Hammer coral - deflated polyps (and lost a few on edges)

[lostrider]

Hi there.

I purchased a hammer coral around a month or so ago. At first it was bubbly and it’s polyps were inflated. Over time, I noticed it lost a few polyps and its polyps especially on its ends (NOT AS MUCH in the middle) became deflated and droopy. Also at night time when lights were off, it became more withdrawn into the skeleton than when I first purchased it.

I moved it to a lower flow area of the tank (there is another spot I can try if it doesn’t recover).

My parameters;

temperature: 77.5 F
nitrates: 12.8
Phosphorous: 28 ppb
Alkalinity: 8.8
Calcium: 425
Magnesium: 1500
Salinity: 1.026

Parameters have been pretty stable since I bought the hammer. If anyone can look At the pictures and video and let me know what they think, I’d be appreciative. I read about BJD, so want to be proactive in case it is that, or if I should just be patient since I moved it to its new spot less than a week ago. Let me mention, my other corals are doing fine (torches, mushroom corals, leather corals, cespitularia).

thank you!

[mcarroll]

3 minutes ago, lostrider said:

nitrates: 12.8
Phosphorous: 28 ppb

If I'm reading the chart correctly, that's a bit over 0.08 ppm.   (In general, nobody is going to be fluent in ppb when you post online....better to do the conversion and post in ppm.)

 

Those numbers should be OK.  👍  I will hope you're doing nothing more than the occasional water change and protein skimming to keep it that way.  (Tell me if I'm wrong! 😉) 

 

Seems like you have some leathers in close proximity with your LPS.  

 

Leathers and stonies do not get along per se.   Leathers will have chemical fights with stony coral similar to how algae do.

 

This brings to mind not just coral proximity, but also flow.  

 

Any effects from chemical warfare should be tolerated better in higher flow.  

 

I'd also consider using activated carbon in between water changes.  Start with a small portion (maybe 1/2 or 1/4 the recommended dose in the instructions) changed monthly.  Only increase the amount if it seems needed....try stopping when you no longer see stony coral issues.  (You might find you need to keep it in, or not.)

 

[lostrider]

It was acting like this before I moved it near the Kenya tree. It is a small tank (fluval Evo) so there is no protein skimmer, BUT I am doing water changes every week.

 

It’s polyps are still extended but just not puffy and juicy like it once was (or compared to other hammers I see online). Ita polyps at the edges seem droopier and less inflated. 
 

I was wondering if I should give it more time, because I hear these horror stories online about BJD, but I don’t notice anything like that on it.

 

10 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

If I'm reading the chart correctly, that's a bit over 0.08 ppm.   (In general, nobody is going to be fluent in ppb when you post online....better to do the conversion and post in ppm.)

 

Those numbers should be OK.  👍  I will hope you're doing nothing more than the occasional water change and protein skimming to keep it that way.  (Tell me if I'm wrong! 😉) 

 

Seems like you have some leathers in close proximity with your LPS.  

 

Leathers and stonies do not get along per se.   Leathers will have chemical fights with stony coral similar to how algae do.

 

This brings to mind not just coral proximity, but also flow.  

 

Any effects from chemical warfare should be tolerated better in higher flow.  

 

I'd also consider using activated carbon in between water changes.  Start with a small portion (maybe 1/2 or 1/4 the recommended dose in the instructions) changed monthly.  Only increase the amount if it seems needed....try stopping when you no longer see stony coral issues.  (You might find you need to keep it in, or not.)

 

 

[mcarroll]

On 11/30/2022 at 8:46 PM, lostrider said:

It was acting like this before I moved it near the Kenya tree. It is a small tank (fluval Evo) so there is no protein skimmer, BUT I am doing water changes every week.

 

It’s polyps are still extended but just not puffy and juicy like it once was (or compared to other hammers I see online). Ita polyps at the edges seem droopier and less inflated. 
 

I was wondering if I should give it more time, because I hear these horror stories online about BJD, but I don’t notice anything like that on it.

 

 

IMO "brown jelly disease" is a side effect of something else....not a disease.

 

Worry about the basics and you shouldn't have to worry about something like that anyway.  👍

 

I'd say just keep being observant and see if he improves.   He should improve.   If he remains the same (or worse) then you might want to double check everything again.

 

A healthy coral looks good and grows.  IMO.  👍