Browning Frogspawn...

[KyleC.]

Recently purchased a couple frogspawns off of a local fellow reefer. They looked great in his tank. It seems that I am doing something wrong, and as is common in this hobby, there is a multitude of different things that may be happening. I'm trying to narrow it down. Need some help trying to figure out what is happening.

That is the first guy, he seemed to be doing well for about a week and a half, then started to look brown. It looks internal.

This is the second guy. He seems okay.

From what I understand, these guys are simple to keep, as is everything else in my tank. "Simple" meaning that I do not have to dose, or keep parameters other than the typical in check, etc... and weekly 18% WC's will suffice.

In addition to the frogspawns I have 1 hammer, a couple zoas, 2 emeralds, 2 peppermint, 2 clowns, and a yellowtail.

Tank is a 30gal with a CPR large HOB refugium with a nice hunk of cheato. One Hydor, one Tunze DC PH, a internal Tunze skimmer, canister filter, cleaned every two weeks, and a fluval "marine and sea" light. Setting up a 40g sump system now with much better equipment, just been really busy.

Any help appreciated.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

How much light do have in the tank.
So far this one of the first corals that I have noted that does not like higher light in spite of increased nutrients.
The top of my frogspawn the heads are brownish, the bottom more shaded heads are green.

 

[KyleC.]

Run the fluval at about 60% for 8. Turned up slowly before I leave for work, down slowly to 20ish% when I get home, then blues until I go to bed.

 

[KyleC.]

Reason for only 60%, was at 100, the browning seemed to get worse... Just bought a couple xr30 pro radions, but was going to hold off hanging them until I got the 40 up and running. I hope the Fluval will suffice until then...

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

how far from the light are they?
are you running low nutrints?

 

[KyleC.]

The purple tip one, who looks to be doing just fine, is about 10" down from the light. The greeny is about 14" down. I do not have all the necessary test kits, but Ammonia/Trite = 0, PH=8.2, Trates are around 5, temp=78 and salinity at 1.025.

The cheato really does a number on the Trates. Maybe that's it?

Pic at 100% 'edit' Purple tip is on the left, greeny on the right.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

yea thats weird, its not a lot of light. Its possible its an acclimation problem, either chemistry or light.
but Its odd the higher one is actually doing better.
Maybe I was off base and it needs a bit more light?
and yea it should be easy. If your feeding frozen def try top spot feed it.

 

[KyleC.]

I broadcast feed frozen/coral frenzy twice a week, and flake/pellet once a day. Not a heavy feeder. They've been in for about a month, so idt its acclimation. (I drip for two+ hours) I was worried that the Fluval is not the right light for these guys. In comparison to the radions, the Fluval is garbage. Lol. I'm hoping to buy a RMS mount from the selling page, and I'll set one XR30 and reeflink up to replace the Fluval while I finish the 40. Maybe that'll help, in addition to giving me more control/schedule.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

oddly Ive seen really quite good results with the fluval. No really! lol.
Not good for deep tanks for sure, but they definitely grow corals.
try spot feeding those beasts

 

[KyleC.]

The Fluval is definitely growing my zoanthids! So it works, I guess. I went from a $5 2polyp frag to 7 polyps in two months! I am just worried the frog isn't liking the cheapy. He was grown in a 13gal AIO under an AI Hydra, and looked beautiful.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Man. That's really weird. Maybe Chek to see the intensity settings and estimate the par based on the specs.