Is this skeleton? Is he dying?

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

Sooo my frogspawn? Closed tonight as per usual and I think I noticed skeleton? I feed them reef roids every once in a while because I feed frozen food everyday and I have a hydra 32 for a 35 gallon tank.

ph: 8.1
Ammonia:0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10
Salinity: 1.0245

once he opens during the day it is all pretty and inflated so I’m scratching head here. I have a phosphate tester on the way from Amazon but that’s all I have at the moment.
Any help is appreciated.

 

[aaronramey11]

How old is your reef tank? I notice they like a well established reef

 

[MaxTremors]

Looks fine. Mine close up at night. The white part is still covered in flesh, they look healthy. You have to remember that a lot of lps corals are basically just inflated water balloons, when they expel all their water they don’t look like much. So long as it’s opening and fully inflating during the day, it’s fine.

Edit: upon looking closer, that white part may not be covered in flesh (hard to tell from the photo). If it isn’t, it recently retracted (since the skeleton is still white). If that’s the case, it’s not good, but it can recover.

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

That has tissue recession no? I’m gonna shut up and follow along so that I can learn with op now.

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

How old is your reef tank? I notice they like a well established reef

Tank is five months old and it’s my first tank

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

Looks fine. Mine close up at night. The white part is still covered in flesh, they look healthy. You have to remember that a lot of lps corals are basically just inflated water balloons, when they expel all their water they don’t look like much. So long as it’s opening and fully inflating during the day, it’s fine.

Edit: upon looking closer, that white part may not be covered in flesh (hard to tell from the photo). If it isn’t, it recently retracted (since the skeleton is still white). If that’s the case, it’s not good, but it can recover.

I’ll try moving it closer to the lights? This is the side that was facing the live rock so I’m thinking maybe it didn’t get too much light. Is there anything else I should try?

 

[Uncle99]

They hate to be moved.
I’d check water chemistry, especially PO4, but MG, CA and Alk as well. Excessive PO4 will make unhappy corals, swings in Alk will do the same.
If he inflates during the day, I would have no worries.

 

[Tamberav]

It looks normal for a closed up frogspawn at night. There is a thin layer of flesh over the skeleton that is not easy to see.

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

They hate to be moved.
I’d check water chemistry, especially PO4, but MG, CA and Alk as well. Excessive PO4 will make unhappy corals, swings in Alk will do the same.
If he inflates during the day, I would have no worries.

I don’t have any of those tests from Amazon. The downturn is that they’ll take a while to arrive ugh. The lfs is way more expensive I guess I’ll order it right away. Thank you

 

[MaxTremors]

I don’t have any of those tests from Amazon. The downturn is that they’ll take a while to arrive ugh. The lfs is way more expensive I guess I’ll order it right away. Thank you

Don’t order API

 

[Magic City Reefer]

In my case, I had a pair of hammers that started to do exactly this. I didn't have the calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium tests, so I took a sample to the LFS and found that all of them had dropped VERY low (Alk 6.3, Calc 360, Mag 1233). They recommended I start dosing, which I did that evening and brought levels up to where they should be. The next morning I found that they started to bailout overnight. Each night after that for the next three days I lost 1-2 heads. In a matter of 3 days, I lost 6 heads (two hammer corals). I really believe it was the rapid rise in those elements when I dosed them that finally did them in. If I would go back in time, I would have dosed much smaller doses over the course of some time.

 

[Magic City Reefer]

Don’t order API

I like the Red Sea Calcium Pro Test Kit, AquaForest Magnesium, and Hanna for Alkalinity. I also have the Hanna Calcium checker but it's complicated and inconsistent.

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

Don’t order API

Salifert it is! Thanks

 

[aaronramey11]

Tank is five months old and it’s my first tank

So I've had similar issues with any hammer or frogspawn. I had a tank about 6 months everything doing well but them. Then I have another tank that's been going for about 3 years I put it in that tank and it's like nothing happened

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

In my case, I had a pair of hammers that started to do exactly this. I didn't have the calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium tests, so I took a sample to the LFS and found that all of them had dropped VERY low (Alk 6.3, Calc 360, Mag 1233). They recommended I start dosing, which I did that evening and brought levels up to where they should be. The next morning I found that they started to bailout overnight. Each night after that for the next three days I lost 1-2 heads. In a matter of 3 days, I lost 6 heads (two hammer corals). I really believe it was the rapid rise in those elements when I dosed them that finally did them in. If I would go back in time, I would have dosed much smaller doses over the course of some time.

Oh nooo I’m sorry to hear that. I should perhaps take my water to go the store then… ughhh what a pain

 

[Magic City Reefer]

Oh nooo I’m sorry to hear that. I should perhaps take my water to go the store then… ughhh what a pain

Yup. If you take anything away from what I wrote, just get the water tested for Ca, Alk, Mg soon. That was my failure and lesson learned. I probably overtest now lol.

 

[elorablue]

I don't see anything wrong with it.
It's good to know all your parameters but there's no need to freak out.

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

So I've had similar issues with any hammer or frogspawn. I had a tank about 6 months everything doing well but them. Then I have another tank that's been going for about 3 years I put it in that tank and it's like nothing happened

Yup. If you take anything away from what I wrote, just get the water tested for Ca, Alk, Mg soon. That was my failure and lesson learned. I probably overtest now lol.

I don't see anything wrong with it.
It's good to know all your parameters but there's no need to freak out.

Okay, so I actually ordered mg, alk and ca. They should arrive anytime now and I’ll update everyone. Thanks a lot

 

[fachatga]

What’s the flow like? Mine hates much water flow and stays somewhat closed if it gets much at all.

 

[cleanbuttpotatoe]

What’s the flow like? Mine hates much water flow and stays somewhat closed if it gets much at all.

Umm not a lot. I have two pumps on each side but they’re not that powerful. They have not that much movement tbh