What’s wrong with my hammer coral?

[maxemorris]

When my blue lights came on the other day I saw a neon spec on my sandbed. Seems like the tip of one of my hammer tentacles fell off. Today I found a second one. What’s happening?

My parameters are perfect and my coral are very happy, including this hammer. It’s super full and has plenty of light and flow.

Could this happen from another coral stinging it? My other hammers aren’t too far away. Only thing I can think of.

 

[Rtaylor]

It happens. Totally fine.

 

[maxemorris]

Update: another two heads have fallen off. That’s 4 heads in a week. I took out the frag and there’s nothing on the base, no parasites and nothing on the surrounding rock. I saw some things saying high flow but I only have a 8x turnover, 265GPH in a 32 Biocube.

I moved it to a lower spot on the rock father from the return.

 

[OldRed1]

What are your parameters?

 

[maxemorris]

What are your parameters?

I have my LFS test my water, and usually just go off looking at my other coral. Everything else looks very happy and healthy, including my hammer.

My water temp is 80° and my salinity is 1.026SG

 

[OldRed1]

I have my LFS test my water, and usually just go off looking at my other coral. Everything else looks very happy and healthy, including my hammer.

My water temp is 80° and my salinity is 1.026SG

Saying that you have “perfect parameters” is a bit of a misnomer because no such parameters exist. If you don’t know the values in your tank then that’s okay, but you omit potentially useful information by saying your water is fine. Just my two cents.

 

[maxemorris]

Saying that you have “perfect parameters” is a bit of a misnomer because no such parameters exist. If you don’t know the values in your tank then that’s okay, but you omit potentially useful information by saying your water is fine. Just my two cents.

I understand, I never said they were perfect but definitely good enough to keep my other livestock happy.

Do you think that is the issue?

 

[OldRed1]

My parameters are perfect and my coral are very happy, including this hammer. It’s super full and has plenty of light and flow.

It’s right there haha. All in good fun. If your other corals are happy and you haven’t had a major nutrient event (e.g. dropping a bottle of reef roids in the tank) then I think it’s reasonable to assume that your parameters remain stable. But if you’ve recently changed food or feeding habits then it may not hurt to test you’re water.

It’s also possible your hammers are doing so well that they are just starting to encroach on one another. Just throwing out ideas to consider.

 

[maxemorris]

It’s right there haha. All in good fun. If your other corals are happy and you haven’t had a major nutrient event (e.g. dropping a bottle of reef roids in the tank) then I think it’s reasonable to assume that your parameters remain stable. But if you’ve recently changed food or feeding habits then it may not hurt to test you’re water.

It’s also possible your hammers are doing so well that they are just starting to encroach on one another. Just throwing out ideas to consider.

I’ll test my water tomorrow and space out the coral, thank you!

 

[Dburr1014]

What live stock do you have?
Crabs and shrimp?
In thinking something is biting / pinching them of.

 

[maxemorris]

What live stock do you have?
Crabs and shrimp?
In thinking something is biting / pinching them of.

I don’t have any crabs, only snails and a cleaner shrimp.

It’s okay, I gave it to my LFS and they are gonna take care of it. I believe my trace elements were off and it was the start of polyp bailout

Thanks everyone!