any keys to success with frog/hammer corals? dosing?

[josenunez1]

Hi,

I would like to start a LPS tank with hammer and frogspawn corals. I would like to know if their is a key to them expanding? Is it flow, dosing additives, feeding? I was given two frags of hammer corals and would like to see them happy. Thanks for any information, experience you can provide me. I really appreciate it.

 

[gastone]

My euphyllias seem to like moderate flow and wide variations of lighting. I've kept them directly under 250w xm 10k, VHO, PC, and t5 as well. They seem to adapt quite well. You can spot feed them if you would like, though it doesn't seem to be necessary. A bit of cyclopeeze and some mushed mysis would probably work. Good luck.

Garrett.

 

[shaggydoo541]

The only key I have found is low flow. My tank has around 40X turnover and I had a really really hard time finding a spot w/ low enough flow to let my hammer really expand.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8153811#post8153811 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shaggydoo541
The only key I have found is low flow. My tank has around 40X turnover and I had a really really hard time finding a spot w/ low enough flow to let my hammer really expand.

Thats strange. I agree they dont like to be blasted, but I've got a couple in my 100x turnover tank, and they're doing great.

My hammer was 1 head when I got it 3 months ago, now its 8

 

[shaggydoo541]

100X turnover huh? Impressive. I've had a problem with mine though not only because of the flow but because my tank is small (18G). So there is little room to creat different low/high flow areas in my tank. I finally found a spot that it is expanding everyday in, and I'm hoping my single head will finally split as it is showing signs of doing so. I've moved it around more times than I can count and it is one of my oldest corals (about a year and a half old and still only one head). Pretty sad that it has shown less growth than all my other LPS, SPS and softies even those I've only had for a couple months.

Another odd thing about my hammer is that it does not eat. I spot feed it when I feed other LPS and it looks like its going to take it but after 15 min or so (all circulation is off) the food sloughs off the tentacles never entering the mouth.

 

[czieler]

Mine seem to like having some flow on them..they come out more.

I feed my hammers and frogspawns zoomax once a week...I also dose my entire tank with mysis twice a week...although the puffers grab most of it..but I'm sure they get some.

I don't remember what kind of frogspawns these are:

White Branching Hammer

I have a big green hammer too..just don't have a good pic of it

 

[blange3]

I have some pretty happy frogspwans and hammers. Wish I had a good camera.

Moderate flow, moderate feeding, 550 watt VHO's on a 75 gallon tank.

I try to keep ALK, Ca and Magnesium stable at 3.5-4.0 Alk, 420 Ca and 1300 - 1350 Mg.

 

[Sk8r]

Mine has really expanded since the addition of a sea swirl, which gives a lot of current intermittently. It doesn't 'eat', though some say theirs do, but seems to enjoy cyclopeeze feedings to the fish.

 

[jawaiianmon]

those look great czieler. Doing any fragging soon? =)

 

[damitchsta]

czieler those are some of the coolest looking froggspwn i have seen let me know if you frag also

 

[aztbs]

I experienced a recent magnesium drop and my euphyllia sp. were all looking pretty tight and unhappy. I brought the Mg back up to 1300 from 1100 and they are much more puffy and happy again. During the drop, CA was 480, alk was 2.9meq/L. Now the CA is 450, alk is 3.2meq/L and Mg is 1300.
Mine prefer light non-directional flow.

 

[GreyHawk1968]

4 head torch. 3 head frogspawn, and a 2 head hammer. These guys seem to like anything I throw at them. My hammer is makin babies around the base of the tissue on the skeleton and my torch is splitting again. No problems with expansion and all are set directly into the substrate up front of my 75. They seem very adaptive to a lot of circumstances. I agree fully with the alk and Ca levels needing to stay up. I'm runnin around 10 KH and 380 Ppm Ca. Stability is the biggest key. Before I got into the drip dosers and make up pumps and all I had a hard time keeping any of my stonys happy. Since I added a doser for Ca and can keep the temp,Ca and salinity leveled off 24/7 things really seemed to get a lot better with the health of the corals.
The torch is the most touchy ,and the frogspawn seems to be the hardiest.
Best of luck.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8173989#post8173989 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aztbs
I experienced a recent magnesium drop and my euphyllia sp. were all looking pretty tight and unhappy. I brought the Mg back up to 1300 from 1100 and they are much more puffy and happy again. During the drop, CA was 480, alk was 2.9meq/L. Now the CA is 450, alk is 3.2meq/L and Mg is 1300.
Mine prefer light non-directional flow.

I'll second the Mg observation.

 

[reefbuzz]

I have two medium sized colonies of frogspawn and one hammer coral with 5 heads. I'm fully in agreement with GreyHawk with respect to the frogspawn being more adaptive to fluctating variables in the tank.

 

[NanoKat]

My frogspawn has flourished in my tank...and it's not due to me being an expert at all. It was given to me before I knew anything about LPS...but it was not happy when I got it. It seems happiest after digesting some Spectrum food pellets that it catches with its tentacles. Here's some photos of before and after:

When I received it, it looked like this:

About 6 mos ago:

And now:

A closeup under actinics...it's about 4" in diameter at this point.

The only dosing I do is with a nano reef supplement.

 

[NanoKat]

Oops! I moved that last photo...here it is again...