Hammer corals keep dying, Help!

[shanpeach]

I recently got a hammer/anchor coral and not soon after this film-y mucus began to cover it on one end and progressively moved to the other end. As the mucus sluffed off there was nothing left. That coral seems dead now. So we got a branching hammer/anchor coral and hoped not to have the same problems and its starting again. I don't know what to do, if there even is anything to do. Help!

 

[crazyzeus1]

What sort of lighting do you have?

 

[ithorian_r]

what is tank size, setup and give all water parameters. and give the actual readings, dont say that all the levels are fine. after this, maybe we can figure out whats wrong and stop em from dying!

 

[shanpeach]

We have 1-150 watt HQI, 2-75 watt flourscents, and lunar lights. Its a 44 gallon tank. Last parameters were checked specific gravity at 1.024, everything else "normal" (Thats the specificity of info we were given where we get our water tested)

 

[ithorian_r]

i recommend testing your own parameters. off these the most important are...
pH
ammonia
nitrites
nitrates
alkalinity
calcium
i would get test kits that yield actual numbers, not normal, or high type of readings. until then your problems are most likely be stemming from one of these being out of whack. just my opinion!
oh and i forgot to include salinity of course!

 

[shanpeach]

I am not sure if thats the problem though because we do frequent water changes, and all of our other corals, inverts and fish are doing fine

 

[ithorian_r]

corals are much more sensitive to water parameters than inverts and especially to fish. that is not a good indicator to compare to. but like i stated before w/out parameter levels to go off of, there isnt much me or other people can suggest. you have proper lighting so that leads me to think that its something to do with the chemistry in your tank.
but on another note, what fish, inverts do you have?? just to narrow things down/out...

 

[shanpeach]

We have a yellow tang, oscellaris clown, scooter blenny, turbo snails, nerite snails, nassarius snails, dwarf blue leg hermits, red reef hermits, emerald crabs, black turbo snails, queen conch, red footed conch, margarita snails, bumble bee snails. Also, we have a fiji leather coral, umbrella leather coral, finger leather coral, Curly Q anemone, purple plate coral, elephant skin coral, merulina coral, maxima clam, blue and orange ricordea mushrooms, torch coral, lobo coral, and lots of liverock. All of which seem healthy. All but the torch coral are a different type of coral, and the torch seems to be doing fine.

 

[ithorian_r]

just a thought but what is located near the hammer? i know hammers are aggressive(sweeper tentacles) but is something close to it that could be causing it damage? have u seen any sort this activity at night when the lights are off? i doubt this is it but im racking my brain trying to help ya out!

 

[shanpeach]

There is nothing within 6-8 inches of it besides a fiji leather coral and it doesnt have long tentacles. The Curly Q is about 8 inches away but we keep that trimmed on a weekly basis so it isnt able to touch any other corals.

 

[ithorian_r]

hmmm. very interesting. well right now im out of ideas. but i will do some research and see if i can find something. im sorry that you are losing hammers while your able to keep everything else. must be frustrating!

 

[shanpeach]

Its horrible because they are one of my favorite kinds of coral. Thanks for trying to help though!

 

[ithorian_r]

i love the hammers, especially under actinics! very beautiful creature. no problem, l love to problem solve!

 

[speg]

Leathers release toxins in a form of chemical warfare to try and keep stuff away... this >could< be the problem... flow could as well have something to do with it. Do you ever notice any hermits climbing on the tentacles of the hammer?
(I dont know how old this thread is... just noticed it while doing a search and felt like answering).

 

[ricks280]

hi shan,
sometimes its very hard to pick the damage to corals at the lfs ,if the hammer has been
damaged at collection or at the time of delivery normally the lfs will have the damaged side facing backwards, because the die back will not be noticed over nite the lfs supplier
will get away with it!(jmo)rick

 

[ags]

Knowing your exact water parameters is ideal but weekly 10% water changes should correct any imbalances you have. At least enough so that your livestock can survive. If you are new to the hobby I suggest doing small, weekly water changes. It can cure a lot of problems.
What supplements are you adding? You may be over dosing or undosing your tank.
What temp do you have your tank at?
What type of water are you using?
Is your tank a 40 long - ie 4 feet long? If so MH bulbs coverage is only 2ft square. Are the flourescents VHO or NO?
Hammers are pretty hardy corals; however, my hammer is my visual water quality indicator. I know something is off in my tank if my hammer isn't out in all its glory.