Unhappy Hammer Coral!!
G'day guys,
Well it's been smooth sailing for almost 6 weeks now but it seems I spoke too soon. I have just noticed an issue with my Hammer Coral. I will try and give you as much info as possible on my tank so you can best answer my question.
Initial Cycle Start Date (Cured LR Added): 19/02/14. Red Sea Coral Pro used initially.
I had a non detectable cycle as the LR I used was in a 4 year old established tank and only spent 1 hour out the water.
I acquired and added this hammer coral on 12/03/14 and for the past 2.5 weeks it has been going great guns. It is placed on the sand.
Tank is a 4.88 x 2 x2.25 tank. 4ft x 18in x 18in sump.
Deltec 801 Skimmer (Rated for 1500L. Running 12 hours a day)
2 x Jaebo WP40's.
ReefBreeders Photon48 Full Spectrum LED. Running Ch1 Blues: 50% Max, Ch2 Whites: 40% Max
Here is a picture of it taken on 26/03/14.
Here is a picture taken today!
Last night after lights went out, I noticed one of the heads was secreting a white film. I didn't pay too much notice but this morning when the lights started ramping up, I noticed the same head has not come out and is still excreting the white film. It also appears one of the heads at the rear and one off to the right hasn't really come out properly either and seems stringy???
My water parameters have been very stable for the past 6 weeks. I have just tested them now and this is the result.
Temp:/ 25.8 (Avg over 4 Therm)
Salinity: 1.025 (Refractometer)
Ammonia: 0 ppm (Salifert)
Nitrite: 0 ppm (Salifert)
Nitrate: 2.5 ppm (Salifert)
pH: 8.2 (Hanna pH Pen)
Alk: 7.78 dKH (Hanna Checker)
Phos: 0.32 ppm (Hanna Checker)
Calcium: 380 ppm (Salifert)
Magnesium: 1140 ppm (Salifert)
I did my first water change on 25/03/13 changing 100L (15%) Using TM Pro. Parameters haven't really moved much at all over the past 6 weeks.
Stock List:
2 x Ocellaris Clownfish
1 x Flame Angel
1 x Foxface Rabbitfish
4 x Turbo Snails
4 x Cerith Snails
1 x Toadstool Leather
1 x Elegance Coral
30 x Zoanthids
1 x Chalice Coral
4 x Green Morphs
2 x Lobos (1 Red, 1 Green)
1 xFungia
2 x Green Star Polyps
1 x Scolly
1 x Brain Coral
1 x Aussie War Coral
1 x Bubble Coral
The last thing I added to the tank was the snails and fox face which was earlier this week on Wednesday. Everything else seems to be doing fine. It is not possible that the hammer was stung by anything else.
What should I do? Kinda freaking out a little. This seems to be my first problem since starting. Should I take it out and cut off those heads? Will it be ok? Will it kill my other corals?
Well it's been smooth sailing for almost 6 weeks now but it seems I spoke too soon. I have just noticed an issue with my Hammer Coral. I will try and give you as much info as possible on my tank so you can best answer my question.
Initial Cycle Start Date (Cured LR Added): 19/02/14. Red Sea Coral Pro used initially.
I had a non detectable cycle as the LR I used was in a 4 year old established tank and only spent 1 hour out the water.
I acquired and added this hammer coral on 12/03/14 and for the past 2.5 weeks it has been going great guns. It is placed on the sand.
Tank is a 4.88 x 2 x2.25 tank. 4ft x 18in x 18in sump.
Deltec 801 Skimmer (Rated for 1500L. Running 12 hours a day)
2 x Jaebo WP40's.
ReefBreeders Photon48 Full Spectrum LED. Running Ch1 Blues: 50% Max, Ch2 Whites: 40% Max
Here is a picture of it taken on 26/03/14.
Here is a picture taken today!
Last night after lights went out, I noticed one of the heads was secreting a white film. I didn't pay too much notice but this morning when the lights started ramping up, I noticed the same head has not come out and is still excreting the white film. It also appears one of the heads at the rear and one off to the right hasn't really come out properly either and seems stringy???
My water parameters have been very stable for the past 6 weeks. I have just tested them now and this is the result.
Temp:/ 25.8 (Avg over 4 Therm)
Salinity: 1.025 (Refractometer)
Ammonia: 0 ppm (Salifert)
Nitrite: 0 ppm (Salifert)
Nitrate: 2.5 ppm (Salifert)
pH: 8.2 (Hanna pH Pen)
Alk: 7.78 dKH (Hanna Checker)
Phos: 0.32 ppm (Hanna Checker)
Calcium: 380 ppm (Salifert)
Magnesium: 1140 ppm (Salifert)
I did my first water change on 25/03/13 changing 100L (15%) Using TM Pro. Parameters haven't really moved much at all over the past 6 weeks.
Stock List:
2 x Ocellaris Clownfish
1 x Flame Angel
1 x Foxface Rabbitfish
4 x Turbo Snails
4 x Cerith Snails
1 x Toadstool Leather
1 x Elegance Coral
30 x Zoanthids
1 x Chalice Coral
4 x Green Morphs
2 x Lobos (1 Red, 1 Green)
1 xFungia
2 x Green Star Polyps
1 x Scolly
1 x Brain Coral
1 x Aussie War Coral
1 x Bubble Coral
The last thing I added to the tank was the snails and fox face which was earlier this week on Wednesday. Everything else seems to be doing fine. It is not possible that the hammer was stung by anything else.
What should I do? Kinda freaking out a little. This seems to be my first problem since starting. Should I take it out and cut off those heads? Will it be ok? Will it kill my other corals?