Hammer Dying?

[RyanMcLaughlin]

My Alk is 8.2, ph 8.3, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, calcium 550, magnesium 1275. I have a little ammonia but I suspect that is because the hammer is rotting away. I took him out of the tank because all the tentacles were gone and he had brown jelly. I have two 250 watt MH bulbs about 15 or so inches above the tank and my tank is 20 inches tall. I placed him about 4 inches off the bottom at first and then moved him to the sand in a shadier area. Also it wasnt directly under the light. Do you think I should downgrade to 175 watts?

 

[demonsp]

Mine at top under 526 whatt T-5 lighting.Bought with 2 heads.

 

[demonsp]

Also pic taken hour after main lights outs and 3 months ago.Its only larger now.
MAny factors play and more info would help like whats used for flow? Feeding scedule and type?Tank age?

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

My tank is about 4 months old, I have two K4's and about 600gph from return. I didnt feed it because it never came out. I feed my brain every few days w/ just actinics on.

 

[reefnut1]

That lighting should be good. So I dont think that is the problem. Your calcium is a little high but I have never heard of that causing it to die.
It is possible that your tanks parameters and your LFS is quite different. Even though it looked alright when you bought it it still may have been in a weak condition and the changes from tank could have done it in.
Your tanks numbers dont look that bad.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[demonsp]

They require good flow and small meaty bits off food.The good flow will get the food to circulate to there tenticales. but you say never opened so could be accumualtion or water quality. How long have you had it.

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

As of now its been 2 days. I drip acclimated it for 2 hours. From now on I am going to try and only get corals from stores under MH because I had a prob w/ my brain cuz of my lights. I will wait a week or two before I get another coral. Make sure everything is perfect.

 

[demonsp]

Its not dead. I would leave lights out a day or two and get it higher up in medium flow.

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

I already took it out because it was covered in brown jelly and had all this stringy stuff coming out/off of it.

 

[demonsp]

http://www.athiel.com/lib/bacterial.html

 

[Loon]

I Have one that came back from looking like that, actually quite fast after i found the problem. It was a pepperment shrimp that was attacking it everynight, i finally took care of that problem.