What is this black stuff on my hammer?

[brycenelson]

I have had this hammer for over a year and it started as one head now it has this black stuff growing on it. That side is where it receives flow maybe that could help.

 

[Pickle_soup]

I would say sponge

 

[brycenelson]

I would say sponge

Yea that’s what I think too when I look close I can see the filter on it

 

[Dburr1014]

Yup, sponge.
Keep it off or it may swallow that head.

 

[Sticker shock]

Yup, sponge.
Keep it off or it may swallow that head.

I agree, sponge or not, get it out of there.

 

[brycenelson]

Yup, sponge.
Keep it off or it may swallow that head.

What’s the best way to remove the sponge without causing harm to the rest of the skeleton

 

[Sticker shock]

What’s the best way to remove the sponge without causing harm to the rest of the skeleton

If it is a sponge which it appears to be, expose the entire frag to air for a few minutes. Repeat until it dies. Also if possible, I'd keep this away from the rest of the hammers until you get it under control.

If the air treatment doesn't work you can move on to scraping and hydrogen peroxide. I'm assuming there is nothing but skeleton beneath the sponge so scraping should be ok to do.

 

[brycenelson]

If it is a sponge which it appears to be, expose the entire frag to air for a few minutes. Repeat until it dies. Also if possible, I'd keep this away from the rest of the hammers until you get it under control.

If the air treatment doesn't work you can move on to scraping and hydrogen peroxide. I'm assuming there is nothing but skeleton beneath the sponge so scraping should be ok to do.

Ok I will try to remove it thank you

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I’d go ahead and dip it in Hydrogen Peroxide. This is my Formula. Coral Picked off Bubble Algae. Dipped in 75ml Hydrogen Peroxide to 2.5 Liters of Saltwater for Six Minutes. Returned Acan to 120 Gallon Aquarium. Let Hydrogen Peroxide Solution, set for Two Hours, and returned water to Aquarium. I’ve done Acans, Staghorn Candy Cane, Birds Nest, and Pocillipora Corals with no ll effects. If you have that three year old bottle in the medicine cabinet, it no good, the percentage is lost. Get a new bottle for this. At 3% it’s hard to make a mistake, that’s why I won’t use higher percentages.

 

[kbnh]

Sponges can kill coral?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Sponges can kill coral?

A few can, but they're pretty rare in our tanks - coral killing sponges are typically either highly invasive and kill the corals by growing over them and smothering them, or they produce a chemical that combats and kills corals (or, in cases like the sponge Terpios hoshinota, both).

The vast majority of sponges are completely harmless, though, including some of the more invasive ones (there are some sponges that can literally grow up and around the base of corals without harming them at all).

 

[Dburr1014]

If it is a sponge which it appears to be, expose the entire frag to air for a few minutes. Repeat until it dies. Also if possible, I'd keep this away from the rest of the hammers until you get it under control.

If the air treatment doesn't work you can move on to scraping and hydrogen peroxide. I'm assuming there is nothing but skeleton beneath the sponge so scraping should be ok to do.

Surprisingly, this may not work. Some sponges close right up the second they get banged around. Peroxide and a toothbrush would be my go to. Just dip the brush in the peroxide and scrub. Don't scrub the flesh of the coral.

 

[Sticker shock]

Surprisingly, this may not work. Some sponges close right up the second they get banged around. Peroxide and a toothbrush would be my go to. Just dip the brush in the peroxide and scrub. Don't scrub the flesh of the coral.

Very true, the air treatment may not work, but is the least aggressive treatment for the coral. That's why I suggested to try it first. Peroxide and scraping would be my second option, and most likely to succeed.

You could even try injecting air into the sponge with an empty syringe.

 

[DJF]

Another option for killing sponges is rodi. Melts them like butter. Either a quick rodi dip or dropping it directly on the sponge.

 

[Dburr1014]

Another option for killing sponges is rodi. Melts them like butter. Either a quick rodi dip or dropping it directly on the sponge.

Yes, but a caution not to get any rodi on the coral flesh also.

 

[MDAquatics]

I would scrape and scrub, look like its mostly on the skeleton