Hammer not opening fully

Hepatitis

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Messages
39
Reaction score
29
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
So I got a new hammer coral, and it seems like it's not opening fully. I have it mid way up the tank, in a moderate flow area.
Tank is a 40br with 2x Hydor Gen 3 1350 powerheads on opposite sides of the tank facing each other. I also have a HOB Tidal 100 pushing 450gph.

Is this too much flow for my tank? The zoas and xenias seem happy, do I just need to find a new spot for the hammer or is this normal?
20211016_182829.jpg
 

JAC-

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
250
Reaction score
398
Location
Douglasvlle
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My first though is the light being too high, it looks pretty happy just doesn't want to come out and play.
Your levels could be off too, listing them would help. How old is the tank and how long has the hammer been in there?

Running the numbers, your flow looks pretty high but I don't think that's your problem or that it's too high.
A video of if dancing in the flow would be ideal for commenting on that.

Happy reefing friend,
 
OP
OP
H

Hepatitis

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Messages
39
Reaction score
29
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I do know my nitrates are high. Declining but high. Doing a water change later will help and they've been going down daily.
Hammer is only 2 days old so maybe still acclimating. Tank is 2 months old. Specs below.

Salinity - 1.024
Temp - 79.5
Calcium - 450
Ph - 8.1
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite- .10
Nitrate - high - 60ppm - 80ppm yesterday
I dont have a phosphate or alk test kit
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
H

Hepatitis

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Messages
39
Reaction score
29
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
.
My first though is the light being too high, it looks pretty happy just doesn't want to come out and play.
Your levels could be off too, listing them would help. How old is the tank and how long has the hammer been in there?

Running the numbers, your flow looks pretty high but I don't think that's your problem or that it's too high.
A video of if dancing in the flow would be ideal for commenting on that.

Happy reefing friend,
Video, it's in a pretty low flow area honestly.
 

Attachments

  • 20211017_102220.mp4
    26.8 MB

Frogspon

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 13, 2021
Messages
478
Reaction score
379
Location
FL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
temperate could be ticking it off. nitrite and nitrate need to be lower.
 

JAC-

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
250
Reaction score
398
Location
Douglasvlle
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for the info friend,

The flow is definitely not too high IMO. Could be a bit low, but shouldn't be causing it to not open. Aside from the nitrate what you have listed should be fine, but not knowing the KH is could be the problem. It's typically the parameter that fluctuates the most. Magnesium is also pretty important to help keep your levels in check.

High phosphate could be getting you too, but the work you do to get your nitrate down will help with that.

If it's been in your tank for more than a week, I'd move it to a little lower and work to get those nitrates down for the short term.

I'd make getting a good test for KH and MG and getting those stable as my next focus.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,815
Reaction score
200,027
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Nitrates are not helping. Add a small pouch of ChemiPure Elite which will bring it down and keep it in check. The right side in pink suggests the coral is slightly bent to the left indicating just a bit much flow. Direct flow a little bit away from the hammer.
Since they are a large polyp stony coral, calcium and alkalinity are two very important water parameters that will affect the growth of your coral. This coral will start to die off if the calcium levels are too low. A calcium level of about 400 ppm is just right.
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.
 
OP
OP
H

Hepatitis

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 15, 2021
Messages
39
Reaction score
29
Location
USA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for the info friend,

The flow is definitely not too high IMO. Could be a bit low, but shouldn't be causing it to not open. Aside from the nitrate what you have listed should be fine, but not knowing the KH is could be the problem. It's typically the parameter that fluctuates the most. Magnesium is also pretty important to help keep your levels in check.

High phosphate could be getting you too, but the work you do to get your nitrate down will help with that.

If it's been in your tank for more than a week, I'd move it to a little lower and work to get those nitrates down for the short term.

I'd make getting a good test for KH and MG and getting those stable as my next focus.
Cool. What test kits would you recommend for that? The API kit I had is trash, so I got a few of the electronic testers for the points I have listed
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,815
Reaction score
200,027
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Cool. What test kits would you recommend for that? The API kit I had is trash, so I got a few of the electronic testers for the points I have listed
Hanna or salifert
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,815
Reaction score
200,027
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Highly agreed with @vetteguy53081
Hanna is preferred for me, but the upfront cost is high.
Nice thing though is that you can get reagents and theyre always available. Any time now, there will be a halloween and upcoming black friday sale with a 10-15% discount
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,815
Reaction score
200,027
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Thanks!

Yeah they're a bit pricy at $60 a pop but not having to play guessing games is worth it to me
In the R2R marketplace, they are often for sale at $35-40 shipped. Doesnt hurt to check
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 68 37.6%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 60 33.1%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.8%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 15.5%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top