Hammer (1 Viewer)

[Linda]

I have a very pretty hammer....had it at least two weeks and all of a sudden within a day's time, part of it has disappeared into the skeleton and just gone....dead, I guess....kaput!! Any thoughts??? Everything else is doing great...

 

[Guest]

I'd say get your water tested. Nitrates high maybe.
What kinda light does it get?

 

[Linda]

PC 4 55s. It was close to the top of the tank so it was getting plenty of light. I will check my water too. Thanks...

 

[djreef]

Believe it or not, Euphyllias are not high light corals. You could be burning it under the lights. Did it bleach at all or is it just kind of falling apart? Is there any brown jelly?

DJ
= 8-->{I>

 

[Linda]

It is just kinda falling apart....in one spot, it looks like the hammer part is falling out of the skeleton. I can't see any signs of bleaching or brown jelly.

 

[djreef]

Ok, something is for sure irritating him - I'm thinking UV burn. Try moving him lower in the system & see if he heals/does any better. He might be getting stung by something, also - maybe sweepers from another coral.

DJ
= 8-->{I>

 

[Guest]

I agree with djreef, i'd try moving it down in the tank, they can usually handle alot of light but it needs to be slowly moved up in the tank later on, also try to put it in an area with moderate and slow flow, not intense flow.

 

[Linda]

He wasn't close enough to anything else to get stung; that was my first thought but you may be right about the burn. I have moved him to about the center of the tank...should I move him all the way to the bottom? Thanks!!!

 

[Guest]

Midway down the tank should be good enough, now all you gotta do is wait and hope for the best.

 

[Linda]

You apparently have not read my posts about patience....lol....just kidding....thanks so much...I will keep my fingers crossed.

 

[djreef]

Ironically, the Euphyllia ancora at the top of the page, on the banner was one that I raised form a pup a few years ago. He was horribly photosensitive when I got him, and to be quite honest, a horrible PIA to aclimate to my lighting system. When I figured out what was going on I placed a piece of dirty glass across the top of the tank to filter some of the rays. Needless to say, when I sold him, he was the size of a dinner plate. That hurt getting rid of that guy - without question the most beautiful coral I've ever owned. I wonder if Ken still has it.

DJ
= 8-->{I>

 

[Linda]

This one has a maroon tint to it and is "S" shaped. It now seems that the tissue is actually falling out of the skeleton. Can that be and should I do anything else other than wait? Will it hurt anything else? Thanks for all your help...

 

[Guest]

As far as the hammer, all you can do is wait, just make sure the tissue doesnt land on any of your other corals, if it does, get it off of it asap, the tissue will still sting other corals. (just a heads up)

 

[jawsk2]

Ironically, the Euphyllia ancora at the top of the page, on the banner was one that I raised form a pup a few years ago. He was horribly photosensitive when I got him, and to be quite honest, a horrible PIA to aclimate to my lighting system. When I figured out what was going on I placed a piece of dirty glass across the top of the tank to filter some of the rays. Needless to say, when I sold him, he was the size of a dinner plate. That hurt getting rid of that guy - without question the most beautiful coral I've ever owned. I wonder if Ken still has it.

DJ
= 8-->{I>

Yep, Ken still has it!! And he's very happy

 

[jawsk2]

Here's an older pic of it.

http://www.pbase.com/jawsk2/image/28134929.jpg

 

[Linda]

Oh my gosh....how gorgeous!!! I would be very proud of it too.....

 

[Guest]

Dang!!!!!! That hammer is awesome.

 

[djreef]

Freakin' awesome dude. I knew I was turning him over to a pro. Thanx for takin care of him.

Linda, if the polyp is detaching from the skeleton, that's usually a sign of high phosphates. The phosphorous interferes with Ca+ deposition/skeleton formation, and elevated ammounts can weaken the bond that the polyp has with the skeleton. A buddy of mine had a frogspawn do that. The polyp just popped off the stalk, and lived on the gravel. Kinda wierd, it looked like a closed bubble tip sitting on the sand. Anyway you may want to test for that, and see if you can find some Rowaphos, or some other high quality phosphate remover.

DJ
= 8-->{I>

 

[Linda]

I checked my water and my nitrates are up to 40...had been around 10 so I was planning on doing a 10% water change this weekend. I will check the water further...Thanks so much! You know if it wants to live somewhere else, it can...just LIVE...

 

[Linda]

Well it looks like the cause may have been the position in the tank. I moved it down in the tank some and it seems to be doing fine but for the part I lost. I'm keeping a close eye on it but wanted to say thanks to everyone that gave me advice. It is very much appreciated.