Separating frogspawn coral from its skeleton

[nixora]

I had this frogspawn thriving, went from one head to almost eight. Was doing great till I introduced a gold hammer last spring, which unfortunately didn't make it due to that skeleton separation disease. A month later, my frogspawn started losing heads at a rate of one per month. Now it's down to three healthy heads, and another one's starting to peel. Can this be treated? I'm wondering if it's contagious, maybe brought in by the hammer? My duncans are doing alright, though.

[Bronco1]

Been following this thread, hoping someone can offer some insight. Got a similar setup with a frogspawn and some duncans, doing alright so far but I'm worried I might be headed down the same path.

[Sakurao]

In my experience with frogspawn and hammer corals, head loss usually occurs when there's a temperature spike. Check if your lights are generating excessive heat during summer months. You might need to adjust your lighting schedule or consider using a fan with the AC to keep the room cool during the day. Do you have a temperature controller to monitor the temperature over time?

[nixora]

In my experience with frogspawn and hammer corals, head loss usually occurs when there's a temperature spike. Check if your lights are generating excessive heat during summer months. You might need to adjust your lighting schedule or consider using a fan with the AC to keep the room cool during the day. Do you have a temperature controller to monitor the temperature over time?

Thanks for the input Sakurao. The tank's in the basement, so the temp's pretty steady at 77F, day and night. I've got the LED lights 8" above the water surface, open top, so I haven't seen any temp fluctuations.

I've got another question - has anyone noticed if water flow could cause this? I've got pretty strong flow in the tank and I'm worried that maybe it's too violent for the coral?

[MindBender]

I've had my share of issues with low and fluctuating alk in the past, specifically with my hammers and torch. That's a thing of the past now, though. Ever since I started dosing and keeping my alk stable, I haven't had any further problems. I'd definitely check your alk levels if you aren't already doing so. As for the flow, it should be pretty straightforward. If your coral is swaying gently with the current, that's one thing. But if it's looking like it's being stretched to its limits and straining against its skeleton, that's a different story altogether.

[Sakurao]

I think strong flows can cause issues, but a sudden surge is what's more likely to tear tissue. You'd probably notice if direct flow's the problem.

[nixora]

In my experience with frogspawn and hammer corals, head loss usually occurs when there's a temperature spike. Check if your lights are generating excessive heat during summer months. You might need to adjust your lighting schedule or consider using a fan with the AC to keep the room cool during the day. Do you have a temperature controller to monitor the temperature over time?

I appreciate the advice, I'll keep a close eye on the situation.

[MidnightFly]

I've had a similar issue in the past with rapid tissue loss, and in my case it was due to low alk levels. Once I stabilized the alk, the problem stopped immediately.