New Hammer coral not doing well. Strings

[Stardust2080]

I got this new Hammer coral a few days ago. It opens up but closed today I think because a cuc was on its stem for a brief time. I noticing these brown strings hanging Off it. I
s this a sign its sick? Any advice would be appreciated.

75g+20g
4 months post cycle
temp 79
salinity 1.025
p.h 7.5-8.0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
ammonia 0

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I got this new Hammer coral a few days ago. It opens up but closed today I think because a cuc was on its stem for a brief time. I noticing these brown strings hanging Off it. I
s this a sign its sick? Any advice would be appreciated.

75g+20g
4 months post cycle
temp 79
salinity 1.025
p.h 7.5-8.0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
ammonia 0

Strings look green on my monitor, like hitchhiker GHA but if you dipped your coral before adding do think only peroxide will kill algaes so your dip routine would have to have multi-steps to account for everything. BRS has a video on dips (there are brands of dip within types of dip); video doesn't include Bayer (pesticide type, but that's a whole different bug topic).

That coral doesn't look good, but there is one is background that does look good. That seems like a LOT of skeleton showing... by CUC hope you don't mean peppermint shrimp - peppermint shrimp will eat hammers/frogspawn/etc - they decimated my hammer garden before I got them out.

 

[Stardust2080]

Strings look green on my monitor, like hitchhiker GHA but if you dipped your coral before adding do think only peroxide will kill algaes so your dip routine would have to have multi-steps to account for everything. BRS has a video on dips (there are brands of dip within types of dip); video doesn't include Bayer (pesticide type, but that's a whole different bug topic).

That coral doesn't look good, but there is one is background that does look good. That seems like a LOT of skeleton showing... by CUC hope you don't mean peppermint shrimp - peppermint shrimp will eat hammers/frogspawn/etc - they decimated my hammer garden before I got them out.

i dipped in coral rx. It kinda looks like algae, dark green. No it was a red leg hermit. My other 2 corals are fine.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

i dipped in coral rx. It kinda looks like algae, dark green. No it was a red leg hermit. My other 2 corals are fine.

yes, GHA means Green Hair Algae

Coral Rx doesn't stop hitchhiker algaes

 

[MohrReefs]

Waters also too clean, need more nitrates in there. Is the water really cloudy or is it just the picture playing tricks?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Those strings appear to be algea.

More concerning to me is your NO3, PO4 numbers. You have no nutrients in the tank. Among a myriad of other issues, euphylia don't do well in water devoid of nutes.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The strings are likely irritating it. Its not hear algae but rather Bryopsis which is a nuisance algae. Pull what you can by hand and then remove roots at base. The tissue however in your pics shows recession. get the coral off the sandbed as sand can and will irritate it. other things to know about hammer . . . . like most other coral species, Euphyllia requires Stable tank conditions, and is intolerant to major swings in water quality, and is sensitive to almost any level of copper in the water. 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. Reduce white light intensity and get it off the sand bed which sand can irritate it.
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.
Hammer corals are more subdued eaters who would benefit from the occasional feeding of a meaty marine food like mysis and brine shrimp.

 

[Stardust2080]

Waters also too clean, need more nitrates in there. Is the water really cloudy or is it just the picture playing tricks?

its cloudy, i added some carbon a few days ago. I cant seem to get the pristine clear water.

 

[Stardust2080]

I moved it off the sandbed. Its starting to open up again.

 

[Jaden9933]

The strings are likely irritating it. Its not hear algae but rather Bryopsis which is a nuisance algae. Pull what you can by hand and then remove roots at base. The tissue however in your pics shows recession. get the coral off the sandbed as sand can and will irritate it. other things to know about hammer . . . . like most other coral species, Euphyllia requires Stable tank conditions, and is intolerant to major swings in water quality, and is sensitive to almost any level of copper in the water. 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. Reduce white light intensity and get it off the sand bed which sand can irritate it.
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.
Hammer corals are more subdued eaters who would benefit from the occasional feeding of a meaty marine food like mysis and brine shrimp.

Why is too low of flow a problem with hammers? I’ve had this question for a while but can’t seem to find an answer and they seem to do really well in the lower flow parts of my tank

 

[Stardust2080]

clearer pic

 

[Stardust2080]

Those strings appear to be algea.

More concerning to me is your NO3, PO4 numbers. You have no nutrients in the tank. Among a myriad of other issues, euphylia don't do well in water devoid of nutes.

someone at lfs said it my nitrate might be because I have too much algae and they're eating it all?

 

[Stardust2080]

Those strings appear to be algea.

More concerning to me is your NO3, PO4 numbers. You have no nutrients in the tank. Among a myriad of other issues, euphylia don't do well in water devoid of nutes.

The other hammer I have doesnt seem to be having issues.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Why is too low of flow a problem with hammers? I’ve had this question for a while but can’t seem to find an answer and they seem to do really well in the lower flow parts of my tank

If too strong, they are bent over and get stressed thereby losing polyps and it also makers it near impossible for them to feed.

 

[Jaden9933]

If too strong, they are bent over and get stressed thereby losing polyps and it also makers it near impossible for them to feed.

Too strong or too low? I’m asking about too low of flow?

 

[Goaway]

Why is too low of flow a problem with hammers? I’ve had this question for a while but can’t seem to find an answer and they seem to do really well in the lower flow parts of my tank

Low flow keeps the hammer from getting cleaned which causes issues with debris building up and can kill the hammer.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

someone at lfs said it my nitrate might be because I have too much algae and they're eating it all?

You'll have to deal with one issue or another eventually. Keep it at 0, angry corals and dynos, raise it a bit, algea growth.

 

[MohrReefs]

its cloudy, i added some carbon a few days ago. I cant seem to get the pristine clear water.

It looks like you're having a bloom in that case. Tank is still in the maturing process. Wish you luck on your euphyllia, I was unsuccessful until around 8 months plus in tank age.

Also, if it is bryopsis, it will have a fern like appearance and its very much an issue if it takes hold in your tank, if it becomes an issue, nuke it with flux (can be purchased on amazon) followed up with a water change at the end and it will kill it all off.
To me it doesn't look like bryopsis because I see no fern like ends, you'll know better though since you can see it directly.

Glad its opening up some, get the nutrients up a bit and you'll probably be good to go in a few days.

 

[Stardust2080]

It looks like you're having a bloom in that case. Tank is still in the maturing process. Wish you luck on your euphyllia, I was unsuccessful until around 8 months plus in tank age.

Also, if it is bryopsis, it will have a fern like appearance and its very much an issue if it takes hold in your tank, if it becomes an issue, nuke it with flux (can be purchased on amazon) followed up with a water change at the end and it will kill it all off.
To me it doesn't look like bryopsis because I see no fern like ends, you'll know better though since you can see it directly.

Glad its opening up some, get the nutrients up a bit and you'll probably be good to go in a few days.

what kind of nutrient do you recommend?

 

[MohrReefs]

what kind of nutrient do you recommend?

Need more nitrates than 0, even a reading of 1 would be better than 0. Just feed more or add another fish or something, do you run a skimmer or something to strip out the nitrates or doing a lot of water changes?