Hammer Coral has Red

[Tomoya808]

I am not sure what is going on with my peach hammer coral. I had a recent dinoflagellates problem and thought I got rid of them. They were not on this hammer when they first appeared and I did blackout my tank for almost a week with some over feeding and additional stuff as well and a small water change. I have a green hammerhead and it is fine and getting better than when I had the dinoflagellates problem... I did use a soft toothbrish and tried to brush off any algae as well on both the hammers...

Nitrates: 0 ppm (API) - Will need a Hanna Checker Soon
Phosphates: .50 ppm (API) - Will need a Hanna Checker Soon
Alkalinity: 156ppm/ 8.7dKH (Hanna Checker) or 179ppm/ 10dKH (API)
Calcium: 520+ (API)
Magnesium: Test Kit Ordered

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Cyano?

 

[Spare time]

0 nitrates can be an issue. How often do you feed the tank? Do you feed the corals? Do you dose anything? What light do you have? What intensity and color? How far away from the light is the coral?

 

[Tomoya808]

0 nitrates can be an issue. How often do you feed the tank? Do you feed the corals? Do you dose anything? What light do you have? What intensity and color? How far away from the light is the coral?

I find it strange because I feed the tank a decent amount 3-4 days in a row and will take a day from feeding in between. So I am not sure why unless I should turn the protein skimmer off again... I used to feed the corals directly, but at this point I do not anymore with a turkey baster. I end up mixing the mysis, oyster feed, and spiraluna mix together and feed it all at once... The light is as high it can go with the AI Prime 16 stand and the hammers are both roughly 3-4inches from the bottom (glass not sandbed) from the tank. The calcium is the only thing I dose, but only when necessary since I have 16 corals, they are 5 zoas, 2 favias, 3 favites, a duncan, a winter's pipe organ, hairy mushroom, galaxea, andthe two hammers...

 

[Tomoya808]

Cyano?

Can cyano come back multiple times?

 

[131696]

Skimmer off and feed the fish the corals are starving,oh yea your phosphates way to high way to high said it again .50 That 163ppb unless your point . Is in wrong place.your ratio is wrong fix ratio fix cyano problem .example .1 phosphate is right ratio is 10 nitrates. No algae then.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

The API nitrate test is very finicky. If the reagent bottles and/or the test tube are not shaken well enough, the reading could be off. That being said, 0 nitrate means you are starving your corals.

 

[Tomoya808]

Skimmer off and feed the fish the corals are starving

I'll do that now... I feel like my skimmer is overkill since I only have 5 fish, 1 urchin, 4 snails, 1 banded coral shrimp, and 4 hermits...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Can cyano come back multiple times?

Yes. If the conditions are right.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Turn the skimmer down maybe not off...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Dont turn the skimmer off, just remove the collection cup (or take out the plug and let the skimmate drip back into the tank) This will keep your gas exchange high. You also want to be sure there are no dead spots or areas of very low flow — cyano loves low/no flow.

 

[Tomoya808]

I did switch to a filter floss cup ever since the filter mesh bags were not... pleasant

 

[131696]

The API nitrate test is very finicky. If the reagent bottles and/or the test tube are not shaken well enough, the reading could be off. That being said, 0 nitrate means you are starving your corals.

And .50 phosphate means your killing them Also

 

[Tomoya808]

And .50 phosphate means your killing them Also

Is that applying specifically to the hammer that is being affected and not the rest of my coral, including the green hammer?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Is that applying specifically to the hammer that is being affected and not the rest of my coral, including the green hammer?

Since the phos test is also API, I wouldn’t bank on the result being accurate either. If you can find a local reefer or fish store and have them test with something other than API, you’ll have a better starting point.

 

[131696]

Other corals just dying slower that's all need a better rountine maintenance schedule for feeding and keep them phosphates down

 

[Tomoya808]

Since the phos test is also API, I wouldn’t bank on the result being accurate either. If you can find a local reefer or fish store and have them test with something other than API, you’ll have a better starting point.

My LFS utilizes the API test kits... I don't mind getting the hanna checkers for this from Amazon. I am just confused since all the other corals are fine, especially the colored alveopora that I got last week... Should I try with no lights on and no skimmer for the time being?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

My LFS utilizes the API test kits... I don't mind getting the hanna checkers for this from Amazon. I am just confused since all the other corals are fine, especially the colored alveopora that I got last week... Should I try with no lights on and no skimmer for the time being?

It’s really difficult to say. Was the torch wild caught?

 

[Tomoya808]

Other corals just dying slower that's all need a better rountine maintenance schedule for feeding and keep them phosphates down

Then explain why my one zoa keeps growing new heads every other week?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Read this…

Thread 'Euphyllia (especially torch coral) buying help' https://www.ultimatereef.net/threads/euphyllia-especially-torch-coral-buying-help.885184/

An exerpt:
"A major issue here is, apart from signs of recession of flesh these corals will look amazing right upto the point of death. I have countless times seen torch corals with their heads hanging off, at the point of no return still looking amazing with long flowing polyps and then stone cold dead the next day.

"To even an experienced eye deterioration in these corals is rarely noticed until one day when half the coral rots away or polyps float off. The owner normally assumes it is something they did recently, in reality the cascade of events that caused the death most likely happened months down the line.

"A slight change in flow, causing a microscopic nick, a bit of algae or stuck food, where flesh meets the skeleton, a drop in nutrient or starvation which caused flesh to retract a bit and cut on its sharp septa etc etc.. followed by an unseen bacterial infection and the slow spread through the coral over months. All hidden from the proud owners eye."