Chance of survival for this frogspawn?

[Sink_or_Swim]

Have had this frogspawn for a couple weeks now... It has been doing well but then got a little sulky after I had to move it so my turbo snails wouldn't knock it off the rocks. Came home today to this dismal scene. Looks like the polyps are melting off the skeleton. One of my hammers lost a head too! Only change recently was I added a couple new mushrooms to the tank (I doubt pests, because I dip all my corals)... Could one of my emerald crabs have decided to bother them? Everything else is fine - even the other hammer right next to the one that the head either bailed out or was chopped off by a crab gone rogue... My nitrates are high (like 40... I know, I know), but everything was totally fine yesterday. Should I remove the "melting" polyps? Keep the skeleton? Will it regrow? Help please? Really like this guy - got it from a frag swap and it actually has cool highlighter-yellow tips in certain light. Thanks!

 

[October Sky]

My nitrates are high (like 40... I know, I know), but everything was totally fine yesterday.

Were your nitrates fine yesterday? I mean, a water change can start the reduction of them immediately.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Were your nitrates fine yesterday? I mean, a water change can start the reduction of them immediately.

They've been hovering in that range for a while now (embarrasingly have neglected water changes for a couple weeks - I prepare taxes so... work has been killer til this week). I'm still a newbie, trying to get stability in my tank. I know I need to do a better job. It's weird though because my other lps, like my elegance and everything are doing great... If anything, nitrates should be lower than a few days ago because I added seachem de*nitrate and some purigen. Need to do another wc, but can't pick up ro/di to mix salt til Friday as my lfs closes an hour before I get off work.
I'm battling a crazy amount of green hair algae currently... obviously nitrates and phosphates out of whack - I'm worried that it's starting to suffocate some corals, if that's a thing. Just feeling pretty stressed - I hate killing stuff and I have a lot of money in this, like everyone.

 

[October Sky]

They've been hovering in that range for a while now (embarrasingly have neglected water changes for a couple weeks - I prepare taxes so... work has been killer til this week). I'm still a newbie, trying to get stability in my tank. I know I need to do a better job. It's weird though because my other lps, like my elegance and everything are doing great... If anything, nitrates should be lower than a few days ago because I added seachem de*nitrate and some purigen. Need to do another wc, but can't pick up ro/di to mix salt til Friday as my lfs closes an hour before I get off work.
I'm battling a crazy amount of green hair algae currently... obviously nitrates and phosphates out of whack - I'm worried that it's starting to suffocate some corals, if that's a thing. Just feeling pretty stressed - I hate killing stuff and I have a lot of money in this, like everyone.

Whatever your plan is to get RO/DI water on Friday is... double it. Do a change Friday night and then on Saturday night. And if you have money invested in this, I highly suggest getting an RO/DI filter. I got an RO Buddie from amazon for $69. It's only 50GPD but it's a life saver.

The chemical media you are using is essentially a crutch (and good ones at that) but they only assist in the correction of a problem, you have the diagnosis (dirty water) let them help you find the way to clean water with a couple water changes.

I'd do 20% every day for five days, but I can because I can grab that water off my tap (through my RO/DI).

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Whatever your plan is to get RO/DI water on Friday is... double it. Do a change Friday night and then on Saturday night. And if you have money invested in this, I highly suggest getting an RO/DI filter. I got an RO Buddie from amazon for $69. It's only 50GPD but it's a life saver.

The chemical media you are using is essentially a crutch (and good ones at that) but they only assist in the correction of a problem, you have the diagnosis (dirty water) let them help you find the way to clean water with a couple water changes.

I'd do 20% every day for five days, but I can because I can grab that water off my tap (through my RO/DI).

Thanks for the help! I agree on the chem media being a crutch. Sad thing is, I bought an RO/DI filter weeks ago... just am not good at hooking that kind of thing up, hubby's no better, and so I've procrastinated getting my dad over to our place to install it for me. I will definitely do the water changes though, since I can probably pick up enough water Fri. I mix my own (Tropic Marin Classic salt), but maybe I'll just buy their premixed so I don't have to wait overnight to use anything I make. I really need to do better with this. Kept freshwater for 30 years, the last 10 or so planted tanks (which aren't exactly easy)... but I am finding keeping saltwater balanced to be difficult. Only been at this since January though, so I'm trying to stay positive, keep learning, and not throw in the towel.

 

[Shirak]

Thanks for the help! I agree on the chem media being a crutch. Sad thing is, I bought an RO/DI filter weeks ago... just am not good at hooking that kind of thing up, hubby's no better, and so I've procrastinated getting my dad over to our place to install it for me. I will definitely do the water changes though, since I can probably pick up enough water Fri. I mix my own (Tropic Marin Classic salt), but maybe I'll just buy their premixed so I don't have to wait overnight to use anything I make. I really need to do better with this. Kept freshwater for 30 years, the last 10 or so planted tanks (which aren't exactly easy)... but I am finding keeping saltwater balanced to be difficult. Only been at this since January though, so I'm trying to stay positive, keep learning, and not throw in the towel.

Hang in there! Stony corals are on the more difficult side too
What RODI did you get? Maybe you can get a simple faucet adapter that hooks to your sink faucet? Photos?

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Hang in there! Stony corals are on the more difficult side too
What RODI did you get? Maybe you can get a simple faucet adapter that hooks to your sink faucet? Photos?

I definitely know the stony corals are more difficult, so thought I'd get a couple somewhat inexpensive lps (the hammers) and try my luck at keeping them. That went well, so a few weeks later I picked up this frogspawn. The hammers have been happy on the sandbed, but I've struggled a bit finding a place the frogspawn likes. I did take a risk the day I got the frogspawn, and picked up an elegance as well. I'm happy to report it's actually thriving! And that was not cheap, so I'm really glad it's still doing well, lol. (Unfortunately this morning, the frogspawn polyps completely detached from the skeleton and are on the sand. The one hammer head is also still sitting on the sand, but weirdly enough it looks puffy and happy even with no skeleton... not sure what to do with it).
This is the RO/DI unit I have:

 

[Shirak]

Most important for the stony corals is stability in your parameters. If the polyps are popping out of the skeleton like the hammer you mention it is most likely caused by parameter swings. As for the frogspawn, hard to say. There is some tissue recession and detaching from the skeleton which could be from similar swings, or damage from falling off the rocks or a combination. Invest in some good test kits and monitor Alk, Ca, Mg, NO3, PO4 primarily. Alk being the most important and the one to swing the fastest and the one you want to keep the most stable.. Record all your tests so you can see how things are moving over time. You also need a reliable salinity tester and reference solution to make sure it's reading properly.

The RODI is a good unit. Do you need help figuring out the tubing connections? I looked it up on Amazon and it comes with a couple hose ends for water supply to either a garden hose connection or a sink. The sink one would require unscrewing the aerator from the end of the faucet. The threaded opening might be an odd size from the RODI adapter though, in which case you could get an adapter from lowes/HD if you take both pieces with you to match them.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Welp... not looking good. Remove it?

 

[JGT]

Welp... not looking good. Remove it?

Yes, that’s toast.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Most important for the stony corals is stability in your parameters. If the polyps are popping out of the skeleton like the hammer you mention it is most likely caused by parameter swings. As for the frogspawn, hard to say. There is some tissue recession and detaching from the skeleton which could be from similar swings, or damage from falling off the rocks or a combination. Invest in some good test kits and monitor Alk, Ca, Mg, NO3, PO4 primarily. Alk being the most important and the one to swing the fastest and the one you want to keep the most stable.. Record all your tests so you can see how things are moving over time. You also need a reliable salinity tester and reference solution to make sure it's reading properly.

The RODI is a good unit. Do you need help figuring out the tubing connections? I looked it up on Amazon and it comes with a couple hose ends for water supply to either a garden hose connection or a sink. The sink one would require unscrewing the aerator from the end of the faucet. The threaded opening might be an odd size from the RODI adapter though, in which case you could get an adapter from lowes/HD if you take both pieces with you to match them.

Yeah, for sure need to start testing more and keeping records. I have Salifert tests mostly and use a refractometer from Amazon that works fine but is annoying that I constantly have to calibrate it. I'm looking for a digital one, maybe Hanna. As far as the RODI unit goes, our garden hose connection is inside the garage (weird but we have a townhouse so maybe that's normal, I don't know). I'd rather hook up to the main floor bathroom faucet so I don't have to haul buckets up 2 flights of stairs... I am mostly confused as to how to remove the aerator from the faucet and get it hooked up. Also hope to install it inside the sink cabinet so it can be handy but out of sight. Btw, frogspawn looks like this today:

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Yes, that’s toast.

Figured as much... dang.

 

[REEFER-RICK]

I have read on some web sites that they might come back in time don`t really know but all my so called corals goin in my sump and see if they do come back but I doublt it but worth it more rubble for the sump

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I have read on some web sites that they might come back in time don`t really know but all my so called corals goin in my sump and see if they do come back but I doublt it but worth it more rubble for the sump

I read some instances of them coming back too, but it takes months apparently or never happens... I don't have a sump so guess it's coming out. Seems like the hammer that bailed might survive though!

 

[REEFER-RICK]

I read some instances of them coming back too, but it takes months apparently or never happens... I don't have a sump so guess it's coming out. Seems like the hammer that bailed might survive though!

leave it in your tank one never knows,I never throw mind out just stick them in my sump could use it as a frag plug for a zoa or poly. I did have a so called wall hammer that was dead put it in the sump in my old tank game back in 3 months

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

leave it in your tank one never knows,I never throw mind out just stick them in my sump could use it as a frag plug for a zoa or poly

True, life does find a way!

 

[REEFER-RICK]

True, life does find a way!

My wall hammer came back in my old tank took about 3 months but came back and is still going in new owners tank which was my old tank when I left the hobby 2 years ago

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

My wall hammer came back in my old tank took about 3 months but came back and is still going in new owners tank which was my old tank when I left the hobby 2 years ago

Good to know! I'll find a place for it and give it a while - maybe I'll get lucky too.

 

[REEFER-RICK]

Good to know! I'll find a place for it and give it a while - maybe I'll get lucky too.

I have 3 so called dead corals in my sump now see what happens in a few months, Elegance Coral wall hammer and a frog spawn

 

[brrdawg]

So a few things that have helped me as a fairly new reefer are doing a lot of testing and getting a refractometer. I went cheap on these few things in the beginning and within a month realized I need to bite the bullet and get them. A RoDi filter will pay for itself in no time. Make sure to stay up on your water changes and also keep your salinity consistent if you can. I also wouldn’t add too many chemicals to your tank other than food and any dosing that you may need. Getting a reliable ATO will help you out a ton if you have to work a lot. What kind of light do you have? Hope this helps. Euphillia corals are my favorite and hope you keep going…consistency is key!! Good luck with everything!