New Hammer, Mouth Open, Questions

[beehive124]

Hi all! I’m pretty new to the euphyllia scene, but I got my first hammer today! I ordered it off of a trustworthy seller on ebay and it looked ok when it got to me. I floated, dripped, and dipped the coral. It opened up after an hour or so. It looked ok, until I turned my wave pump on. Its mouths are open, but it seems just stressed. Is this normal for euphyllia? When it arrived I also noticed a small portion of its skeleton peeling. Is that bad? Any help would be great, thanks!

 

[Goaway]

Acclimating. This is very normal as they inflate and deflate.

 

[jassermd]

Hammers will take a while to acclimate to their new home. Be patient... sometimes they will open immediately, other times it will take several days. Transport and dipping are stressful to the coral.
They prefer low flow, low-mod light (75-100 par) and stable parameters; Alk 8-9 (stable!), Ca 440, Mg 1400. They also prefer nutrient rich water, nitrates 10-15, phosphate 0.1 or so.
They will retract when they expel their zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae).
I don't know what you mean by "skeleton peeling"... the tissue should extend over the skeleton
Hope this helps.

 

[beehive124]

Thank you for the responses! My params are all in check, so is flow and lighting. I’m guessing there was some algae at the base of the skeleton and it was peeling off. Thank you both for the help

 

[beehive124]

Hammers will take a while to acclimate to their new home. Be patient... sometimes they will open immediately, other times it will take several days. Transport and dipping are stressful to the coral.
They prefer low flow, low-mod light (75-100 par) and stable parameters; Alk 8-9 (stable!), Ca 440, Mg 1400. They also prefer nutrient rich water, nitrates 10-15, phosphate 0.1 or so.
They will retract when they expel their zooxanthellae (symbiotic algae).
I don't know what you mean by "skeleton peeling"... the tissue should extend over the skeleton
Hope this helps.

Now that I look at it again it appears some tissue did peel off, but it seems minuscule. Will this infect the coral?

 

[jassermd]

Now that I look at it again it appears some tissue did peel off, but it seems minuscule. Will this infect the coral?

Hard to tell at this point... if your parameters are stable and it's in a good place (flow/light) there is a good likelihood it will be just fine.
Keep a close eye on it and try not to move it or mess with it. Let it acclimate and adjust to your tank.
If it's indeed tissue recession, there is little you can do other than ensure the ecosystem is stable and it's in a good place.
Hope this helps and I hope it does well for you.

 

[beehive124]

Thank you!

 

[Goaway]

A picture under white light might help.

 

[beehive124]

A picture under white light might help.

It is looking much better already. I think I got excited and panicked, but I agree that it is just acclimating.

 

[Goaway]

Gl and dont mess with it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Its adjusting and will do this. You stated new to Euphyllia. Things to know about hammer: 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, 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.

 

[beehive124]

Thank you vetteguy! I’ve done a ton of research on this coral before buying it to give it the best chance in my tank. Thank you for all of the extra information! I didn’t know some of the info you gave me! I feel much more confident now in this coral Thank you all!

 

[beehive124]

Quick Update. The mouths have closed, but the tentacles aren’t looking too hot. Is this all part of acclimation?

 

[Goaway]

Can you post a picture of its current condition?

 

[beehive124]

Can you post a picture of its current condition?

Here it is from a couple different angles under white light

 

[beehive124]

It looks like what was advertised online, but the tentacles just seem slim, and some of them shriveled.