Hammer coral releasing something from mouth?

Galasss

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
68
Reaction score
30
Location
Montclair
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello all, title says it all. I’ll attach a picture. I just got this little hammer 3 days ago; haven’t had the best of luck with them in the past. Is this normal from time to time?

8EC2C030-9BBB-4B5B-90DE-6BE430D36943.jpeg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1335.MOV
    4.1 MB
OP
OP
Galasss

Galasss

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2020
Messages
68
Reaction score
30
Location
Montclair
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Interesting, how do you know it’s expelling excess zooxanthellae? Is it the only time you would see something like this?
Based on the fact that I just added it to the tank, perhaps the lighting is a bit high so one could infer that it’s expelling zooxanthellae; was that your reasoning? Assuming this is the case, what would be the next steps? Anyone with a lot of experience caring for hammers care the share their experiences and protocol when encountering a similar problem? Thanks!
 

jassermd

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 22, 2020
Messages
573
Reaction score
810
Location
Southlake
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
There is nothing to be concerned about. Agree with @shakacuz What you are seeing is the euphyllia expelling zooxanthellae. This is completely normal and usually occurs on a daily basis, just depends on the coral.

From other posts on R2R: It takes a moderate level of skill to care for hammer corals in a saltwater tank. Like most other coral species, Euphyllia requires stable tank conditions, and is intolerant to major swings in water quality.
This coral species isn’t terribly picky when it comes to the proper placement in your tank. The trick would really be just to avoid the extremes. Avoid extremely bright locations or areas of very high current, and avoid areas that are too dark or with currents that are too low. Fast currents risk damaging the soft, fleshy polyps (and getting an infection). Bright lights will cause bleaching. Insufficient lighting will cause the poor coral to wither away and starve to death.
Hammer corals only require a moderate amount of light for photosynthesis and can grow well in the intermediate regions of your tank. Just about any reef LED lighting should be sufficient for most tanks.
The polyps should sway in the current, but not sustain so much pressure they are constantly bent over their skeleton. Too much flow will tear the polyps (worst case) and cause the polyps do not extend in the first place (best case). So, don’t give them too much flow.
The hammer coral is considered to be an aggressive coral species that will attack its neighbors with sweeper tentacles. These are stinging nematocysts (similar to the sting of an anemone) on the end of a specialized polyp that can extend several inches away from the body of the coral. The sweeper tentacles pack a punch and will chemically burn any neighboring corals.
Hope this helps.
 
Back
Top