Hammer coral growing oddly

paulallen · 03/23/2006, 03:55 PM

I have had this hammer coral for about 3 months. When I purchased it it only had 2 heads. Now it has many more, but they are growing very oddly; to say the least. Some of the heads don't have "tenticles" over the entire head, but fleshy tissue does cover it. There is a pretty good picture of it on this link. I know there is some bubble algae around it and I pick it out about once a week, have gotten a little lazy, but this was happening before the bubble algae was near it. http://server6.theimagehosting.com/album.php?album=6116

Does anyone know why this is happening? All of my water parameters are perfect and it continues to grow.

paulallen · 03/23/2006, 04:11 PM

Can anyone shed some light as to why this is happening? Please.

Blown 346 · 03/23/2006, 04:25 PM

It looks like the corals new head could either be dying, or is having new growths.
The fleshy tissue has to grow first.

ACBlinky · 03/23/2006, 04:52 PM

What kind of current do you have on it? Is it possible the tentacles are so short because they're retracted? I've never seen a hammer look quite like that, hopefully someone can figure it out

hookdonreefs · 03/23/2006, 06:50 PM

That is how my hammers look when the heads split. Im pretty sure that they dont tolerate bubble algae as well.

Glove · 03/23/2006, 06:58 PM

Thats growth. Looks like it cant make up its mind to grow what it has or grow new starts.
Ill bet in 6 months that thing is huge.

paulallen · 03/23/2006, 09:18 PM

Yeah that is the thing, its not ****ed. Some parts grow the tenticles out and some parts just keep spliting. So my thoughts are that it looks like that because it is growing so fast. But, I wanted to see what other people think. I know its not dying, because it just keeps splitting.

chocolateblnt · 03/23/2006, 10:14 PM

Is that really a hammer coral? Looks like a frogspawn to me :P

Alaskan Reefer · 03/24/2006, 12:49 PM

Looks like it's splitting to me, my branching hammer looks similar when it's doing so. If not that, then how much flow do you have on that thing? Looks pretty extreme. My plating hammer (avatar) tolerates steep flow by my branching hates it.

jasper24 · 03/24/2006, 12:54 PM

I have a frogspawn that bubbles out when it splits a new head but they always have tentacles. Not sure what is going on there. I do not think that it is the cause but the bubble algae needs to go.

03/23/2006, 03:55 PM	#1
paulallen Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 344	Hammer coral growing oddly I have had this hammer coral for about 3 months. When I purchased it it only had 2 heads. Now it has many more, but they are growing very oddly; to say the least. Some of the heads don't have "tenticles" over the entire head, but fleshy tissue does cover it. There is a pretty good picture of it on this link. I know there is some bubble algae around it and I pick it out about once a week, have gotten a little lazy, but this was happening before the bubble algae was near it. http://server6.theimagehosting.com/album.php?album=6116 Does anyone know why this is happening? All of my water parameters are perfect and it continues to grow.

03/23/2006, 04:52 PM	#4
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	What kind of current do you have on it? Is it possible the tentacles are so short because they're retracted? I've never seen a hammer look quite like that, hopefully someone can figure it out __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

03/24/2006, 12:49 PM	#9
Alaskan Reefer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Eagle River, Alaska Posts: 2,360	Looks like it's splitting to me, my branching hammer looks similar when it's doing so. If not that, then how much flow do you have on that thing? Looks pretty extreme. My plating hammer (avatar) tolerates steep flow by my branching hates it. __________________ Unattended children will be given double shot espresso and a free puppy. Current Tank Info: 125g FOWLR -- Conversion Back To SPS In Progress

03/23/2006, 04:11 PM	#2
paulallen Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 344	Can anyone shed some light as to why this is happening? Please.

03/23/2006, 04:25 PM	#3
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	It looks like the corals new head could either be dying, or is having new growths. The fleshy tissue has to grow first.

03/23/2006, 06:50 PM	#5
hookdonreefs Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 97	That is how my hammers look when the heads split. Im pretty sure that they dont tolerate bubble algae as well.

03/23/2006, 06:58 PM	#6
Glove Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Central Indiana Posts: 562	Thats growth. Looks like it cant make up its mind to grow what it has or grow new starts. Ill bet in 6 months that thing is huge.

03/23/2006, 09:18 PM	#7
paulallen Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 344	Yeah that is the thing, its not ****ed. Some parts grow the tenticles out and some parts just keep spliting. So my thoughts are that it looks like that because it is growing so fast. But, I wanted to see what other people think. I know its not dying, because it just keeps splitting.

03/23/2006, 10:14 PM	#8
chocolateblnt Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sunnyvale, Nor*CAL Posts: 1,736	Is that really a hammer coral? Looks like a frogspawn to me :P

03/24/2006, 12:54 PM	#10
jasper24 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 2,120	I have a frogspawn that bubbles out when it splits a new head but they always have tentacles. Not sure what is going on there. I do not think that it is the cause but the bubble algae needs to go.