frogspawn head falling off

[summerclown]

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I have some due diligence on this subject already to know it is call polyp bailout but what I don't understand is how it happened over the course of a couple days. I have a single frogspawn with about 4 or 5 heads that has been in the same tank and same spot for about 9 months. It has never appeared to be unhappy at all.

I have a 36g bowfront with a frogspawn, green star polyp, and pulsing xenia. I also have 2 false perculas, royal gramma, and six line wrasse. The gramma and the wrasse are fairly new; about 3 weeks old in the tank.

Water parameters are as follows:
salinity - 1.026
PH - 8.0
Nitrate - <5
Nitrite - <.25
Ammonia - 0

I do not have a test kit for alk, Ca, and Mg.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[cloak]

A form of reproduction perhaps? It kind of sucks that this did happen, but there is still hope... GL.

 

[Reef Bass]

Welcome to RC summerclown!

Stony corals like Euphyllia often get bummed when key parameters such as alk, ca and mag get out of whack.

 

[summerclown]

So I guess the only solution for me is to buy a new test kit or take my water to my LFS and get tested for those parameters? Is there any hope for the frogspawn? Also I have noticed of the past week or so the green star hasn't really shown its green either. Not sure if that has anything to do with this same issue.

Maybe I wasn't meant to have corals...just fishes.

 

[Reef Bass]

Don't give up. You can do it!

Yes, it's true hard / stony corals (those that make calcium based skeletons) are more difficult and demanding that soft corals. However, if one keeps one's water quality in range (and provides adequate lighting), they tend to do well. And if you decide you don't wish to keep stony corals, there are lots of beautiful soft corals such as zoanthids and palythoas which are less demanding of their water quality and pretty easy to keep in general.

The little bit of nitrite you report is disconcerting. A cycled tank should have 0.