Help ASAP Hammer coral
- Thread starter Taylah
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fishguy242
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FIREBUG
hi ,how old is tank,how long have you had hammer,lets start there 
Kryptonian
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Need more info! My hammer retracts every night. Been that way for months. Doesn't help that an emerald crab loves sleeping on top of it...
(update) I see your post that you got it today. Very normal for a hammer to retract when the light goes down.
Have 4 different hammers next to each other. They all retract at 8pm, sometimes extend a little during moonlight, then wait until lights turn on in the morning to extend all the way out.
(update) I see your post that you got it today. Very normal for a hammer to retract when the light goes down.
Have 4 different hammers next to each other. They all retract at 8pm, sometimes extend a little during moonlight, then wait until lights turn on in the morning to extend all the way out.
Just got the hammer today, tank is about 2 months old, the hammer was fine for about 20 mins then started receding. I’ve have low light and low flow. Water chemistry is all in check, double checked today. Is the hammer just shy or is it dying or unhealthy? Thankyou!
Letterkenny
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Just let it get used to your tank.
Kryptonian
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It's not abnormal for a brand new hammer to take a couple days to acclimate to your tank. From the pic, it looks totally fine, just retracted. Keep an eye on it but I don't think anything is going wrong.
fishguy242
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well just getting today,and dipping,seems normal to be closed kinda tight ,i would not worry for a day or two ,long as you see opening more and more daily
Okay easy I’ll just keep an eye on it, Thankyou everyone for the quick replies!!
Thespammailaccount
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I think what you are seeing is the skeleton of the coral
Kryptonian
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Ya, the hammer can completely retract into the skeleton and pull the polyps all the way in. Sometimes, if it doesn't retract the polyps fully, it can just deflate them and they blow around in the flow.
ReefLab
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the second picture was taken about 15 minutes after the first. (This is a torch but similar behavior)
Your hammer showing the Skelton like that is a little concerning, however. Keep it in low flow for at least a few weeks and you could try feeding it to help it get some more tissue.
ReefLab
Well-Known Member
I actually think it’s a sign that the coral is healthy when it can regulate its polyps like that. Skeleton showing can be a sign of stress, however.
In the picture I posted you can see how the coral is retracting it’s polyps but not showing skeleton
Kryptonian
Active Member
I think it's normal. Mine have been HUGE and healthy for a couple months and they retract every night. Here's a pic of them extended next to my nems.
Can't get a retraction pic right now, wife and daughter asleep in there and don't want to wake lol
Daveouthere
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Yes mine retracts when the lights go off and will come back when they automatically turn on at 7amWhat is going on with the hammer?? Is it okay? Water chemistry is all good.
the second picture was taken about 15 minutes after the first. (This is a torch but similar behavior)
Your hammer showing the Skelton like that is a little concerning, however. Keep it in low flow for at least a few weeks and you could try feeding it to help it get some more tissue.
Perfect will do, going to do a water change tmrw see if that clears anything up.
