Hammer Coral in a 40 breeder?

[MarineGirl411]

Hi Everyone,
A good friend of mine just recently told me that a hammer coral would most likely not be a good inhabitant for my 40 gallon breeder. I really had my eyes set on these beauties. =( I hear they have sweepers that sweep up to a foot. Has any kept them in small tanks like mine? Any stinging problems? Of course I am going to have clams other SPS and LPS. I don't want to chance it with them. I'd appreciate it. Thank you very much.

 

[sarduci]

Hammer would be fine, just like frogspawns. Torches are not a good choice for anything except with other torches or hammers or frogspawns, and then it's hit/miss if it'll nuke hammers/frogspawns.

Just keep it near the top of the tank in a corner, and anything around it should go on the bottom or 5 or 6 inches away. It'll take up the least amount of room that way.

If you move it to the middle, you'll need 6 to 8 on the left and right, and that'll be about half of your tank.

 

[mr.maroonsalty]

I keep a branching form in a mixed specimen 40g stretched hex; the tank is loaded with live rock, so I have many options for placing it. I've only seen sweepers a couple inches or so when in a higher flow area near to a bubble coral, the two would occationally lock up, but rarely. After two years three heads is growing into too many to count, and I lost an entire branch when put into a softy/anemone vho tank. My spouce loves the movement corals like these provide vs. sps' static colours. I find it doesn't like direct halide lighting at any tank level and does well in an area of indirect light and moderate flow. In mid august I came home after a long weekend away to find the gfci tripped. My lps' were amongst the few animals to survive; everything was a stinking mess. Someday I'll find a nonbranching anchora, they look awsome. That will probably be the day the Galaxia will have to go (now there's sweeper tenacles!)

 

[MarineGirl411]

So I couldn't really have a nice stocked tank then with the hammer? Is that what you are saying? =( My halide is in the middle. Maybe I'd still try one in the corner, but he wouldn't get enough light I believe. What do you guys think? I have the Aqualight Pro. 1 150 hqi with 2 65 watt PC's. I love their look and movement. I'd love to find a blue hammer. If not, then I guess I will have to part with the idea. Let me know.

 

[seaduck]

Go for it. I have 2 frogs and a hammer and a torch in a lil 10 gal nano. I alsol have lots of mushrooms and star polyps and zenias. All of them are pretty small, about the size of a tennis ball. I keep the torch seperate from the others as im not sure if it will sting frogs and hammers but ive heard they all get along just fine. U can put several different hammers on one side of the tank under the pc lighting and they will do just fine...mine love the pc lighting and split regularly.

 

[MarineGirl411]

Well that is encouraging. I've heard frogs, hammers, and torch corals will not sting eachother. I asked a friend of mine about the hammer coral, she suggested putting it 12 in away from other corals because Dr. Ron Shiemeck(SP?) said they have sweepers that long. I just wasn't sure. I wanted to be on the safe side. I'd hate to invest a bunch of money in my precious beauties only to have a naughty coral destroy them....that is if I ever get the tank up. ugh!