What cause this to my hammer ?

[mrvincent]

I have my hammer for 2-3 months, it look like this... This is the only coral looking poor like this in my 20g setup... Initially it was really healty.

Same lighting and placement (bottom) for this torch and look really happy...

Params:

Temp: 26C°
PH: 8
Alk: 9 dKH (stable)
Ca: 450ppm (stable)
Mg: 1400 (Stable)
NO3: < 2 ppm
PO4: undetectable so <0.05ppm

It's on a low flow area. All my corals (mushs, zoas, FS, torch and duncan) look happy, but not this one

NOTE: I'm currently fighting dinoflagellates, but my coral look like this since before I saw the firsts dinos.

Plz help.

 

[mrvincent]

I just found 3 bristles worms, and a nudibranch last night, but I think they did come with a rock I bought there's 2 days. Not sure where they're coming from, but I really don't enjoy them !

Bought a trap for the bristles worms, and I don't know what to do with the nudi. I just found one, that I killed !

 

[Sniperhank]

Bristle worms aren't going to have any interest in a healthy coral and there aren't any nudibranch I'm aware of that go after LPS...they are a soft/polyp only kinda feeder in terms of our worries about predators in home aquariums.
I'd suspect that the dinos, if you truly have dinos, is causing the issue...that or it is what they are feeding off of causing what is going on.

 

[mrvincent]

Yeah, for sure it's dinos, as the brown slime make bubbles and long "tentacles" with bubbles on it... Maybe it's cyanobacterias ?

It is possible the hammer dying is feeding the dinos ?

0 ppm PO4
2 ppm NO3

Probably NO3 dropped, as I started vodka dosing since 2 weeks to drop levels near 0. A guys will check my params again in 1 week, to see if my vodka dosing and water changes were usefull.

Thanks for the advice, if vodka dosing doesn't work for dinos (or maybe cyanos) I'll try 3 days blackout.

 

[Sniperhank]

No, because it isn't rotting away. There is something else going on feeding the issue, either feeding too much, or not using ro/di water, not enough water changes...

 

[mrvincent]

No, because it isn't rotting away. There is something else going on feeding the issue, either feeding too much, or not using ro/di water, not enough water changes...

For sure I don't feed too much, my clowns eat everything I give them in 1 minute.

I'm Using RODI, but maybe true on the waterchanges, last month I did 1x30% WC in the month.

In the last two weeks, I did 4x25% WC to bring NO3 down. (Params remained stables).

So maybe dinos will get rid by themselves by keeping on waterchanges ? I hope

 

[mrvincent]

ANd do you think my hammer have chances to recover, or I should get rid of it ?

 

[melosu58]

How much flow is it getting?

 

[mrvincent]

Low to low-medium. I heard they don't like too much flow.

 

[Sniperhank]

Have you tried moving him? Has there been any changes in the tank at all?

 

[mrvincent]

Have you tried moving him? Has there been any changes in the tank at all?

No changes in the lasts months, before it was on the reef, where the light is a little brighter and with a little more flow. I moved it down as suspected too much flow, nothing seems to help... I tried a iodine dip too, just in case there was unwanted critters in it, but seems to not change anything. This coral has not been acclimated when I bought it there's 3 months, as I didn't know the need for coral acclimatation. The torch on the picture has been acclimated for 1 hour with frequently adding shooters of tank water to the bag. Maybe the non-acclimatation killed my coral ?

I recently got rid of my biggest blue leg hermits, I suspected them too...

It's not so important for me if he dies, as I can replace him with more corals, as I have a lot of friends with reefs, but if I could know what happen to this coral it would be cool as I won't do the same mistake... But I don't know what I did wrong. Maybe acclimatation... But the coral was healty for the firsts 2-3 weeks.

For sure the month without WC probably didn't help. I have a friend who recently dealed with cyanobacterias, and he have a product to get rid of them. I suspect I have dinoflaggelates + cyanobacterias in my setup. The remaining brown slime doesn't make tentacules with bubbles on it, but seems to cover my rocks edges. What do you think about anti-cyano products ?

 

[Sniperhank]

Cyano products make the ugly go away, but don't address what it is feeding off of. I still say the issue is that. I'd make my water changes larger and weekly to ensure parameters are good, rather than look good due to them being consumed by the cyano.

 

[mrvincent]

Cyano products make the ugly go away, but don't address what it is feeding off of. I still say the issue is that. I'd make my water changes larger and weekly to ensure parameters are good, rather than look good due to them being consumed by the cyano.

Yes, everything is clean, nitrates <2ppm, po4 at 0.

I think it just need a little boost to get rid of it and won't come back... Are thoses products harmfull for corals/fishs/inverts ?

 

[Sniperhank]

They are totally reef safe. But when you use them you have to turn off your skimmer. I'd suggest a large water change before hand. Siphon things out and dose...following their instructions as well of course.

 

[mrvincent]

Large water change is already done, I'll do another after dosing this thing.

I won't dose vodka today if I use it, as you said I have to turn skimmer off. I guess I have to remove the GAC too ?

 

[Sniperhank]

I'd stop vodka dosing. I've read about this and cyano issues as well. Put the kiss effect into play.