Help Frog Spawn dying!!!

[PRC]

Hi all
I have had my frog spawn for a while (3-4 months) and it has been doing well. Was even starting to split (getting the bubble they get when splitting heads). Now it suddenly looks like 1 head is almost dead! Literally in a day and 1/2.
27052

Parameters good - I just checked
dKH 8.5 (adding alk - I like it between 9 and 10)
Ca 440
Mg runs between 1200-1300 -fluctuates a little
sp. gravity 1.024 - 1.025
my nitrates dropped significantly (registering zero - not where I was shooting for)
phos was at about .08

Only changes is I added GFO (removed now) and added a couple corals (birdsnest, brain, montipora, green trumpet. I just changed my carbon (just in case)
125 gal tank, with sump, T5s (no changes)
Do add iodine (low end of what it ask for - I have shrimp & mushrooms), trace elements, Ca, alk, mg (these 3 as needed). Feed twice per day frozen mysis, brine, spiralina, cylops + reef chili once to twice per week) - Try to do water changes (10%) every other week.
Please HELP!!!!

[alton]

I like my Nitrates between 2 - 5 ppm. The sudden drop may have or may not have contributed to the loss of a head? Frogspawn is more aggressive than the corals you listed. As your tank stabilizes it may start to prosper again. Is it in a low flow area?

[PRC]

It is in a moderate flow - not too strong - been there for 3-4 months and has grown. Nitrates have been down for about a week to week 1/2 (trying to get them up some). I have not seen a coral go from open to this in a day and a half or less. (we are thinking it was fine yesterday morning but cannot be 100% sure on that) so of course I checked everything!

[quicksilverz]

Is there anything that could of stung it? possibly a chalice? Your Magnesium is a little low I like mine at 1400 an I keep hat calcium at 400 but that should have no effect on the hammer. Also check for stray electricity.

[PRC]

I have anemones but they were all in the same places from one day to the next (I watch them closely because they like to move some times). I have one of those things you put in for stray electricity but nothing else is showing any stress - my tang is the first to show stress when anything is out of wack....that is how I learned about stray electricity the first time. I will dose with some more. Been trying to get Mg up to 1350.

[quicksilverz]

I agree with alton usually its water chemistry or something stinging it when it acts like that. I pointed that out because a anomie stung a gold troch and it did the same thing yours is. Watch it close at night.

[Dean]

It is in a moderate flow - not too strong - been there for 3-4 months and has grown. Nitrates have been down for about a week to week 1/2 (trying to get them up some). I have not seen a coral go from open to this in a day and a half or less. (we are thinking it was fine yesterday morning but cannot be 100% sure on that) so of course I checked everything!

Sorry to hear you are having troubles. Euphyllia make a good canary from my experience. They will tell you when there is a significant change in water chemistry as alton pointed out. This isn't necessarily a good thing either. They can and will definitely go from thriving to brown jelly in a matter of hours. It is pretty heart breaking. I have lost Euphyllia to both Alkalinity spikes (OD on kalkwasser via ATO) as well as anemone on the move stings. It is important that when you are introducing media or chemicals to lower or raise chemistry levels that you do so in small steps when you can control it to avoid shock to your corals. The same goes for correcting the chemistry after the initial shock. Good luck I really hope it makes it through for you.

[LuckySingh]

Frogspawn are usually easier to keep . Hardest are torches specially in my case . Don't know if other water parameters can play much foul but ALk swings can most certainly shock the coral to death. Other than that i would suspect some of the disease and suggest to dip em in some sort of medication available at the LFS
Usually frogspawn are very aggressive and they don't get stung easily by corals. Rather they kill other corals . If u have anemone watch if it's touching ur frogspawn

[Davie118]

I also read something about iodine levels causing problems but I doubt that is the problem.

[klwheat]

Did you do anything recently to drastically drop your nitrates?

[Koaboy]

How old are your lights? Have you changed anything in your tank recently (up to a week before things went south)?
You could try to do a chemical dip (as opposed to fresh water), maybe some kind of critter is bugging it.

[PRC]

I have been watching the anemones but are in the same spot. No major changes other than I noticed the nitrates dropped but that was not drastic. I have been bringing them down and hovering around 8 for a few weeks which i figured would be finethen dropped. I see a small area still alive in one spot on bad side and the other side still looks ok. I did an iodine dip just in case.
1 set of white and blue are new - about 3-4 weeks old and others are 6 months and replacing mid july. No major swings in levels...I check weekly. Appreciate all the help!!!

[Davie118]

From what I have been reading I would just leave it alone for awhile. I know our first instinct is to jump and react but it could just be an issue that it had while splitting. I have read that people have them grow back a couple weeks later. Every instance I have read, they were saying their parameters were good. I also have read that even if it died, if you leave the skeleton they might grow back. (I hope it does not die for ya though) Try not to stress it out too much.

[PRC]

Update.... Thank you to everyone!!!!
Well it is doing better. It had a bubble (which I was told was a sign of splitting) and looked really bad but now only looks deflated. Right side is fully open and left side is now open a little. I now think one of my fish must have hit it by accident during feeding. I am now feeding away from the frog spawn to make sure no accidents happen
.27057

[Davie118]

Glad to hear it! Just keep on reefin'!