Hammer Coral Shrinking

[kiwis]

I've had a hammer coral for well over a year now. In the last 4-6 weeks it's started to get smaller and smaller.

And ideas on what may be causing this.

The only other issue I have is a small amount of green hair algae, I'm treating this with a phosphate remover.
All other corals are looking great.

 

[Gernader]

It could be a swing in your parameters, some pest, lighting or a fish is bothering it. First, tell us your parameters to see if anything is off.

 

[Mical]

By what you mentioned, I suspect your treatment is bothering your hammer. Hammers, Frogspawn & Torches like a little dirtier water and maybe your stripping to much phosphate out. Have you any parameters on your phosphate levels?

 

[Shift]

By shrinking do you mean not fully extending? Or the polyps are actually shriveling up?

 

[Hemmdog]

What kind of phosphate remover. What were your levels before and what are they now?

 

[Euphyllia97]

what is you alk? What lights are you running? Do you have some nutrients in your water? If not, are you feeding it?

 

[madlos123]

you probably zeroed out phosphate. my hammer and euphyllia gets mad when i even add a small gfo.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

I bottomed my phosphates out and am now dosing phosphates to make all my euphillias happier. I would remove gfo and check levels.

 

[kiwis]

A few questions asked.

• I'm using ROWA Phos - it went in yesterday less than about 24hours ago. This issue has been around 4-6 weeks
• I'm using a Hydra 26 light on this preset setting (https://www.aquaillumination.com/signature_series/david-saxby)
• I've only got clowns.
• It's very tight and closed.
• I'll do a test now on Nitrate, Nitrite, Alk, Calcium, Magnesium and Ph

 

[kiwis]

• I'll do a test now on Nitrate, Nitrite, Alk, Calcium, Magnesium and Ph

Test results, for the first 4 tests I'm using API kits so can't get an exact reading but all very clearly closer to 0ppm than than the next higher reading.

Ph: 8.2
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrate: 0ppm
Calcium: 390
Magnesium: 1390
Alkalinity: 7.7 - 8.0

I've done a phosphate test using a Salifert kit as well, but it shows nothing. I'm assuming my Green Hair Algae is consuming it which it why I've put ROWA Phos in.

 

[madlos123]

yeah phosphates was already super low. gha will consume it till its almost zero. then when you add rwoa phos then that really made it to zero lol.
same as mine phosphate and nitrate zero but still got gha on the back glass and not even on rocks. i dont have any herbivores to eat them so i just scrape them once a week or two. a little gha is not bad.

So you can either dose phosphates and nitrates. Or you just feed a little more in the next few days to increase a little phosphates.
here's some video proof in my tank

 

[Shift]

Have a close look at it and check for pests on it or algae on its skeleton. Make it mad a little so it shriveles up to give you a good look.

 

[kiwis]

yeah phosphates was already super low. gha will consume it till its almost zero. then when you add rwoa phos then that really made it to zero lol.
same as mine phosphate and nitrate zero but still got gha on the back glass and not even on rocks. i dont have any herbivores to eat them so i just scrape them once a week or two. a little gha is not bad.

So you can either dose phosphates and nitrates. Or you just feed a little more in the next few days to increase a little phosphates.
here's some video proof in my tank

It's not the case, ROWA Phos been in the tank less than 24 hours and this has been happening for 4-6 weeks

 

[kiwis]

Have a close look at it and check for pests on it or algae on its skeleton. Make it mad a little so it shriveles up to give you a good look.

I was wondering if some green hair algae go into it?
It's nearby in my Green Star Polyp...

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

It uses phosphates and nitrates to grow and colour up also green hair algae consuming it has bottomed out I'm going through the exact same thing, I only have 3 fish no skimmer no fuge. The hammers and other corals grew like mad then slowed right down I lost my sps and hammers just open not grow, I now dose both nitrates and phosphates.

 

[kiwis]

It uses phosphates and nitrates to grow and colour up also green hair algae consuming it has bottomed out I'm going through the exact same thing, I only have 3 fish no skimmer no fuge. The hammers and other corals grew like mad then slowed right down I lost my sps and hammers just open not grow, I now dose both nitrates and phosphates.

But how do you remove your Green Hair Algae? Surely this will just take the phosphates and nitrates before the corals do and grow like crazy.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Clean up crew to get rid of it. To be honest I'd rather have green hair algae instead of dinos.

 

[SudzFD]

But how do you remove your Green Hair Algae? Surely this will just take the phosphates and nitrates before the corals do and grow like crazy.

Sea hare

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

A sea hare is ok if you have loads of algae, they consume it quite fast, I had a bad experience with one dying 3 days after it was put in. Manual removal for small patches or a peroxide dip/ dose on the affected area, even better if you can remove the rock it's on.