Calling All Reefers! Trying to save frogspawn need advice pl

[Tybond]

Ok, Is it true that frogspawn should be high light and steady low slow flow of current over them?
Are they purely photosynthitic like I was told or would dt's or other supplement be of help.
I don't like to house anything thats not aquacultured but this was a give me from a friends crashing 30 gal and he hopes we can save it. it's a branching frogspawn that started with 4 branches. I have removed 2 branches due to them dying off and expelling a brown ooze from the polyps. I have it in a quaratine tank but don't know much about this type of coral or its needs???
Any help will be greatly appreciated!
The coral is being quarantined in a 20g under 2x55w pc 1 actinic 03 and 1 10000k to much? need more?
questions questions questions.
Thanks in advance for your help on this one. A life is depending on it.
ty

 

[danmhippo]

Mine sways in medium current, alternating current. I have them under 400W 20K MH about 12" away from the light. The stronger current will help them to rid slimes off their tentacles. I don't believe your lighting is too strong for them. Feedingwise, I do not recall from the books whether they need direct feeding (I don't have the book near me), but my tanks are fed planktonic food everyother day. If they were to be fed, they must have gotten some when I feed my softies.

Good Luck

 

[henkelsfamily1]

I place mine in a med/high light area about half way up the tank in medium current. I like to target feed with the choice food of that day aprox. twice a week. I love this family of corals. Good luck.

Walter

 

[Tybond]

so what is a good product to feed corals?
I usually add 1 quart of phyloplankton (sorry if spelled wrong) once a month when I do my water change. I buy mine at Inland Aquatics where they grow the stuff. I haven't ever added any specific coral food to my tank but is there a really good product that positively makes a difference?
ty

 

[danmhippo]

You add a quart into 30G? all at once? What's your ammonia level 2 days afterwards?

 

[MIKE NY1]

Tybond, even a QT. dosed over a month seems like alot. Anyway I keep my Frogspawn under medium light and current and feed it meaty foods acouple of time a week. It should be able to handle larger foods like pieces of krill and silversides. I have found that stronger currents encourage them to grow longer sweepers and they have a nasty sting. So I keep them in a medium current to discourage that. Two 55 watt PCs in a twenty should be OK, just keep it in the upper part of the tank.

Good Luck
Mike

 

[Tybond]

I better add some more info to keep from getting burnt here.
I am only quarantining the coral in a 20g.
The coral feeding question is about my main tank. sorry I forgot to mention that

the main tank is a 55g. What I have been doing for 8 months now is to change 7g of water with system water from inland aquatics and I pour in about a quart of phyloplankton (I need to learn the right spelling)at water change every 2 months. not every month as I said before.
The skimmer goes nuts for a few days but the corals seem to love it.
its fresh plankton right from there growing vats and the trip from store to home takes like 5 min.
so not much die off before being added.
If this is bad please tell me. I am going on the info provided by inland that this wont hurt anything.
Also, I would like to say thanks to you all for the help so far on the main topic of the frogspawn. We placed a small powerhead at each end of the tank and are sending medium pulses of current across the tank and over the coral. The coral has fully open the 2 remaining branches and has stopped oozing brown phlem. I think it may recover.
So, back to feeding. What should I do??
Thanks
ty

 

[danmhippo]

Break the quart feeding of (here is the spelling) "phytoplankton" into several smaller portions and feed them every few days. Corals do not benefit from a big meal every 2 months. (InlandAquatics people, go ahead and fire away if you don't agree) Corals can only consume that much on their tissue, whatever is not consumed in 8 hours time will be sucked up by the skimmer and be wasted. Why not feed them every few days in small portions so at least most of what you added will be consumed. BTW, skimmer should be turned off during the phyto feeding.

HTH, and keep that current going. It's going to get better.

 

[Tybond]

wont the phytoplankton (I got it..I are smart now)die from storage?
About how much should I pour in? For load reference I have about 12 corals ranging from 2" to 5" hight 3" to 5" width.
also, is there other, or should I say, better additives?
Thanks
ty

 

[johnreb]

I don't think phytoplankton is going to do the Frogspawn any good. It's been my experience that most LPS prefer meaty foods such as fish or krill.
I target feed every one of my LPS some sort of meaty food at least once a week.

 

[Tybond]

I hope I'm on to a good thing then..I feed frozen food about every other day to add variety to my fishes diet. The food I use is San Fransisco Bay Brand frozen Emerald Entree. Omnivorous formula.
My mandarin loves the stuff (don't flame me here, he's very healthy, fat, and thanks to the refugium, has an endless supply of live mysis for him to pick at)I got lucky and will openly admit it. I bought him because I didn't know better. I saw a cool fish for 5.95 and said thats a gotta have. as thousands of others do. The difference IMO was that he was used to eating frozen foods when I got him and his continued success has been because I started learning the basics of reef aquaria and the impact on the natural reef it has so I took the time to research this little guys needs. Now 8 months in to this hobby, I still need to learn a lot but I have learned how to keep this guy happy and have gained enough knowledge that I have committed myself to not buying anything thats not aquacultured or captive reared (hence my LFS purchases are only from Inland Aquatics)and I research an animals needs before I buy instead of just buying the "pretty" ones.
You guys are a great asset to a new hobbiest and I hope to gain enough knowledge to be able to help the new guy when I'm and old salt too.
"off soapbox"
Is this a good choice of foods for the frogspawn?
Ty

 

[LilBugger225]

You can keep phytoplankton from spoiling by keeping it in the fridge. That's what I do with DT's. I use a little of it like every few days according to directions. I have a very large frogspawn in my tank and I do not directly feed it, however I do feed the whole tank meaty frozen foods every other day such as prime reef etc. and the tentacles catch small pieces of this. Frogspawn corals like medium water flow that is oscillating if possible. They like their tentacles to be swaying. As far as the "brown stuff oozing" that could be zooxanthellae being expelled (this happens on occasion) and should NOT be considered the branch dying off. I think it would have been best to have not removed those branches but thats too late now. Just don't remove anymore! Do you use calcium in your tank? If not you should now, frogspawn thrive in higher calcium levels at least in my experience. I also use kents tech I iodine in my tank but there is a whole debate on the use of iodine that I will not go into. Hope this helps and good luck!

Erica

 

[Tybond]

The 2 brances we removed were dead. only scraps of tissue remained and those were letting off a fuzzy brown spew.
I dose b-ionic every day at set time and maintain a ca reading of 430ppm
I am just beginning to use B-ionic and dose the minimum dosage as described on the label.
I know I could tinker with the dosage to up it a little but it seems to be working fine as is so I havn't messed with refiguring a doseage.
My SG has remained constant at 25 and everything in the tank is opening fuller than ever before.
I like the stuff!
this is the only additive I run.
Thats why I'v asked if there's other GOOD products to check into.
I don't want to turn my hobby into a chemical lab experiment but the B-ionic has made me a believer some things just go good.
Ty