquarium in low flow areas, too high of flow will cause these corals to stay somewhat closed. I'm not sure how often you feed, but these corals were some of the first corals successfully kept in aquariums due to their dietary needs and lack of lighting requirements. yes they still get majority of their foods via photosynthesis, but i recommend feeding them a few times per week with medium sized prepared foods such as spirlina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp etc.