Need help! Hammer coral deteriorating

[vessxpress1]

I have a wall hammer coral that I absolutely love. It's like the shape of a 'C' and is about 7" around. One end is one big clump of tentacles and the other end is more narrow like a tail, then there's a dead spot right in the middle about the size of a quarter, that was there when I bought it. Some kind of hand like thing comes out in the large clump and rips food back in. I haven't seen anymore on it. I feed it pieces of shrimp and squid occasionally. It has green stems with pink tips. It's the most expensive coral in the tank and my favorite. I came home from work today and the 'tail' end is spewing zooxanthellae out every once in a while!! Help!

Tank params:
SG: 1.027
Temp: 77.2 to 78
Phospates: 0
Nitrates: 0
Calcium 480+
Mg 1270
Iodide .03
pH 8.3

It's on the side where my heater is. I use a digital therm. mounted on the opposite side that reads 77.2. I used a normal therm. and got 78 over by the heater. It's about 3" below the surface under dual 96 watt PCs (Current sunpaqs) that are barely a month old, and in moderate flow. I've had this coral for almost 5 weeks. It's been under the new PCs the whole time. Other than some of the ends looking a little pale (which I'm not happy about either), this is the first time I've seen it spewing zooxanthallae. I don't have anywhere to move it. Could it be getting too much light? Not enough? Too much flow? I have a very mixed tank. My frogspawns have been doing great for months at nearly the same level. Let me know. It is an awesome piece. thanks

 

[Blown 346]

It is probably just releasing waste, they will do this from time to time.

 

[vessxpress1]

Yeah, I thought that might be a possibility but I didn't know how much it should. Plus some of the tips are getting a dullish color to them compared to normal.

What part of Rockford do you live at? I'm over in Savanna. I met a guy in Freeport on here that I've bought quite a bit of stuff from. He has a 180 and he's willing to trade most anything.

 

[vessxpress1]

There's still brown strands anywhere from small pieces, to 3 inch long strands coming out. This has been going on for at least the last 3 hours.

 

[vessxpress1]

A pics worth a thousand words. There was a piece of the brown stuff floating up in the middle picture. I don't know if you can see it. On the last pic, the middle tentacles are the healthiest. The ones on either side are the pale ones I was talking about. The upper part is closed up because I just fed it.

 

[acesea]

It is waste for sure, my bubble coral emits the same type of brown strand like waste after feeding him krill.

 

[Anemonebuff]

Waste or excess xooanthallae.

 

[vessxpress1]

Ok. Thanks. I'll stop worrying for now. I figured it should be able to hold it's own in the chemical war in there, plus it has good flow on it. I can't do much more for it. It's never extended sweepers. Is that a bad sign?

 

[Blown 346]

No, Mine does it from time to time but not frequent. The loss of color is just from the actual coral expanding, I wouldnt worry.
You have a nice piece there, it looks nice and healthy.

I am in Loves Park which is right outside of rockford, a few steps over East riverside and im in rockford.