Hammer looking weird

oconn21 · Jul 27, 2021

15g waterbox
Ai prime 16hd
Ai Nero 3
Ammonia: zero
Nitrate 4
Ph8.3
Ca:425
Alk:8
SG: 1021
2 clown fish, emerald crab(hides most of day), various snails. Been established 8 months. Feed mysis shrimp once a day do direct spot feeding of reed roid M,W,F

today my green

hammer that has been in tank 6 weeks looked weird. Is it dying? I don’t think anything hit it

Shirak · Jul 27, 2021

Yes it doesn't look good. Hard to see much in the bluish light and the distance in the photo to the coral in question. White lights and closer photo would help. Looks like it may be developing some BJD on the back side in the middle. Does it look brown and slimy? How long have you had the hammer?

Salinity 1.021? That's pretty low if it's correct Should be around 1.026sg I would confirm the 1.021sg is correct though first as your alk and Ca seem ok.

oconn21 · Jul 28, 2021

It doesn’t look brown and slimy and now it looks normal so I don’t know what’s going on

Cell · Jul 28, 2021

If it's a bubble forming, it's just splitting. Hard to tell though.

oconn21 · Jul 28, 2021

Cell said:
If it's a bubble forming, it's just splitting. Hard to tell though.

Like a bubble where the mouth is? That does seem to be happening

Shirak · Jul 28, 2021

Does look better in that photo

mine look like that sometimes when the head is starting to split into two and when I feed them.

Goaway · Jul 28, 2021

My guess, it's starting to split.

oconn21 · Jul 30, 2021

Cell said:
If it's a bubble forming, it's just splitting. Hard to tell though.

Is that the bubble you are referring to?

Cell · Jul 31, 2021

Looks like it.

Dom · Jul 31, 2021

Here are some photos of my Hammers. This is under full light. What do yours look like under full light?

As I understand Hammer corals, they do not split. As they consume elements from the water column, they grow new heads to their skeleton.

Again, I'd like to see them after they have been under full light for about six hours.

You water parameters look good enough to keep a Hammer happy. You may want to try moving them higher in the tank where they get more light, but, my experience has been that Hammers do well in low light and flow.

It may be best that you leave them and monitor. They certainly don't appear to be dying.