Help identify possible hammer coral pest

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

This hammer has been fine for months but is now retracting and looking worse and worse. I couldn't tell if this is something under it's skin eating it alive or it's just it's insides showing while it's dying . I tried to take pictures and videos. Thanks

 

[vetteguy53081]

This hammer has been fine for months but is now retracting and looking worse and worse. I couldn't tell if this is something under it's skin eating it alive or it's just it's insides showing while it's dying . I tried to take pictures and videos. Thanks

Bottom- pineapple sponges which are short lived and favor dark, low flow areas and a few tube worms
Both harmless but can be scraped off in a container of tank water if you wish

 

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

Thank you very much but I was actually talking about the weird stuff at the start of the fleshy part of the hammer. It's right at the bottom and looks like a different color then the rest of the coral. It's brownish and looks like a pile of noodles.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you very much but I was actually talking about the weird stuff at the start of the fleshy part of the hammer. It's right at the bottom and looks like a different color then the rest of the coral. It's brownish and looks like a pile of noodles.

Oops- that is poriferan type sponge and best is to remove by scraping off as mentioned and it all cleaned up. Also assure calcium is at least 380-400 to support skeleton

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thank you very much but I was actually talking about the weird stuff at the start of the fleshy part of the hammer. It's right at the bottom and looks like a different color then the rest of the coral. It's brownish and looks like a pile of noodles.

Mesenteric filaments, basically "guts". Have you tried an iodine dip? Do you have a pic of the whole coral?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thank you very much but I was actually talking about the weird stuff at the start of the fleshy part of the hammer. It's right at the bottom and looks like a different color then the rest of the coral. It's brownish and looks like a pile of noodles.

The pile of noodles is not a sponge... Please don't try to scrape it off!!

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

And all sponges are poriferans.

 

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

Thank you guys for the response! I will get better pictures in the morning. I did do an iodine dip but I also got a bit ahead of myself and glued around the bottom of the hammer Incase it was a pest. Total newb move I know. I'm going to check my parameters tomorrow as well.

 

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

So I've got more footage of the hammer today. It doesn't really look much better and the glue I applied is covering the problem area but it didn't completely call it yet. I checked parameters and other than phosphate being a bit high at .06 and 440 for calcium everything seems good. I may go to my lfs tomorrow and run multiple test but if I get too busy I'll have to double check myself. Thanks for all the input.

 

[Kasrift]

Mesenteric filaments, basically "guts". Have you tried an iodine dip? Do you have a pic of the whole coral?

Agree with this. Messenterial filaments are guts that corals can spill out to dissolve or do warfare with other corals or things irritating it. Like when a starfish spits its guts out to dissolve food.

Glueing over it might have done more harm than good. Also, the hammer is definitely not looking in good shape. How old is the tank and what lighting are you using?

 

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

Agree with this. Messenterial filaments are guts that corals can spill out to dissolve or do warfare with other corals or things irritating it. Like when a starfish spits its guts out to dissolve food.

Glueing over it might have done more harm than good. Also, the hammer is definitely not looking in good shape. How old is the tank and what lighting are you using?

Ahh yes... I figured glueing it may be bad but was told one time by my lfs to glue a hammer I damaged while removing it from a frag plug so I figured it may be Worth a shot. The tank is 9 months old and I run my ai primes at like 20%.

 

[Kasrift]

That might be low lighting, depending on how deep your tank is. Any other insight on tank size, flow, and parameters. I'd say parameters would be the most likely culprit, since lower lighting won't be the thing that ticks it off first.

 

[Dburr1014]

Ahh yes... I figured glueing it may be bad but was told one time by my lfs to glue a hammer I damaged while removing it from a frag plug so I figured it may be Worth a shot. The tank is 9 months old and I run my ai primes at like 20%.

Super glue will/did burn the flesh. I'm sure lesson learned but try to never put sg on flesh unless you instantly dip it in tank water. Even then it may do some damage.
The intestinal looking thing is not a sponge.

You really should post parameters, lighting and flow. Hammer is in rough shape.

 

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

Calcium 440-450
Phosphate .06
Alkalinity 7.6
Nitrate 12-25
Ai primes are mainly on blues but I'm slowly ramping up the whites for viewing in the morning I tried going to fast in the past and bleached one of my favorite ricordea's.

 

[Kasrift]

Those are good parameters. I'm pretty much the same. My magnesium is 1350-1400. I think hammers love magnesium, so I'd check that one as well. For whatever reason, that is consumed the most in my tank. I just passed the one year mark, so similar to you at 9 months. I use all for reef and have to do additional dosing of Magnesium. What size tank, I still think you have your lights really low, hammers should be able to handle an AI prime at that intensity.

 

[Dburr1014]

Is it possible there was some damage done to that one area where the filaments are sticking out?
This does not look like normal receding tissue from poor water quality.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So I've got more footage of the hammer today. It doesn't really look much better and the glue I applied is covering the problem area but it didn't completely call it yet. I checked parameters and other than phosphate being a bit high at .06 and 440 for calcium everything seems good. I may go to my lfs tomorrow and run multiple test but if I get too busy I'll have to double check myself. Thanks for all the input.

Looks like poriferan sponge growth climbing the skeleton looking like cryptic sponge. Remove and place in container of tank water and scrape off or inject with vinegar to stop its activity.
Elevate the frag a little in tank as sand can also irritate it. Lastly, assure calcium is no less than 380-400 which skeleton needs and avoids the extremes which are extreme water flow and light. Too much light will cause it to expel its zooxanthellae which is its energy and color source and too much flow especially if polyps are bent over the skeleton will cause the flesh to tear away.
Moderate light and subtle to moderate water flow is sufficient and feed 2X a week with mysis shrimp

 

[Dburr1014]

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/poriferan

No way is that a sponge.
And it's been glued so it's gone.
-_-

 

[Kasrift]

I think @vetteguy53081 is thinking it is like this https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRY7UbLx50Pz1F6ZJumiS7Bgvu9T18W_YItVg&usqp=CAU but @Erin1971Texas was the first one I think is correct with messenterial filaments which you'll see in other LPS in this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lps-mesenterial-filaments.513102/

 

[Deep Dive Aquatics]

Those are good parameters. I'm pretty much the same. My magnesium is 1350-1400. I think hammers love magnesium, so I'd check that one as well. For whatever reason, that is consumed the most in my tank. I just passed the one year mark, so similar to you at 9 months. I use all for reef and have to do additional dosing of Magnesium. What size tank, I still think you have your lights really low, hammers should be able to handle an AI prime at that intensity.

Thank you for the response. I too am using all for reef at a quarter dose for my tank size which is a 20 gallon all in one. My ph never gets above 8 so I will be starting kalk likely tomorrow when my order from brs comes in. Magnesium has never been low when I check everything at one of my local fish stores but I'm due for another check soon. I'm going to be switching to red sea blue bucket from tropic Marin pro when I'm done with my last box which will take a while so I won't be changing too much at once and I will also mix the salts together for a bit before going all in on the blue bucket. I badly want to raise my lighting up but most of my coral react negatively with any changes too suddenly.