Hammer is decaying

HippieSmell

HippieSmell

Occupy Reef Central
My hammer is slowly decaying. The polyps are fully extended and I've given it an iodine dip, but it is still slowly decaying. Has this happened to anyone? Is there anything I can do?
 
joshinjosh said:
what r ur water parameters? type of flow you got? lighting? (hint: be more specific)
Click to expand...

It's under my current tank description. Specifically, it's a lot of light :D and 15-20X turnover. Parameters are all perfect (pH, nitrate, alk, mag, phos, etc)
 
was your lighting addition recent? in my experience, good water, gentle flow, and time are all a hammer needs.

one thing to look for is it's proximity to other corals; in my little tank, i noticed that when my hammer was fully extended (bout midday), it was actually occasionally brushing up against a neighboring zoa colony...maybe something like this set it off?
 
It could be a bacterial/fungus (I can't remember which now) infection, but it turns everything into this brown jelly. If it is I'd remove it from your main tank.
 
Is there a leather coral in the tank? If so, get it out. I lost a hammer, then found the reference in Borneman's book.
 
It's not a brown jelly, it had some of this problem when I bought it, then I dipped it and it stopped, but it's back again. There isn't anything else next to it. It's like some type of necrosis. ?????
 
billwynne said:
Is there a leather coral in the tank? If so, get it out. I lost a hammer, then found the reference in Borneman's book.
Click to expand...

Nope, no leather. I have an anemone, a gorgonian, and a candy cane.
 
I have had problem or two in the past with hammers. I have had much better luck with branching hammers than with the ones sometimes called "wall hammers" (euphyllia anchora i think). both wall types I have had stuggled in my tank, while every branching one I have had has been fragged several times. Dipping prolonged the life, but thats about it
 
wall hammers like to be in somewhat gentle moving water, I have 3 of them in my tanks, and they are all thriving, I would suggest that you take a close look at your tank, and see what area of the tank has like a natural lagoon, or slow flow, put him there, as long as he is getting good lighting in that spot he should be ok.
 
downlimit said:
wall hammers like to be in somewhat gentle moving water, I have 3 of them in my tanks, and they are all thriving, I would suggest that you take a close look at your tank, and see what area of the tank has like a natural lagoon, or slow flow, put him there, as long as he is getting good lighting in that spot he should be ok.
Click to expand...

It's sitting in a pretty low flow area. The polyps gently sway back and forth and there is plenty of light. I'm pretty sure it likes where it is because there is new growth, it's just decaying in other spots. Frustrating.
 
if you have the hammer in a gentle flow, with adequate lighting. how far from skeleton does the tissue come out when the lights are on? the sides or parts that are deteriorating are they closer to their light source than the others, or vice versa?
 
Here's a pic

DSCN0426.jpg
 
What is the deal with having a leather in the same tank as a hammer?

Currently I have 2 leathers, a really nice toadstool that has 2 on one rock and a finger leather that was tiny when I got it but is now a decent size. They are in the same tank with a candy cane, 2 frogspawns and 2 SPS and some ricordia.

My girlfriend would absolutely kill me if I wanted to ditch the toadstool. It is her fave. And in all honesty I would have to say that I like it quite a bit myself. It is a really nice piece.
 
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