Hammers shrinking

[Foxchase]

As the title says, i have a couple hammers shrinking and shriveling up. I've had this problem before and it's resulted in the hammer dying. Idk what could possibly be the cause.

 

[KC's CNC Creations]

that's a frogspawn, not a hammer, look close for any brown jelly around the base of the tissue with a flashlight.

 

[James_O]

It is normal for hammers/frogspawn to occasionally shrink up. How long has it been like that?

 

[Foxchase]

that's a frogspawn, not a hammer, look close for any brown jelly around the base of the tissue with a flashlight.

It's not a frogspawn. It's more of a frammer if anything. No brown jelly though. The same thing happened to a hammer colony i used to have. Went from 30 heads to 3 left in a matter of a few months. Same thing. Polyps slowly start to shrink until it just closes up like in the picture and then dies off. Everything else in the tank looks fine. But this keeps happening to my frammers, hammers and frogspawns. Which sucks bc they're my favorite corals

 

[Foxchase]

It is normal for hammers/frogspawn to occasionally shrink up. How long has it been like that?

This one has been like this for about a week and a half. I've lost a ton of hammers this same way. It shrinks up over the course of a couple weeks and just slowly wastes away.

 

[Shirak]

Would be really helpful if you could post your water parameters, light levels and what are you are doing for feeding etc. Do you have other Euphyllia?

If they are slowly withering away over weeks/months that sounds like some sort of nutrition or water parameter issue to me.

 

[Foxchase]

Would be really helpful if you could post your water parameters, light levels and what are you are doing for feeding etc. Do you have other Euphyllia?

If they are slowly withering away over weeks/months that sounds like some sort of nutrition or water parameter issue to me.

These were my params when i checked last. Tanks is about 2 years old now. I realize calcium is a little low but this has happened since before (used to be consistently at 420 ish just need to adjust dosing)

Feeding varies from flakes to frozen + nori for fish. Reefroids/ Red Sea AB+ for corals once or twice a week.

 

[Foxchase]

Would be really helpful if you could post your water parameters, light levels and what are you are doing for feeding etc. Do you have other Euphyllia?

If they are slowly withering away over weeks/months that sounds like some sort of nutrition or water parameter issue to me.

Lights are 2 hydra 32s. Sitting at around 100 par. In some mild/mid flow

 

[Shirak]

These were my params when i checked last. Tanks is about 2 years old now. I realize calcium is a little low but this has happened since before (used to be consistently at 420 ish just need to adjust dosing)

Feeding varies from flakes to frozen + nori for fish. Reefroids/ Red Sea AB+ for corals once or twice a week.

Have you tried target feeding them in the past with lps pellets or some chopped mysis or something? Mine seem to like actual meaty bits of food not just fine ground and liquid supplements. Your phosphate at .02 is on the low side as well. They could be starving as .02 is often within the test error range of most test kits so in actuality could be 0 with a .02 reading.

 

[Shirak]

I also find it helps to turn off the flow pumps. The hammers and frogspawn take 30min or more to actually get the food into their bellies! It gets blown off them pretty easily otherwise.

 

[vetteguy53081]

It is NOT normal for them and any euphyllia to shrink like this. These coral are photosynthetic and therefore respond to UV strength and increase/reduction in lighting. One of the more important requirements for frogspawn is Placement. It is an overlooked element that contributes to the overall acclimation and sustainability of your frogspawn. Some hobbyists simply choose to, Put it where is looks best but to reduce the amount of strain on your specimen, you should ideally place it in an area of your tank similar to the area in which you found it when you purchased it or where there is moderate light.
Another consideration to account for during the placement of your coral is the amount of light it will be receiving. This decision should never be random; should never be haphazard. Although capable of doing quite well in a relatively large range of lighting levels, ideally, your Frogspawn Corals do best when provided a moderate amount of lighting, with many hobbyists finding success with an added bit, or partial, shading. Euphyllia (theyre a member of this group) do not enjoy direct high lighting. Keep in mind that the amount of lighting and the degree of water flow work hand-in-hand in sustaining healthy coral life and growth. Although technically capable of survival, Frogspawn DO NOT appreciate high or even moderately high flow. They will open much bigger in gentle flow, and will be able to grow into those beautiful serene tendrils that you see swaying within your habitat. (see my pic below- this was a size of a quarter a year ago and now 6"x4")
I cannot overemphasize the incredible importance of both lighting as well as placement. Never, ever haphazardly place your corals, select your lighting, or randomly pair different specimens or species within a tank, and just hope for the best. Remember, like any coral, Frogspawn Coral requires a very specific amount of lighting, and in this case, it’s not a whole lot. Unlike many other corals, Frogspawn Corals don’t require a whole lot of lighting. They are also 100 PAR, but even levels as low as 50 PAR will work well for this beautiful species.
o ensure successful acclimation, growth, and just overall, general health, your Frogspawn Corals prefer a moderate to strong water flow within your habitat. Interestingly enough, you can control the growth .If you want to look for a more contract compacted look, a higher flow will help you to achieve that. If you want a more extended, sway appearance from your Frogspawn, a low to moderate flow. Aesthetically, what originally drew hobbyists to this coral was its ability to serenely sway in the currents.
Frogspawn are not the most aggressive eaters. Broadcast feeding is typically the easiest, most effective approach. Additionally, if there is too great a flow, or if there are fish in your habitat that are aggressively harassing them, they’re just not going to eat. Even if they are able to successfully get the food into their mouths, they often quickly spit it back out--quick enough where they may not even be digesting any of the food. By trying to directly feed, you are much more likely to develop an algae problem from uneaten food accumulating in your tank than you are to find success in direct feeding.
Follow these simple steps and let it take its' course. Theyre easy enough to meet the care needed and yes, they do shrink in the evening. One test- Increase your lighting a little once they shrink, and within the hour, you will see them puff up again.

 

[Foxchase]

It is NOT normal for them and any euphyllia to shrink like this. These coral are photosynthetic and therefore respond to UV strength and increase/reduction in lighting. One of the more important requirements for frogspawn is Placement. It is an overlooked element that contributes to the overall acclimation and sustainability of your frogspawn. Some hobbyists simply choose to, Put it where is looks best but to reduce the amount of strain on your specimen, you should ideally place it in an area of your tank similar to the area in which you found it when you purchased it or where there is moderate light.
Another consideration to account for during the placement of your coral is the amount of light it will be receiving. This decision should never be random; should never be haphazard. Although capable of doing quite well in a relatively large range of lighting levels, ideally, your Frogspawn Corals do best when provided a moderate amount of lighting, with many hobbyists finding success with an added bit, or partial, shading. Euphyllia (theyre a member of this group) do not enjoy direct high lighting. Keep in mind that the amount of lighting and the degree of water flow work hand-in-hand in sustaining healthy coral life and growth. Although technically capable of survival, Frogspawn DO NOT appreciate high or even moderately high flow. They will open much bigger in gentle flow, and will be able to grow into those beautiful serene tendrils that you see swaying within your habitat. (see my pic below- this was a size of a quarter a year ago and now 6"x4")
I cannot overemphasize the incredible importance of both lighting as well as placement. Never, ever haphazardly place your corals, select your lighting, or randomly pair different specimens or species within a tank, and just hope for the best. Remember, like any coral, Frogspawn Coral requires a very specific amount of lighting, and in this case, it’s not a whole lot. Unlike many other corals, Frogspawn Corals don’t require a whole lot of lighting. They are also 100 PAR, but even levels as low as 50 PAR will work well for this beautiful species.
o ensure successful acclimation, growth, and just overall, general health, your Frogspawn Corals prefer a moderate to strong water flow within your habitat. Interestingly enough, you can control the growth .If you want to look for a more contract compacted look, a higher flow will help you to achieve that. If you want a more extended, sway appearance from your Frogspawn, a low to moderate flow. Aesthetically, what originally drew hobbyists to this coral was its ability to serenely sway in the currents.
Frogspawn are not the most aggressive eaters. Broadcast feeding is typically the easiest, most effective approach. Additionally, if there is too great a flow, or if there are fish in your habitat that are aggressively harassing them, they’re just not going to eat. Even if they are able to successfully get the food into their mouths, they often quickly spit it back out--quick enough where they may not even be digesting any of the food. By trying to directly feed, you are much more likely to develop an algae problem from uneaten food accumulating in your tank than you are to find success in direct feeding.
Follow these simple steps and let it take its' course. Theyre easy enough to meet the care needed and yes, they do shrink in the evening. One test- Increase your lighting a little once they shrink, and within the hour, you will see them puff up again.

I have been increasing par for the past 2 months. Were previously at about 50 par. Working up to around 100. Currently sitting at around 80% on acclimation mode. About medium flow