Help for a Hammer please!

[fishlovr]

My daughter purchased a hammer coral for her 20 gallon nano 3 days ago and she just called me to say she thinks it's "croaking." It has three heads and one is completely gone and the other two are retreating. There is some mucous being secreted also. Her nitrates always run around 15-20. Everything else is "safe" or "ideal" on her test strips. Everything in her tank has been doing well until the hammer was added. Possible chemical warfare? She said her brain coral is not expanding as much right now. Can a hammer polute and tank a whole tank with it when it dies? I told her to bring it over to me as I have a 58 gallon that runs 0 all the time for ammonia, trites, and trates......do I need to be concerned about it poluting my tank? I have a frogspawn that is doing well and thought I'd place her hammer in the same vicinity. Please adivse if I should try to save the hammer......TIA I've enclosed a pic of her tank so you can see what she has going on......

 

[musipilot]

Don't panic, its just a coral thats dying due to lack of something it needs. Hammer (or anchor) corals are very picky, and sometimes do well, sometimes die in the manner you're describing. Its not going to do any damage to the tank other then break your heart as you watch it go.
We've had several over the years, and I can tell you that some have done great (we still have them) and others mysteriously deteriorated over time.
Be sure the calcium and trace element level is okay in her tank, and suggest she feed some baby brine shrimp, this may help, but its probably a goner.

 

[fishlovr]

Thanks, Musipilot, for the input She brought the coral over to me and I acclimated it into my tank. One of the heads is just a skeleton, the other two branches have their little green heads barely visible. Still, I think there may be hope I have the metal haildes off right now and just the actinic on.......tomorrow will tell the tale of whether it's a goner or not.....I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[jonthefb]

if several of the dying heads are accumulatign a "brown goo" you need to vacume this off immediately as it is a protozooan that devours corals, and if it lands on any other coral in the tank, it will begin attacking them as well. i would reccommend dipping it in a coral bath using seachem's reef dip. it is a coral disinfectant that will kill any and all parasititc animals that might be capitalizing on the corals decay. Has your daughter ever fed the hammer? Corals survive on the products of the zooxanthellae but also need to ingest meaty food to survive. if she isnt doing so already i woudl suggest feedign the coral baby brine shrimp or a mix of brine, mysis, DT's phytoplankton, and freeze dried live zooplankton, to help it rebound.
i recently experienced somethign similar because my hammer was stung by a blue shroom. however with cautious feedigns, and lots of care, it is now regenerating tissue from teh side that had been stung
good luck, and dont simply let it waste away!
jon

 

[fishlovr]

Thanks, Jon, for the helpful info I didn't notice any brown goo, just a clear mucous in the transport bag. She had only had the coral for 3 or 4 days and tried feeding it once. I'm sure the LFS never fed it. I will try when and if it comes out of it's skeleton. Sure would be nice if it lived!

 

[dinhouse]

I had a braching hammer that did the same thing When I got it three of the four heads died on me. WHat I did was just use a syringe/turkey baster to suck all the dead tissue out of the dead and made sur it was getting light and a little current and the one survivng head is doing well and the other three are growing back.

notice directly underneathe the coral the little tentcles you can see starting to grow back.

this is a picture of the same coral yesterday. See how much it has regenerated?
Don't give up on the coral is can rebound.

 

[fishlovr]

Thanks for the encouragement, Dinhouse I have enlcosed a pic that I just took a few minutes ago. The hammer has been in my tank for a few days and is looking better every day. At first it was entirely closed up....but now the little hammers can be seen quite easily. I fed it some small pieces of squid yesterday and I think there is some brownish stringy stuff starting to come out of the lower head on the left side of the pic. The head to the right has some transparent tissue showing, so maybe it will regenerate like you said

 

[starfishjackedme]

Most are damaged by the way they are removed from the mother colony. Collection and shipment takes it's toll. It's hard to find one that isn't messed up IMO. This is why i don't think these particular corals should be offered in the aquarium trade.

 

[dinhouse]

"STarfish" Is absolutly right I later found out that most are damaged because they are moved/handled while they are partially extended. The coral cannot support it's own weight and this causes tissue damage.

 

[fishlovr]

Looks better again tonight. Think it's going to make it and hopefully the third head will regenerate Thanks again to everyone who replied......

 

[blondenaso1]

The LFS gave me that hep piece of advice about hammer corals. When transporting them they should be kept under water because the wieght from gravity will tear the tissue. Tell your daughter to keep an eye on the water in her tank. In bigger tanks the death of a coral may have little efeect, but in smaller ones a snail dying could wipe out the tank (little overexageration) but you know what I mean. I have a 20 and always keep an eye on the health of everything in the tank.

 

[fishlovr]

Thanks for the tip, Blondenaso1. My daughter has a 20 gallon so will tell her what you said. The hammer is in my 58 gallon right now and looking good Hope it stays that way.......