Clowns in Hammer Coral

[beehive124]

So a few days ago I got a hammer coral. 3 heads, with new buds at the bottom. It’s a really nice piece! I’ve made a few posts about it, asking questions and what not, but now I have a curveball. My Ocellaris Clown (male) has started nipping at it and causing it to retract. I don’t think he’s ripping off tentacles, but it is definitely upset. I’ve read online that it’s 50/50 if the hammer survives or not. I think the hammer’s big enough to host the clown, but the hammer isn’t fully acclimated and I think the added stress is going to cause it to go downhill. Any tips?

 

[MarshallB]

So a few days ago I got a hammer coral. 3 heads, with new buds at the bottom. It’s a really nice piece! I’ve made a few posts about it, asking questions and what not, but now I have a curveball. My Ocellaris Clown (male) has started nipping at it and causing it to retract. I don’t think he’s ripping off tentacles, but it is definitely upset. I’ve read online that it’s 50/50 if the hammer survives or not. I think the hammer’s big enough to host the clown, but the hammer isn’t fully acclimated and I think the added stress is going to cause it to go downhill. Any tips?

Do your clowns have a territory in your tank? Im not sure how big your tank is but you can try moving it to another section of the tank to acclimate. My clowns dont like venturing out from one corner of my tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Clown is likely eating at food particles on/within hammer. They will annoy and beat up hammer over time. Provide a BTA or similar anemone for them and even additional places to hide

 

[beehive124]

My clowns tend to free roam the tank. Every week or so they seem to switch spots they like to host. My tank is quite small, only being a standard 29 gallon, therefore, I don’t have much real estate for the hammer. I have it placed on top of a rock, where it will get everything it needs, while keeping the other corals happy. I can try a few different spots, but the space is limited, due to its sweepers being very long.

 

[beehive124]

Clown is likely eating at food particles on/within hammer. They will annoy and beat up hammer over time. Provide a BTA or similar anemone for them and even additional places to hide

Can definitely move some rocks around to create some more caves :)