Frogspawn sweepers

BadPhish · #1 02-09-2009, 03:26 AM

I just got a small green frogspawn (2 heads) and am wondering how long their sweepers are? How much personal space should it have? I just jammed it into a hole in the top of my rock pretty close to a bunch of xenia...

Thanks

DanG · #2 02-09-2009, 03:33 AM

I have to say that I've never seen sweepers from any of my frogspawn colonies.

marie · #3 02-09-2009, 03:39 AM

They can stretch as much as 6" if feeling threatened.

Just keep an eye on it, they can go for years never producing sweepers

BadPhish · #4 02-09-2009, 04:18 AM

6"! LOL that's like half my tank! Hopefully Xenia isnt too threatening...

Myka · #5 02-09-2009, 02:29 PM

If they are ****ed off, I've seen them at least 10". If you keep it happy though it won't put out any sweepers at all. That goes for all corals with sweepers. I have some nasty corals in my tank that are notorious for bad sweepers (galaxea and favia) as well as quite a few different Euphyllia, and they only put out sweepers for the first couple weeks after introduction into my tank, and will occasionally send a few out for a couple hours if I stir up the tank during a rescape or something.

There are a few times when corals are likely to put out sweepers. Sweepers are a natural defensive reaction. Some people will say that certain corals are "aggressive", and will send out sweepers to be big bullies, but that isn't the case. If the coral isn't feeling threatened it won't put out sweepers. Stressing the coral by placing it in too strong flow or light can cause sweepers are well. When corals are taken out of the water or if you touch them they will "slime up", and produce a sticky, stringy snot that may even irritate your skin due to toxins (this is a natural defense of corals). This slime when introduced into the tank by either irritating the corals or adding new corals which have slimed up from being moved may cause existing corals to send out sweepers as defense. Also, if you place some of the more toxic corals too close to each other they will wage war on each other, and send out sweepers. You can keep more toxic corals close to more docile corals, and not have an issue though. HTH.