Hammer died overnight

[kevinp458]

I just want to know what killed it. My 34 gal was doing better than it ever was, I had two separate zoas grow 5-7 heads in about 2 months, yumas, mushrooms, leathers growing rapidly, yet my hammer is dead. It has never moved and is isolated because I really didn't want anything to happen to it. My parameters have been consistent. I did have my temp get slightly higher than I would liked it to be (reached 78, normal temp 76-77). I wouldn't think that that could of killed it since everything else is fine but could that of been what killed it? Is there a type of parasite I might have? I do have a pair of aggressive clowns that might of tried to host and did more harm than good?

 

[Ebone]

Post up tank parameters, it will help people offer assistance faster... do you have high nitrates/phosphate perhaps... hard to believe they died over night with things being stable.. where did you get it from? extreme differences between water there and yours

 

[Webmanny]

That is weird, but I agree, we need to see parameters. What may be normal and common for your tank, may be high or low for the specific coral.

I can tell you that I have Hammers, Frogspawn, Octospawn, etc. and one thing I've learned is that they are very susceptible to ALK changes. Especially on the lower end.

 

[rt67ghy]

It could be a victim of allelopathic warfare since you seem to have a lot of softies esp. leather, mushrooms . In a small enclosure if you're not running GAC the toxins could rapidly build up and affect LPS/ SPS corals. IMO this would especially be the case where the softies are growing rapidly and therefore produce more chemicals to retard LPS growth.

 

[BFG]

Was there flesh on the hammer branch before you notice it died? Receding flesh on the stem/branch of the hammer coral is a sign its not doing well. My experience of keeping this coral.

 

[kevinp458]

Ive had the hammer for a few months.
Calcium: 500 mg/L (ppm)
Alkalinity: 10 dKH (179 ppm KH)
Salinity: 1.025 (33%)
Phosphate and Nitrates: 0 ppm
Temp: 76.5

Could lighting be an issue?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Lighting could be an issue for sure

 

[Art13]

I don't think lighting would kill it overnight, not unless it was overkill and you cooked him. Also, softies don't care about parameters as much as lps, though i'm not sure what could cause it to be gone overnight unless something ate it.

 

[kevinp458]

Im using AI Hydras both blues and purple are maxed, white 25, green 25, red 25, and uv 20. I doubt its me cooking them cause they arent that bright, unless its not enough light

 

[Sk8r]

Are you talking withered or shredded, or just absent from its skeleton? Many euphyllias pop heads when unhappy with lighting or chemistry, and go walkabout. If you do find a popped head, putting it in a transparent small glass dish, so that it won't blow under the rockwork, and giving it what it needs in nutrients, can result in it regrowing skeleton. Euphyllia can also bud from the side of branching skeleton, but usually that is only when there are larger heads above.

 

[Reef Bass]

allelopathy +1

 

[kevinp458]

How do i go about countering allelopathy?

 

[Reef Bass]

Carbon (or something containing carbon) is the most efficient and specific way, imho. Water changes also work but, with leathers and mushrooms, more frequent would be better.

Keep Sk8r's advice in mind too.

Expanding on your original post, parasites don't usually kill so quickly, and neither do clowns trying to use it as a host. Either of those usually take a least a couple of days during which time it would be pouting and closed up. And the temps you mention are not at all the problem.

I'd also check your magnesium. Euphyllia get grumpy with low mag. Your calcium and alk are a touch high, imho, and I'd probably let them drift down a bit, but that's not what took out your hammer.