Oh no, What have I done???

[Whiskey]

Sorry this is a bit long,

I went to get my first coral today and went to my most trusted LFS today. One employee there I trust more than all others in all other fish stores combined. He helped me set up my first tank and is always recommending half the fish load, twice the live rock and twice the tank size than everyone, and everywhere else. He consistently errors on the side of caution and this is why I trust him. He also maintains all the reef tanks at the store and they are beautiful as well as owing several of his own and this is a salt water only store.

After running down the list of corals that I got from this forum and describing in detail my tank, equipment experience and methods of maintenance he asked me what I wanted. I looked at all the corals they had in stock from the list I got here he suggested something different. He said this coral is very hardy (more so than most on the list) will grow faster than the suggested corals and does cool things like shooting out tentacles. The coral he suggested was $29.00 us but I expected these things to be pricey. The coral I bought was a Frogspawn, branching type. He said I could feed it every month or so but really don't need to and my lighting was more than twice what I needed and way more than they had in the tank holding the coral.

After acclimation I put it in about halfway up in the tank (50G 48" tank) and started research on it. This is where I ran into questions such as Should I take it back?????

This is a beautiful coral and I would like to keep it however if I don't have the expertise, knowledge, or equipment for it to survive than I think it would be better for me, and the coral to return it. What do you think??

"My tank" has a description of my equipment and I have had a salt tank for about a year but it was a Live Rock Fish Only. Ammonia = 0 Nitrite = 0 Nitrate = less than 5 (never gets above 5) I do a lot of water changes and tests and I don't have many fish or feed much.

Here is a pic.

Thanks,
Whiskey

[jman785]

Whiskey,

What kind of lights do you have on it?

If it turns up you regret having it, I'll purchase it off your hands, just to be a good helpful hobbyist, if you can't return it for some reason at the store.

Just let me know.

They aren't too hard to keep.

[Whiskey]

I can return it the store is really good about that sort of thing, (thanks though) I have a Jebo 55Wx4 power compact with 2 10,000K and 2 acentic. About 4.2 Watts per gallon. I really like it, I just don't want to kill it, I would feel real bad..............

I figure it is my responsability to care for all the stuff I buy and put in my tanks and I should have looked this thing up first to be sure. I jumped the gun and I just want to make sure it will be ok.

I am not sure what MED to HIGH light is because I can't find anyone who defines these turms for a salt tank. For a planted tank it would be 2-3 Watts per gallon but salt never follows the same rules.

Thanks,
Whiskey

[MikeS]

After reading your tank profile, the only concern I'd have is your lights...frogspawn needs lots of lights...I think you'd be ok if you supplimented your PC's with T5 or VHO actinics. It may however do ok under your lights, I'd place him high in the tank (as close to the lights as you can) and in an area of medium/high water flow. Keep your calcium and alk. good....and you hopefully will be ok with the frogspawn.

Mike

[Whiskey]

alk??? What is this? Same as GH? I need more test kits but I know that calcium is ok.

[MikeS]

alkalinity...or dKH....

try to keep it around 2.5-4.0 meq/L

what is your calcium level and how do you suppliment it?

Mike

[brafish]

Lights can have a lot to do with it. I have 2 x 30 Watt Sylvania tubes 50 / 50 and 2 x 35 Watt PCs 50 / 50 on a 3 foot 45 G tank. I forget the name of the PCs sorry. I have 2 frogspawns that thive under the Sylvania tubes, under the PCs they are still not bad but no where near as good. I started 5 months ago with a reef aquarium with no prior knowlegde of fish keeping at all. I would say that the frogsspawns have been the most easist coral to keep and by far the best looking corals in the tank. Just one suggestion but, I did have trouble with positioning, your photo looks like ideal posistioning (the way it would be in nature) but I have found one of mine went a lot better when on a angle. I'll try to post some photos.

More goods points for frogsspawn is they seem to be more fish compatable than some of my other corals. My Golf Balls and Fingers all are dying becuase of the overstocking of my tank. Too much fish movement for corals like that. But the frogsspawns are still thriving. They will shrink when fish make contact but they will expand again within a few minutes.
The frogsspawns would be the only coral that I could actully say I have seen growth of the calcium base in. Very small mind you.
I also have a constant nitrate problem and they don't seem to mind that either.

I LOVE FROGSSPAWNS