Pink Tipped Hammer Coral Sick?

[The Saltwater Kid]

I have one head on my 5 headed Pink Tipped Hammer coral that looks like it's dying and I don't know what to do? It just happened within the past week, I really noticed it yesterday when it didn't extend at all and it's the same today...looks like it's really stressed. The problem is the other 4 heads look awesome, big beutiful and full of life. What do you think the problem is with the one head and what can i do to possibly save it?

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

What are your water parameters and when was the last time you fed it?

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

I just had my water parameters tested at my LFS and my calcium was low so I've been dosing with Kent Marine liquid calcium but everything else was fine. I've been filter feeding it cyclopeeze when i feed my fish. Do you recommend other feeding practices? Why would 4 out of 5 heads be doing great though if there's something wrong with feeding/water?

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

bump

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

Don't be bashful people...chime in with your thoughts/opinions!!!

 

[reefkoi]

well i have lost a head or two on branching Euphyllias before, no biggie. Sometimes the ones that get lost under higher growing branches die (due to receiving low light I believe), thats perfectly normal, I think its all part of the process, the fact that you have 5 branches makes me think something else caused it to die though. hard to say, if its been happy in the same spot for a while just leave it and see what happens.
Chris

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

I noticed tonight that the dying head is oozing a brownish slime. I guess there is nothing i can do except let nature take it's course...I don't know what else to do. Anybody have any ideas???

 

[pixburg-reefer]

well, if the "brownish" slime is coming out of the center of its disk/ the mouth, than it may be stressed and expelling zooanthallae (the algae in there tissues). This may be because of a recent water change? Or maybe you changed your bulbs? But if this brown slime is covering the entire corallite, like a slimy sheet, it may have a brown jelly infection. If it does, this could be caused by tissue damage and may spread to other heads.

That's just my 2 cents

Kelly

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

what would you do for a brown jelly infection if that is the problem?

 

[moobar]

Has any parameters changed? Different flow, less/more light, feeding etc?

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

no parameters have changed. I have always just let it filter feed, should it be spot fed (how) or should I be filter feeding something different (doing cyclopeez right now)? The brown mucus is totally covering that one head.

 

[pixburg-reefer]

If it already has the infection there probably isn't much hope for that head. But, do NOT blow of this jelly into your aquarium water, it WILL affect other LPS corals including your other hammer heads, if that jelly spreads in the water. For some people, it may just affect that one head. Sometimes it occurs when you try to frag them by breaking off a branch and some tissue gets damaged. But for me, almost a year ago my green torch got it and it spread through out my entire tank killing off almost my entire LPS tank in about 3 or 4 days. I am NOT saying this will happen but I'm just sharing my experience. Since then I have totally restarted my tank.

Here are the solution steps I found. Although I wouldn't do a 25% water change, maybe like a 10% or 15%, and then do another one tomorrow or something.

Treatment For Brown Jelly

a) GENTLY Siphon as much as the Jelly Mass as Possible

b) Remove infected coral and treat with an Iodine Solution like Lugols Solution.

c) make sure that your corals have adequate flow. Not laminar, but multi-directional and random

d) Skim, Poly pads, Activated Carbon are recommended

e) 25% water change.

f) check parameters

I found this on this website: It also has information about other coral diseases and treatments.

http://reefshow.com/html/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=60

Kelly

 

[reefkoi]

I would pull it out and break off the brown jelly branch just to be safe, and dont worry about feeding, I had huge hammers back a few years ago before anybody fed anything, strong lights and water changes and they did great

 

[AustinVines]

I would post on the LPS forum if you haven't already and take/post a pic of what the head looks like.

On feeding, I used to let my hammer, candycane and bubble coral filter feed or I would spot feed them with a frozen coral food from h2oLife. It was a very fine mix and everyone except the candycane seemed to be doing fine. My candycane started receeding and I started spot feeding minced previously frozen table shrimp (you could soak this in vits or fat) to all of them and they really responded positively. I am feeding every few nights. Good luck.

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

I guess I'll do what reefkoi suggests tonight after the heads have closed up and break of the infected head...cut my losses and hope that it didn't have time to spread (I did try to scrape some of it off this morning with a long stick I have...some came off into the water...hopefully not enough to infect anything else and hopefully my filter pulled it in quick enough).

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

bump

 

[The Saltwater Kid]

Well, just like somebody warned...I came home from work tonight and this brown mucus has killed the head directly above the first infected one :-(. So will cutting off the side with the two dead heads prevent it from spreading to any of the 3 remaining heads?

 

[pixburg-reefer]

No it may still be in your water. But if you decide to break off the infected heads, watch out that you don't damage any tissue on the other heads, that could only make your problem worse. I still advise some water changes and carbon.

Kelly

 

[reefkoi]

only one way to find out, break them apart and see, then report back here, this way we all can learn!
Good luck,
Chris