Hammers deflated with open mouth

[Stuckita]

Hey everyone, I’ve had the hammers for 3 weeks now, they were looking pretty awesome. The tank bottomed out on phosphates and I started dosing to bring it up. The hammers looked fine throughout this process, however now they are looking deflated with their mouths open.

I am doing with a algae bloom, probably from the now high nutrient water and I am completing water changes more frequently to bring it down.

Salinity: 1.026
Ph: 7.7-8
Temp: 78
Phosphates: 0.03-1.3 (dosing tank takes a lot)
Nitrates: 25
Alk: 8
Mg: 1250-1350
Nitrite: 0.05
Ammonia: 0

Every thing has been stable but the phosphate dosing and nitrates swimming between 25-40 - going to do another 15% water change today.

 

[Doctorgori]

judging from the pic I’d say it is still within “ recovery” ….IME there is a “look” wherein they are past the point of no return….
again, just from the appearance that isn’t it…there is hope

 

[Stuckita]

judging from the pic I’d say it is still within “ recovery” ….IME there is a “look” wherein they are past the point of no return….
again, just from the appearance that isn’t it…there is hope

Good news! Do you know why it could of happened? Again throughout the whole low nutrient week it looked great. It was after phosphates came up it started doing this.

I also got a new powerhead, but it was already behaving like this. The one next to it looks a little better but still an open mouth.

I was wondering if it could be related to the algae bloom?

 

[kevgib67]

Definitely low nutrients could do it and often a suffering coral can go weeks before the outward appearance shows. What’s your calcium level? Make sure your magnesium stays above 1350.

 

[Stuckita]

Definitely low nutrients could do it and often a suffering coral can go weeks before the outward appearance shows. What’s your calcium level? Make sure your magnesium stays above 1350.

Calcium is actually the only one I don’t have. Interesting about mg. It dropped from 1350-1250 .. I just did another 15% WC to bring levels up.

Very well could be the delayed effects of low nutrients.

 

[ccole]

Is your picture taken at night? If so, do they look like that all the time or do they puff back out during the day?

 

[Stuckita]

Is your picture taken at night? If so, do they look like that all the time or do they puff back out during the day?

It was, here is a pic during the day. Sorry for the blue. Still pretty deflated, mouths open and still visible. If flow hits the polyps they kind of flatten out like a mostly deflated helium balloon. The one to the right although not fully extended is doing much better than the one on the left (although they look similar in this shot)

 

[kevgib67]

Calcium is actually the only one I don’t have. Interesting about mg. It dropped from 1350-1250 .. I just did another 15% WC to bring levels up.

Very well could be the delayed effects of low nutrients.

Low calcium and magnesium could be the cause or part of it with low nutrients. You seem to be taking steps to correct it.