Hammer coral slowly dying

[Texasnanoreef345]

I’ve had this hammer coral for about a month now and it’s looked really nice for 2 weeks then it went down hill and is starting to recede the only thing I can think of is that I changed lights twice Becuase I’ve had problems with black boxes but now I have an sb reef light that is supposed to be really good has any one ever had a similar problem with the euphillia hammer receding like this ?
alk9.0 ph8.0 nitrate 2-3 ppm calcium 450 ppm mag 1400 specific gravity 1.025

 

[AnneO]

I am also currently experiencing this on one of my two hammers, I notice it only in the evening because it retracts far back compared to the other and the skeleton shows. I did notice the lights were moved slightly further back, so it was potentially getting too much shade from the ledge behind it. I corrected the lights today and also dropped in some LPS pellets and basted it with phytoplankton, which it seemed to like. This evening it is retracted a lot less than yesterday at the same time but it's too early to tell if that reverses the changes.

 

[jerrod]

This is just a shot in the dark as there are a lot of variables but is the hammer getting good flow. Not direct flow where its getting beat up but a decent amount. How old is the tank if it is new it could just be a lack of nutrients and bacteria.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not dying But unhappy. . . .
High salinity, high alk, low PH and too much flow will cause this. Good lighting also required. . . doesnt have to be bright and remember to feed 1-2X per week

 

[Texasnanoreef345]

This is just a shot in the dark as there are a lot of variables but is the hammer getting good flow. Not direct flow where its getting beat up but a decent amount. How old is the tank if it is new it could just be a lack of nutrients and bacteria.

The tank is about 4 months old it is fairly new but well cycled what should I do it may be the nutrients I do feed them with reef roids twice a week I also have a torch but the torch is doing just fine

 

[Texasnanoreef345]

Not dying But unhappy. . . .
High salinity, high alk, low PH and too much flow will cause this. Good lighting also required. . . doesnt have to be bright and remember to feed 1-2X per week

I’m just wondering what you would consider high on those parameters specifically for euphillia I’ll go back in my journal of test and see what I need to watch more often so far it seems like everything has been stable IMO
For three weeks strait I tested my tank every 24 hours and logged it just trying to learn everything better I’ve got a pretty decent understanding but never done learning

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m just wondering what you would consider high on those parameters specifically for euphillia I’ll go back in my journal of test and see what I need to watch more often so far it seems like everything has been stable IMO
For three weeks strait I tested my tank every 24 hours and logged it just trying to learn everything better I’ve got a pretty decent understanding but never done learning

high would be :
Salinity 1.027 or +
PH - 8.4 or+
Temp - 81 or +
Mag 1450 or +
Alk 11 or +
CA - 465 or +

 

[Dom]

Not dying But unhappy. . . .
High salinity, high alk, low PH and too much flow will cause this. Good lighting also required. . . doesnt have to be bright and remember to feed 1-2X per week

I'm kind of thinking the new lights may be too intense. Perhaps reduce the intensity until acclimated?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm kind of thinking the new lights may be too intense. Perhaps reduce the intensity until acclimated?

Yes. 15-20% white and 75% blue

 

[Texasnanoreef345]

Yes. 15-20% white and 75% blue

I will turn down the light for acclimation I was trying to get it used to what it’s going to be at forever I have it set on a ramping full day cycle sb reef lights are really powerful that was at around 4 o’clock on the newest picture yesterday and it was a balance of white Uv and blue around 60 percent but pretty sure I need to turn it down Becuase the hammer looks even more sad than it was

 

[DeniableArc]

G’day mate! Have you tested p04? Do you use gfo? Having no p04 is worse then having a high number

 

[eskymick]

If it were me, I’d do the following if I had the same situation and parameters:
1. Reduce the light intensity to 40 to 45% and, after a few days, raise it a couple percent every day until you’re back up to 60%
2. Spot feed the coral 1 or two times per week
3. Let alk slowly wall to the range of 8 to 9dKH, and then maintain it at that level
4. Let CA fall to the range of 415 to 430 and maintain

 

[Texasnanoreef345]

If it were me, I’d do the following if I had the same situation and parameters:
1. Reduce the light intensity to 40 to 45% and, after a few days, raise it a couple percent every day until you’re back up to 60%
2. Spot feed the coral 1 or two times per week
3. Let alk slowly wall to the range of 8 to 9dKH, and then maintain it at that level
4. Let CA fall to the range of 415 to 430 and maintain

By doing that should I wait an extra week on the water change ? Po4 is the only thing I’m not testing for I want to get a Hanna checker for that one just like my dkh I’ve already done all the other things I could I do feed them and just trying to do everything in my power to not have to buy another hammer

 

[Texasnanoreef345]

If it were me, I’d do the following if I had the same situation and parameters:
1. Reduce the light intensity to 40 to 45% and, after a few days, raise it a couple percent every day until you’re back up to 60%
2. Spot feed the coral 1 or two times per week
3. Let alk slowly wall to the range of 8 to 9dKH, and then maintain it at that level
4. Let CA fall to the range of 415 to 430 and maintain

I don’t think it’s gonna make it it just looks so much worse everyday it must have been the light switch everything else has been stable

 

[jerrod]

Do you have any fish that might be nipping at it? I recently watched my diamond goby taste test my Duncan and had filefish in the past that loved euphylia.

 

[Texasnanoreef345]

Do you have any fish that might be nipping at it? I recently watched my diamond goby taste test my Duncan and had filefish in the past that loved euphylia.

Only clown fish but yesterday on a somewhat different subject I saw my coral banded shrimp punch the hell out of my new chalice . What’s up with that I that cbs where reef safe !?!?