Reef Discussion

[DavidS]

The hammer looked pretty good when I got it - and wasn't too shabby when I put it in initially.

Ballarat is as Ballarat always is - cold and windy. I think we made it to about 11C today, after a frost this morning. Weather report suggested we might avoid rain for a couple of days, which just means that it's gonna be cold. Was about 1C when I went to work this morning which isn't too bad - I was expecting -2. Is 2C at the moment :P

 

[MagicJ]

A bit like Hobart :p

I suspect your phosphates are not zero - this is difficult to measure with hobby testkits which is why many are now using the Hanna meters. What do you use for top-ups and water changes?

 

[DavidS]

RO/DI is used for both top ups, and in ASW for changes.

 

[Dr. Schell]

Do you have access to photo plankton to throw into the tank to feed them. If not, I can give you some live cultures. Contact me off forum for more details

 

[DavidS]

still getting my head around plankton types - I put in a few mils of marine snow every couple of days, and there is some macro growing in the HOB - would this do what I need?
I'm happy to try anything if you think it would help.

 

[Synodontis]

As far as light goes - it'll get the most where it is. Can't get it up any higher. Otherwise it goes back to it's corner - at the bottom of the tank. No where else I can really fit it at the moment - if it's up the rocks, it's too close to other inhabitants.

Just realised, I forgot to mention the coral that's attached. Not 100% sure what it is. When it's all sucked up tight, I thought it might be a scolly, but when it puffs out it's different. That was the one thing I bought without really knowing much about it. Whatever it is, it likes to eat :p

Hey David,
that's defiantly a scolly, we have one that same. Puffs up when he eats.

 

[DavidS]

He's getting huge... he sort of just keeps spreading out during the day. It eats just about anything - a piece of fish food (a pellet) landed on it... he kicked up that side of himself and kept lifting it while his top opened up and kept doing it until the tentacles got hold of it, then it was gone. Awesome to watch. There's a rock with zoos that was a couple of inches away a while ago when he expanded out.. now it's touching it. Doesn't seem to be bothering it, but it's starting to cover it, so it's definitely getting big.
I want another one!

 

[Synodontis]

There was down in Geelong last weekend, I think he has a new shipment comming this week.

 

[DavidS]

The folks at reef and river mentioned they get fortnightly shipments, is where I got mine a few weeks ago :)

 

[DavidS]

OK - my hammer is starting to show even more signs of life since the LED went on. Unfortunately, as I've been away for a week after having the LED on the tank, I've got a little algae build up, and I have a little bit if hair algae on the top of the skeleton plate thingies - I understand that hammers are irritated by algae, but I also know they're irritated by newbie owners who move them... so my question is:
Am I better off bothering it, and trying to remove the hair algae causing it to retract for days, or should I just leave it alone, and hope that it continues to progress on starting to extend again?

 

[DavidS]

So.. still trying to determine if I should try cleaning the algae from around the edges, or if I should just leave it alone now that I'm starting to see its tentacle things starting to appear again.

Perhaps a question for dr_schell?

 

[MagicJ]

Are you able to post a current picture so that we can see what you are talking about?

 

[DavidS]

OK - as attached. You'll have to take my word that it looks like an improvement over what it was looking like. You can see the hairy stuff easiest near the top.
I did have some more extension earlier in the day - not a lot more, but there were a few bits near the middle that were out past the skeleton.

 

[MTG]

Leave it for now David but looks to me like it's a goner,

 

[DavidS]

I had given up on it Matt, but it seems to be holding on and starting to improve just a little more each day.

 

[MTG]

That's good, I find once a hammer starts to show that bad regression it is usually a goner,

 

[MagicJ]

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Matt.

It might be worth a try putting it in a bucket of tank water and using the jet from a small power head (not too strong) or a turkey baster try and blow off the algae and any other dead stuff within the body of the coral. You could also use a soft bristled tooth brush ( a kids brush) to clean it up a bit but be careful not to damage any of the flesh.

 

[Jonny Glover]

The hammer isn't developing enough tissue around the skeleton, you need to clean the algea of extremely carefully and then don't feed it direct food but things like mysis shrimp in that general area and it might grab one. Ive had 2 hammers and had one that went from brown to purple from careful care and a green tipped that shane has now. I always kept the hammers in a medium current in moderate light.

 

[DavidS]

It's still hanging on - still getting some extension during the day and even some during the morning before lights are on, which is more than I was getting pre-LED. It's just that since the LEDs went in, the algae has ramped up a bit.
Will gently try to remove some of the hair algae when I do a water change/clean up just to limit the amount of annoyance to it. I'm seeing some green fluroesence around its bits under LED as well.
I tried to remove some last weekend, but I might try a little harder this time. In a bugger of a spot for me to get to without actually moving it - not sure I really want to do that. Short on suitable space for it!

 

[DavidS]

I moved the hammer up the tank a bit over the weekend after I cleaned off a bit more algae. About a day later I'm starting to see extension above the skeleton - especially around the middle. Even during lights off there is a fair bit of extension just over the edge. During the day I'm starting to see it up over the skeleton for a while at least - tends to retract around 6-7pm every night for a little while.
Seeing a little bit of shape coming back into each tip - not a lot, but a bit.
It now gets more flow than it did before, as it's a lot closer to a power head, though the flow isn't direct.
If it's a goner, it's not going without a fight it seems.