Hammer Receding - Any suggestions?

[Jasontkd]

I have a 4 head hammer that looked off last night. Two of the heads were closed up and the tissue around the base of each head appears to be receding. I can't get a good picture of it. The other two heads look completely normal.

I am just wondering if I missed something.

I picked it up and really looked it over and don't see any bugs, flatworms, eggs, etc. All my other corals look good.

I tested everything last night and the only thing that seems off was my nitrates and magnesium, but not significantly

Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.2
Alk: 8
Calcium: 400
Magnesium: 1200 (I dosed to bring it back to 1300)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20 (water mixing now for water change, but this is usually between 5-10)
phosphate: .1 (this has been stable at .1 for months, via Red Sea)

This hammer has been in my tank for a couple months and has never had any other issues. I am sure I am missing something, but I don't know what. I can't think of anything that has changed recently. I did have a marinepure cube in my overflow for a few months that I removed 2 weeks ago to set up a QT tank. I only have a 20 gallon tank, so I guess this could be a reaction to a reduction in Nitrifying bacteria.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Randomwhiteguy89]

Could you post some photos for reference also if it’s the first day it’s looked like this it might not be a problem maybe a fish hit it or a crab walked over it and upset it I had clownfish try to host hammers at night in the past and depending on the size the hammer wouldn’t mind or it would take damage also how’s the flow on the hammer if it’s too strong it could be tearing at the flesh you don’t always notice it right away over time it can really get to be a problem for it hence why it was looking good before and now retracting

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I have a 4 head hammer that looked off last night. Two of the heads were closed up and the tissue around the base of each head appears to be receding. I can't get a good picture of it. The other two heads look completely normal.

I am just wondering if I missed something.

I picked it up and really looked it over and don't see any bugs, flatworms, eggs, etc. All my other corals look good.

I tested everything last night and the only thing that seems off was my nitrates and magnesium, but not significantly

Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.2
Alk: 8
Calcium: 400
Magnesium: 1200 (I dosed to bring it back to 1300)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20 (water mixing now for water change, but this is usually between 5-10)
phosphate: 1.0 (this has been stable at 1 for months)

This hammer has been in my tank for a couple months and has never had any other issues. I am sure I am missing something, but I don't know what. I can't think of anything that has changed recently. I did have a marinepure cube in my overflow for a few months that I removed 2 weeks ago to set up a QT tank. I only have a 20 gallon tank, so I guess this could be a reaction to a reduction in Nitrifying bacteria.

Any help is appreciated.

How much flow is it in? If one part of the coral is getting pounded with flow, those two heads would definitely start receding. Other than that, your phosphates are way too high. They should be less than 0.20. Can you get a picture to possibly identify bjd?

 

[Jasontkd]

It is in very mild flow and has been in the same spot for months with no issue.

Phosphate is an error on my part. I meant .1 via red sea test kit.

I considered that it was a fish or crab until I saw the tissue receding. I can try to get a picture later, but I was unsuccessful last night. Unless it is a crab or something that is picking at it regularly (that I have not seen).

 

[45ZoaGarden]

It is in very mild flow and has been in the same spot for months with no issue.

Phosphate is an error on my part. I meant .1 via red sea test kit.

I considered that it was a fish or crab until I saw the tissue receding. I can try to get a picture later, but I was unsuccessful last night. Unless it is a crab or something that is picking at it regularly (that I have not seen).

That would not likely cause tissue recession. It’s probably the spot or bjd.

 

[Jasontkd]

I am sorry, maybe I am dense, but what is "spot or bjd"

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Spot meaning the place the coral is. Bjd is brown jelly disease.

I am sorry, maybe I am dense, but what is "spot or bjd"

 

[Jasontkd]

Got it. I have not seen anything that looks like Brown Jelly.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Got it. I have not seen anything that looks like Brown Jelly.

Often times you don’t see the actual jelly till the end.

 

[ZoWhat]

Well the bad news is its probably STN

Good news is you get to go coral shopping soon

Its either a bacteria you can't do much about.... or the after-effects of a major Alk spike


.

 

[Jasontkd]

First pictures are prior to water change. Two heads have a bulged center but two heads are ok

 

[Jasontkd]

There are after water change. Closed up more because I messed with it trying to get a picture.

hou can see the tissue is almost stringy between two heads

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Do you have a dremel or coral saw?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

It looks like those two heads are going to bail out. I’d cut the two bad heads off and move the two healthy heads to a new spot. The inflated Center is rather strange and I personally have never seen that other than while a coral is eating something.... stringy stuff could possibly be the toxins of the coral.

 

[Jasontkd]

The stringy stuff is definitely tissue. It is like it is just shredding. I don't have a saw, so I really don't know how to frag it.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

If you have a dremel, I could walk you through it. Some guys do it with bone cutters too

The stringy stuff is definitely tissue. It is like it is just shredding. I don't have a saw, so I really don't know how to frag it.

 

[Jasontkd]

I can get a dremel. if I cut/frag it, will i need to treat the new frag in any way?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I can get a dremel. if I cut/frag it, will i need to treat the new frag in any way?

The sick one will probably die. You could dip the healthy frag if you want. It will better the chances of it being rid of any pests

 

[Jasontkd]

how do I frag it and not damage the tissue? between one of the heads with tissue loss, and one without, the tissue spans between the two. So, I will have to cut through the tissue to frag it. Is that a problem.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

how do I frag it and not damage the tissue? between one of the heads with tissue loss, and one without, the tissue spans between the two. So, I will have to cut through the tissue to frag it. Is that a problem.

You would have to cut the skeleton. I marked the line where I would cut it. Is the tussue of the infected heads at that line or is it where the tissue receded from?