Help with Hammer Coral - UPDATE

[PeterG]

I’m hoping for some advice on what to do with this hammer coral. Up until a couple of days ago it was a nice tennis-ball sized piece seemingly very happy in it’s location in my 90 gal. I noticed on Saturday that the back side of it looked a bit bare or skeletal so I turned it maybe a quarter turn to give the back back side a bit more light. Last night I noticed it looked like the left side is sort of melting off. It does look like the melting side has some sort of base.
Photo attached below.

I’m not that knowledgeable and don’t know if is natural and the hammer is splitting off from itself or if there is a problem. Looking for guidance.

Tank parameters have been stable and as of last testing on Saturday:

pH - 8.08 (Hanna)
Salinity - 1.025 (refractometer)
Nitrates - 5-12 Nyos, 12-16 Red Sea
CA - 400 (Red Sea)
Alk - 8;4 (Hanna), 8.5 (red Sea)
Mag - 1360 (Red Sea)
PO4 - .077 (Hanna)

 

[reef lover]

I dont think ive see one break like that before. I would mount that piece to another frag/rock and put in a lower flow area.
I do see some skeleton exposed on the main piece as well but doesnt look fresh so most likely past damage.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

When you say you turned it did you have it glued to a rock then tried twisting if off the rock where it was, then glue it back facing a different way causing you to split one of the heads off. I done that trying to frag a torch coral, I split the head and I managed to reglue the head back together.

 

[PeterG]

I dont think ive see one break like that before. I would mount that piece to another frag/rock and put in a lower flow area.
I do see some skeleton exposed on the main piece as well but doesnt look fresh so most likely past damage.

Thanks Reef Lover. I was thinking about cutting off that hanging piece and reattaching but was uncertain.
Your other thought here is that flow might be too high. Come to think of it, in the past week I cleaned my Gyre but when I replaced it I put it slightly higher up, closer to the surface. If anything I think the flow rate may have dropped a bit.

When you say you turned it did you have it glued to a rock then tried twisting if off the rock where it was, then glue it back facing a different way causing you to split one of the heads off. I done that trying to frag a torch coral, I split the head and I managed to reglue the head back together.

No, It was glued to a small piece of rock that was not glued to the larger rock. I was able to pick up the coral and just turn it

UPDATE: this AM - Both sections seem to be doing OK. Color good and possibly more polyp extension. Think I'll let it sit for a bit and then separate the two pieces.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

UPDATE: this AM - Both sections seem to be doing OK. Color good and possibly more polyp extension. Think I'll let it sit for a bit and then separate the two pieces.
[/QUOTE]

Just be careful not to split the skeleton, if it does split I managed to save a torch with a little glue and a zip tie to hold it together until it healed.

 

[PeterG]

Just be careful not to split the skeleton, if it does split I managed to save a torch with a little glue and a zip tie to hold it together until it healed.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks Nicholas. Looks like the place I'd make my cut is pretty accessible. Prob. use a bone cutter.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Just be careful not to split the skeleton, if it does split I managed to save a torch with a little glue and a zip tie to hold it together until it healed.

Thanks Nicholas. Looks like the place I'd make my cut is pretty accessible. Prob. use a bone cutter.
[/QUOTE]
If the skeleton is weak it could destroy it. I tried splitting a 4 head of torch into 2 x 2 heads I cut it in the best place and i managed to drop 1 of the 2 heads and they both split up through the middle of the stem and split to 2 single heads I managed to save one and that is still going strong g the other died 2 days later. Just be careful with it.

 

[PeterG]

Looks like I won't have to split that hanging piece off from the main branch. Last night I noticed that the piece of the hammer that was hanging off the side now has completely separated from the main piece. Both pieces look to be doing OK. Color and polyp extension normal. Think I'm going to glue the smaller piece on the left to a plug or
small rock and relocate it elsewhere in the tank.
New photo attached. Old one below it for comparison.
Anyone have any experience with a hammer behaving in this way?

 

[TAL]

Yes, can be caused by stress; too little food/nutrients or unstable water conditions. It has been speculated that an undesirable bacteria has caused the bailout.