Is this a pest on my hammer coral?

[Potatohead]

This hammer has been in my tank about three weeks. It was doing well but I thought it might be a bit too much flow, so I moved it to low flow. After 3-4 days it was not opening and really not getting much flow, so I moved it back a few days ago. It has been closed since... I guess it's probably just mad but today I noticed these purple hard things on the skeleton, there's basically one on each head/branch. They're hard... I'm not sure if it's a pest, or something normal on the coral, or if it's even coraline from the previous tank. It's hard to tell but it's the black blob under the head on the right side.

Thoughts?

 

[Nanobros]

Maybe a new head?

 

[ric167]

looks like coralline algae but keep on eye on it....and do a google search for vermetid snail...if thats what u think u have scrape it off b4 it becomes a real problem...they r not really harmful but can overtake a tank

 

[Potatohead]

I'm pretty confused to be honest, this thing is still pretty closed up, but it's not so far in you can see the edges of the skeleton. It is extending its stinger tentacles a little bit during the day. There are two torches 18" away that are totally normal, and three acans just below it that are super plump and colourful. The spots on it haven't changed in size, haven't moved, so I think they were likely there when I got it. The only thing I really see is a slight change in color, it almost looks bluish grey, which seems weird, but it may just be what it looks like when it's closed. I do think that the bottom right head is either trying to split, or was beginning to... So maybe that's why?

 

[ric167]

from your last pic it looks as if the top head is splitting, when my branching hammer split it remained closed for a couple of weeks and i tried feeding it (mysis) directly thinking something was wrong, but it was fine...side note i would just keep and eye on the red spot just to make sure its coralline and not a vermetid snail

 

[Potatohead]

Well ric I think you are right...

I looked real close and saw a little tube on one that wasn't there a couple days ago. I pulled it out, found like six of them on it. So I dipped it, crushed them all manually with a pick, dipped again. I also found some in one of my larger zoa colonies. I noticed my six line picking at the spots on both corals after I cleaned them so he was finding some snail meat or something, lol. I don't know if this was the problem, but at least now they're gone. When I put the hammer back in it was super sunken in but now it's like it was in the pic above. I guess I'll know in a couple days of it worked or not. My two torches on the other side look clean and are as extended as ever.

 

[Southernstang98]

Mine did that and now I have two heads.

 

[ric167]

Well ric I think you are right...

I looked real close and saw a little tube on one that wasn't there a couple days ago. I pulled it out, found like six of them on it. So I dipped it, crushed them all manually with a pick, dipped again. I also found some in one of my larger zoa colonies. I noticed my six line picking at the spots on both corals after I cleaned them so he was finding some snail meat or something, lol. I don't know if this was the problem, but at least now they're gone. When I put the hammer back in it was super sunken in but now it's like it was in the pic above. I guess I'll know in a couple days of it worked or not. My two torches on the other side look clean and are as extended as ever.

I'm really happy to help:lolspin: when and if it is one of those snails u really need to try and scrape off the base as they will regrow the tubular structure...again i don't believe they harm corals but they do multiply fast and then b4 u know they become an eye sore

 

[ric167]

i'm actually in the process of tearing down my 160 and my rocks are so full of those that my Blenny won't eat n e algae off those rocks

 

[Potatohead]

I'm really happy to help:lolspin: when and if it is one of those snails u really need to try and scrape off the base as they will regrow the tubular structure...again i don't believe they harm corals but they do multiply fast and then b4 u know they become an eye sore

Yes I scraped them so they were totally gone.

The coral is still pretty closed, although a little more extended, but not near full. Really odd, my torches are still rocking and rolling. I'm just going to wait it out, it doesn't look sickly.

 

[Potatohead]

I'm kind of at a loss. I don't really want to move it again. It's still closed up, I can definitely see the top right heads are getting further apart, but I have a hard time believing the whole thing staying closed because of that. I took a video of the torches on the other side. Sorry it's so blue my iPhone makes it look like that, it's not nearly so blue in person.

https://youtu.be/oIME69tYnvE

Any last ditch ideas?

Thanks.

 

[ric167]

the best advise is leave it alone if its not turning into brown jelly...allow it time to acclimate itself with your parameters and lighting...LPS can sometimes take long to "like" a tank but once they begin then you better get your frag tools ready