Concerning Frogspawn Questions?

[Bcollins111900]

I had posted this question in the weird worm thing post but figured it would get more attention this way. My concern is with my 5 headed frogspawn. It looked great up to a few weeks ago now it is all shrivled up to about the size of a quarter per head. I have since moved it thinking some sweeper tenicals from a nearbye coral may be hitting it but thats not the case. It is placed in a very low to no current area with it being placed in the middle of my tank. Here are my water peramiters.

Temp 79 Degrees
Salinity 1.026
Ammoinia 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
PH 8.2
KH 161.1-179ppm
Calcium 70ppm


I know the calcium is low and I have been adding two teaspoons of Kent's Concentrate Liquid Calcium for the past two days. Do you suggest I add alot more to help raise the calcium level and if so how much? I know to much of one thing at one time can be bad on a tank. Also the KH testing kit does not state what adequate KH levels should be for a saltwater tank even though it is for saltwater testing (think it was missing a set of instructions). Anyhone have any idea? Also if my KH is to high how do I lower it and if it is to low how do I raise it? I think I have tested for pretty much everything there is to. I am using RO I/O water with Instant Ocean. Any help would be great! Thanks!!!

[Bcollins111900]

Ok Just read that KH should be between 7-11dkh which mine is about 9.5 dkh, right in the middle. Any other suggestions?

[bluehippotang]

Low calcium would seem to be the culprit.

[jjmg]

Just an idea that happened to me. Sorry for not belonging to your group. Right after the lights come on look very close around the area just below the tenicles and the top of the skeleton for a large flat worm. I pulled one off and my fs did better for about a week. I then found another and pulled it off and it's been fine since. maybe this will help.

[thebrian]

Interesting. jjmg, looks like you hit it on the head. In his original post, he mentioned a large worm: http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=617520

~Brian

[Bcollins111900]

Does not appear to be a flatworm through research. If anything it is a bristle worm.

[jjmg]

What I found were flat worms, no legs. but 3/4 to 1 inch long. They blended in nicely and took some serious looking to even see them. The FS sure didn't seem to like them though. I wish I had taken pics before sending down the bowl. Of course I didn't think of that at the time.

[thebrian]

Sure it's not a small version of this: http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_worm.htm ?

[Bcollins111900]

positive it is not that.

[Bcollins111900]

Just did another calcium test and I am at 270ppm now so it is rising. The frogspawn looks like it is opening up more. I found a nice website that figures how much stuff to add to raise Calcium, Magneisum, and Alkalinity

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

Real nice tool to use.

[cadams]

i dunno if its your calcium. my FS does great, and i never add Ca. or any dosing whatsoever. infact, mines growing a 3rd head. quite a puzzle....

[Bcollins111900]

yeah mine has gone from 3 to five heads since i have gotten but it is being short bus or something.

[bond007069]

dude two teaspoons of Kent Liquid Calcuim, is like PIS*ING in the wind. That stuff is weak, get some TURBO calcium or CaCl

[Bcollins111900]

i have been dumping it in, lol. Calcium is back to good now 370, lil low but better than 70ppm. i will pick up some turbo calcium tomorrow.

[bond007069]

now you got it :)
sorry for the blunt analogy

[daveisrael]

dunno if its your calcium. my FS does great, and i never add Ca.

I'd have to agree with this, the first 3 years I kept reef tanks I never added or checked calcium and my frogspawn was fine (the only calcium came from regular water changes). It actually grew better than in my tank now with metal halides and a calcium reactor.

[cadams]

Originally posted by Bcollins111900
i have been dumping it in, lol. Calcium is back to good now 370, lil low but better than 70ppm. i will pick up some turbo calcium tomorrow.

Dude, i don't have a test, but I bet my Ca is close to 0. My FS looks great. I don't do water changes or dose or anything. I add food once a day....thats it.

you have any sps in the tank? a sick anemone? anything chemically odd you can imagine going on in there?

[ronc98]

Has your flow changed in your tank. I have three sets of frogspawn and in my older tank they were huge, however when I switched to the larger tank I increased the flow in my tank by about 10 times. All of my LPS are smaller due to the increase in flow. Everything still grows like crazy however they do not expand like they used to.

If all chemicals are in order start looking for flow, perhaps there is some direct current hitting it.