How To Keep Torch and Hammer Corals?

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one. A few months ago I picked up an Aussie Gold Torch. Within three days it was gone. I just assumed it was my tank. My tank seemed to be doing good so I picked up another Aussie Gold Torch and a nice Hammer at the CMAC show. Less than a week later both are gone. I hear others are experiencing the same problem. Are there special parameters needed to keep these corals alive? Any ideas would be appreciated.

JerSaint · Oct 30, 2014

What are your tank parameters?

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

PH 8.2, Alk 8.0, Mag 1350 - very low Phos, Nitrate levels
Placed in lower portion of tank, medium light and medium flow

phillrodrigo · Oct 30, 2014

No they are actually very simple
Low flow medium light. If you give them to much they can cut them selves on the skeleton. It takes one euphyllia to come in with brown jelly and the rest of the tank will probably get it also. Try dipping in peroxide when you get them to hopefully kill off possible brown jelly infections

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

phillrodrigo said:
No they are actually very simple
Low flow medium light. If you give them to much they can cut them selves on the skeleton. It takes one euphyllia to come in with brown jelly and the rest of the tank will probably get it also. Try dipping in peroxide when you get them to hopefully kill off possible brown jelly infections

Thanks - What ratio of peroxide to water would you suggest? Would you also dip in the typical coral dip solution?

chriskid · Oct 30, 2014

Neal mine were also mad after cmac. I put mine in the shade, and took them out the other day. They seem very happy now. I think it's more about how to transfer wild colonies into our captive tanks not so much the torch itself

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

chriskid said:
Neal mine were also mad after cmac. I put mine in the shade, and took them out the other day. They seem very happy now. I think it's more about how to transfer wild colonies into our captive tanks not so much the torch itself

I wish I knew this before. Oh well, live and learn. I'm not giving up though. Next time I will do things differently.

Maybe Pat (tweaked) will cut me a piece of his orange torch. Oh wait, I don't think he has it anymore. You know what they say, misery loves company. LOL

wish · Oct 30, 2014

yeah same thing happen to me recently

pickupman66 · Oct 30, 2014

I have had a nice little torch in my tank for a while. It seems to be extremely happy in about 450-500 Par and a good current. it is on the top of my rocks and seems to love it there. I have a Lumentek Pro 240 LED light. nitrates are un-detectable and phosphate was .06 last check. the tank is fairly well stocked

it is on top of the let most rock.

top down.

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

It seems to me with these corals you have to initially try to duplicate the conditions from where they came and then adjust and move later. In my case these corals were in a low light, low flow tank. I then put them in a medium light, medium flow tank. Obviously they didn't handle the sudden change very well. Another lesson learned........

SaltySammy · Oct 30, 2014

I made a little cove on one side of my tank with low-med light and min flow and i put all my stuff there first for at least a week then start moving stuff around , it seems to have worked well so far for my hammers and torches with for some odd reason ive accumulated many

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

SaltySammy said:
I made a little cove on one side of my tank with low-med light and min flow and i put all my stuff there first for at least a week then start moving stuff around , it seems to have worked well so far for my hammers and torches with for some odd reason ive accumulated many

You think I would have learned this early on. Better late than never. Now to find some new torches and hammers........

sassAwrasse · Oct 30, 2014

Never had a torch so can't comment on that.
Had a wall hammer once. Was beautiful but didn't last very long. Weren't sure what we did wrong (placement in tank, parameters, etc).

Had much better luck with the branching hammer we got from Franky and several varities of frogspawn.

LeslieP · Oct 30, 2014

Boy, euphyllia is the main thing that is thriving in my big tank. Them and most zoas. Most other things like acans and chalices have been slowly fading away. I did get a nice orange torch from Aznnutty at Collin's that I'll be happy to frag once it grows more heads. It's really happy in low-mid tank and med flow

Vaiodude · Oct 30, 2014

LeslieP said:
Boy, euphyllia is the main thing that is thriving in my big tank. Them and most zoas. Most other things like acans and chalices have been slowly fading away. I did get a nice orange torch from Aznnutty at Collin's that I'll be happy to frag once it grows more heads. It's really happy in low-mid tank and med flow

Put me down for one of those orange torch frags if you do frag it.

brutuscz · Oct 30, 2014

They can be finicky regarding light and water flow. I find that branching hammers do better than wall hammers. I have also read that chemicals released by soft corals can have a negative effect on euphyllia. Not every tank is great for every species!!!

seagull18 · Oct 30, 2014

I've had branching hammers in my tank and they grew like weeds. That's why I thought I would be ok with torches and hammers. I'll have to be more careful when it comes to placement, lighting and flow.

LeslieP · Oct 31, 2014

A couple of pics I took last night. The color never comes out right.

and one of the little pink frogspawn I picked up at CMAC

Red88rick · Oct 31, 2014

May be a little off topic so sorry if it is...
BUT how close to other corals are you guys keeping your euphyllia, I see pics with them very close to all types of other corals and each other then I research and read people say never keep them near anything even each other (I guess this is related to how to keep them)