Hammer Coral arm length

Anemonee · 12/09/2017, 09:29 AM

Hello!

We’ve had this lil guy for about two weeks and his arms on one side are long and flowy but his arms on the other side are short and stubby.

Is this normal?

Let me know if you need any other info. My parameters are all great and he seems healthy otherwise. Just curious.

THANKS!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Uncle99 · 12/12/2017, 01:05 PM

Looks normal to me....give it 2 months min...

sde1500 · 12/12/2017, 01:42 PM

Seems fine, mine is always pretty stubby. What sort of skeleton does it have, is it on a plug? I ask because I doubt the polyps will like being directly on the sand like that.

Anemonee · 12/12/2017, 01:55 PM

Really?? No he’s not on a plug and he was in the sand at the store.

where should I move him? I’m assuming up in the rock?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sde1500 · 12/12/2017, 02:06 PM

You just stuck the skeleton in the sand? Definitely not a long term good idea. They should be attached to the rock yea

mcgyvr · 12/12/2017, 06:20 PM

Yes you would be better off gluing its skeletal base to a small rock or frag plug or disc or whatever vs it being stuck in the sand like that..
The sand "could" irritate/hurt its somewhat delicate tissue..

LeJeune981 · 12/12/2017, 07:13 PM

There was a similar hammer at my local petco like that..

And they had it placed just like that.. skeleton burried... I tried to tell the employees that it's not good like that... but they didn't listen... someone ended up buying it though...for a pretty heafty price tag as well

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

Anemonee · 12/12/2017, 07:14 PM

I’m in the process of getting ready to glue him to a smooth rock. Any advice? I also have an off question.. newbie question.. can I take it out of the tank and for how long?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Anemonee · 12/12/2017, 07:37 PM

Another newbie question: does it have to be “live” rock or can it be a regular rock (from a beach in Vancouver, so technically from the ocean) I had in the tank already?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

der_wille_zur_macht · 12/12/2017, 07:40 PM

It can be out of the water. The time it takes you to quickly put glue on and stick it to the rock is fine.

As far as tips - get some thick super glue gel. Place a big blob on the coral, press against the rock and hold for as long as you can - a good solid 30 seconds at least. I generally keep the rock in the tank, pull the coral out, apply the glue, then dunk it in and stick it to the rock. As soon as the coral makes contact with the rock, I give it a few little wiggles until you feel the glue start to set. The glue will skin over when it hits the water, wiggling it against the rock will break the skin and allow fresh glue to help form the bond.

There's not much to it - watch some youtube videos on fragging if you're still nervous. This may sound silly, but if you're really unsure, it might make sense to practice gluing small bits of rock together. Then you can get some experience working with super glue gel on wet rocks without risking the coral.

der_wille_zur_macht · 12/12/2017, 07:41 PM

It can be any rock that's safe for your tank.

Most coral frags are mounted on "plugs" which are essentially little disks of concrete. Sometimes they're just a disk, other times they have a point sticking out of the bottom to allow you to stick them in the sand or in a frag rack.

Anemonee · 12/12/2017, 07:55 PM

Thanks der_wille_zur_macht!! I did watch a few videos on YouTube but no one really mentioned anything about whether or not it had to be live rock or just a rock from your tank. I don’t have any small pieces of live rock to take out of my tank so your reply helped a lot. I managed to get him on there and I hope he’ll be happier up off the ground, hopefully with room to move better.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

rjjr1963 · 12/13/2017, 06:14 PM

Mine goes through all kinds of weird stages. I've had it over a year and it's doing better now than ever.

Anemonee · 12/13/2017, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjjr1963

Mine goes through all kinds of weird stages. I've had it over a year and it's doing better now than ever.

That’s awesome! Mine’s definitely liking its new elevated from the sand spot on its rock.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/09/2017, 09:29 AM	#1
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	Hammer Coral arm length Hello! We’ve had this lil guy for about two weeks and his arms on one side are long and flowy but his arms on the other side are short and stubby. Is this normal? Let me know if you need any other info. My parameters are all great and he seems healthy otherwise. Just curious. THANKS! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/12/2017, 01:42 PM	#3
sde1500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Glocester, RI Posts: 3,336	Seems fine, mine is always pretty stubby. What sort of skeleton does it have, is it on a plug? I ask because I doubt the polyps will like being directly on the sand like that. __________________ My build thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2548422 Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef, Eshopps sump and HOB overflow, RO-110int skimmer, Reefbreeder 32" photons V1.

12/12/2017, 02:06 PM	#5
sde1500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Glocester, RI Posts: 3,336	You just stuck the skeleton in the sand? Definitely not a long term good idea. They should be attached to the rock yea __________________ My build thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2548422 Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef, Eshopps sump and HOB overflow, RO-110int skimmer, Reefbreeder 32" photons V1.

12/12/2017, 06:20 PM	#6
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Yes you would be better off gluing its skeletal base to a small rock or frag plug or disc or whatever vs it being stuck in the sand like that.. The sand "could" irritate/hurt its somewhat delicate tissue.. __________________ Who me?

12/12/2017, 07:40 PM	#10
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	It can be out of the water. The time it takes you to quickly put glue on and stick it to the rock is fine. As far as tips - get some thick super glue gel. Place a big blob on the coral, press against the rock and hold for as long as you can - a good solid 30 seconds at least. I generally keep the rock in the tank, pull the coral out, apply the glue, then dunk it in and stick it to the rock. As soon as the coral makes contact with the rock, I give it a few little wiggles until you feel the glue start to set. The glue will skin over when it hits the water, wiggling it against the rock will break the skin and allow fresh glue to help form the bond. There's not much to it - watch some youtube videos on fragging if you're still nervous. This may sound silly, but if you're really unsure, it might make sense to practice gluing small bits of rock together. Then you can get some experience working with super glue gel on wet rocks without risking the coral. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

12/12/2017, 01:05 PM	#2
Uncle99 Crab Free Zone Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2,906	Looks normal to me....give it 2 months min...

12/12/2017, 01:55 PM	#4
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	Really?? No he’s not on a plug and he was in the sand at the store. where should I move him? I’m assuming up in the rock? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/12/2017, 07:13 PM	#7
LeJeune981 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 747	There was a similar hammer at my local petco like that.. And they had it placed just like that.. skeleton burried... I tried to tell the employees that it's not good like that... but they didn't listen... someone ended up buying it though...for a pretty heafty price tag as well Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

12/12/2017, 07:14 PM	#8
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	I’m in the process of getting ready to glue him to a smooth rock. Any advice? I also have an off question.. newbie question.. can I take it out of the tank and for how long? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/12/2017, 07:37 PM	#9
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	Another newbie question: does it have to be “live” rock or can it be a regular rock (from a beach in Vancouver, so technically from the ocean) I had in the tank already? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/12/2017, 07:41 PM	#11
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	It can be any rock that's safe for your tank. Most coral frags are mounted on "plugs" which are essentially little disks of concrete. Sometimes they're just a disk, other times they have a point sticking out of the bottom to allow you to stick them in the sand or in a frag rack. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

12/12/2017, 07:55 PM	#12
Anemonee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 106	Thanks der_wille_zur_macht!! I did watch a few videos on YouTube but no one really mentioned anything about whether or not it had to be live rock or just a rock from your tank. I don’t have any small pieces of live rock to take out of my tank so your reply helped a lot. I managed to get him on there and I hope he’ll be happier up off the ground, hopefully with room to move better. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

12/13/2017, 06:14 PM	#13
rjjr1963 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Nebraska/Missouri Posts: 770	Mine goes through all kinds of weird stages. I've had it over a year and it's doing better now than ever. __________________ 72x24x16 115 gallon under construction Current Tank Info: 40 gallon reef