Hammer coral lighting

sharkbait1122* · Dec 5, 2021

I have a hammer coral that’s been in the tank for about 2 months. The lighting is a Kessil a160we sitting at 55% for about 4hrs a day with a ramp up and down of about an hour each. Parameters have been super stable.
calcium:400-420
Alk.9.2
Ph8.14
Nitrates 10-15 and phos at .25
The flow is medium. The hammer isn’t puffing up like I see a lot of the time and I’m wondering if it’s getting too much or too little flow. Or if it could be another factor all together. It sits in the middle third of the tank. Here are pictures from the middle of today.

MnFish1 · Dec 5, 2021

Patience. Leave it the same - assuming your parameters are normal. I have seen flow much higher than 'recommended' and everything is doing well. The question is what are your parameters - compared to the tank it came from. IMHO - Don't fuss with it.

MnFish1 · Dec 5, 2021

bTW - IMHO - it does not look 'bad' at all

Dom · Dec 5, 2021

That Hammer looks a bit under inflated, but certainly nothing that would raise a concern for me.

That being said, Hammer corals don't have big light and flow demands. They are easy to care for.

If this continues, I'd think the issue is something other than light and flow.

sharkbait1122* · Dec 5, 2021

Dom said:
That Hammer looks a bit under inflated, but certainly nothing that would raise a concern for me.

That being said, Hammer corals don't have big light and flow demands. They are easy to care for.

If this continues, I'd think the issue is something other than light and flow.

Would the inflation have to do with light or just if it’s happy or not? I guess I’m more concerned because a lot of pictures I see the coral is super inflated and when I first got it it was rather inflated but in my tank it doesn’t inflate much.

MnFish1 · Dec 5, 2021

sharkbait1122* said:
Would the inflation have to do with light or just if it’s happy or not? I guess I’m more concerned because a lot of pictures I see the coral is super inflated and when I first got it it was rather inflated but in my tank it doesn’t inflate much.

I can't ask the coral. It could be 10 things. But - I would leave it as it is. Stop changing things. It will either adjust - or not. I mean assuming you're not blowing a constant flow on it.

MnFish1 · Dec 5, 2021

No offense - patience. - or - move the flow away - do not IMHO - move the coral

sharkbait1122* · Dec 5, 2021

MnFish1 said:
No offense - patience. - or - move the flow away - do not IMHO - move the coral

I think that’s totally fair. I will definitely give it time. I do wish I knew what the par was thought, guessing as to whether or not the hammer is getting to much light is another question id love to know ha.

MnFish1 · Dec 5, 2021

sharkbait1122* said:
I think that’s totally fair. I will definitely give it time. I do wish I knew what the par was thought, guessing as to whether or not the hammer is getting to much light is another question id love to know ha.

you can always rent/borrow a PAR meter from your LFS. but the key is - there is no such thing as too much or too little - its what did it come from - and what did you put it in (PAR-wise)?

MnFish1 · Dec 5, 2021

sharkbait1122* said:
I think that’s totally fair. I will definitely give it time. I do wish I knew what the par was thought, guessing as to whether or not the hammer is getting to much light is another question id love to know ha.

you can always rent/borrow a PAR meter from your LFS. but the key is - there is no such thing as too much or too little - its what did it come from - and what did you put it in (PAR-wise)

Dom · Dec 5, 2021

sharkbait1122* said:
Would the inflation have to do with light or just if it’s happy or not? I guess I’m more concerned because a lot of pictures I see the coral is super inflated and when I first got it it was rather inflated but in my tank it doesn’t inflate much.

Could inadequate lighting cause under inflation? Yes. Your Kessil is only running t 55% for two months.

Try bringing it up to 75% and stay there for a month. If you get the results you want, then keep it there.

How deep is the tank and how far below the water line is the Hammer positioned?

Shirak · Dec 5, 2021

4 hours at peak intensity with a 1 hour ramp up and 1 hour down is only 6 hours total. Not long enough

I run 7 hours at peak and 30min ramp up and 90min down 9 hours total

robn70 · Dec 5, 2021

Is the clown bothering the hammer? I know my hammer shrinks some when the clown starts to annoy it.

lazlodawg · Dec 5, 2021

6 hours of light is not enough in my opinion. 10-12 would be better (including ramp up and down time). 4 hours peak intensity is fine, but a longer photo period and not messing with peak intensity unless you test with a par meter to ensure you are getting enough/not to much peak par would be best.

Lavey29 · Dec 5, 2021

I've got 6 hammers doing well. They all sit on the sandbed or close to it receiving low to moderate light and low to moderate flow.

vetteguy53081 · Dec 5, 2021

As MnFish stated- you are in essence stressing it. Since they are a large polyp stony coral, calcium and alkalinity are two very important water parameters that will affect the growth of your coral. This coral will start to die off if the calcium levels are too low. A calcium level of about 400 ppm is just right.
This coral species isn’t terribly picky when it comes to the proper placement in your tank. The trick would really be just to avoid the extremes Avoiding extremely bright locations or areas with high current, and avoid areas that are too dark or with currents that are too low. Fast currents risk damaging the soft, fleshy polyps and getting an infection.
Bright lights will cause bleaching. Insufficient lighting will cause the poor coral to wither away and starve to death.
Hammer corals only require a moderate amount of light for photosynthesis and can grow well in the intermediate regions of your tank. Just about any reef LED lighting should be sufficient for most tanks. Reduce white light intensity if bright and get it off the sand bed if you have it there as sand can irritate it.
The polyps should sway in the current, but not sustain so much pressure they are constantly bent over their skeleton. Too much flow will tear the polyps (worst case) and cause the polyps do not extend in the first place (best case). So, don’t give them too much flow.

Lavey29 · Dec 5, 2021

vetteguy53081 said:
As MnFish stated- you are in essence stressing it. Since they are a large polyp stony coral, calcium and alkalinity are two very important water parameters that will affect the growth of your coral. This coral will start to die off if the calcium levels are too low. A calcium level of about 400 ppm is just right.
This coral species isn’t terribly picky when it comes to the proper placement in your tank. The trick would really be just to avoid the extremes Avoiding extremely bright locations or areas with high current, and avoid areas that are too dark or with currents that are too low. Fast currents risk damaging the soft, fleshy polyps and getting an infection.
Bright lights will cause bleaching. Insufficient lighting will cause the poor coral to wither away and starve to death.
Hammer corals only require a moderate amount of light for photosynthesis and can grow well in the intermediate regions of your tank. Just about any reef LED lighting should be sufficient for most tanks. Reduce white light intensity if bright and get it off the sand bed if you have it there as sand can irritate it.
The polyps should sway in the current, but not sustain so much pressure they are constantly bent over their skeleton. Too much flow will tear the polyps (worst case) and cause the polyps do not extend in the first place (best case). So, don’t give them too much flow.

I have 4 on the sandbed and they do fine there even seem happier then the 2 on the rocks but my sand does not blow around either.

sharkbait1122* · Dec 5, 2021

Dom said:
Could inadequate lighting cause under inflation? Yes. Your Kessil is only running t 55% for two months.

Try bringing it up to 75% and stay there for a month. If you get the results you want, then keep it there.

How deep is the tank and how far below the water line is the Hammer positioned?

The light is 9 inches off the water surface, the tank is 22 inches deep I believe and the hammer is about a foot from the top