Very sick Hammer

[Zarathustra2]

So, I have a gorgeous (was) wall-hammer coral attached to a LR thats probably about 1-2 pounds with lots of coraline on it. This is in my only saltwater tank, a 24G nano.

This coral is just breaking my heart. It was my first LPS. When i originally got it it had some sort of disease which required an emergency Malachite green dip followed by a toothbrushing and super-glueing (stiches.) After that the coral was doing great for around 2 months. Was seeing great color, new growth and... well, it was generally a healthy coral.

After i nursed it back to health my two clowns decided that it was anenome-like enough to start hosting in it. At first I was delighted, especially after checking at the LFS and being told that its just fine. And it was for a couple of weeks. Anyways... the fish have started really loving on the coral and the coral is very unhappy about it.

So I know I need to get it out of the tank but I just do not have a place for it where he will get the light and water quality he needs to get better at this point. In the last week and half he has lost flesh from receeding, so what was once a 3.5" coral is now about 1.5"

I am asking the fine people of this community. I know I am very new but can someone take my coral and put it in a tank where he can get better, away from the malevolent love of the hosting clowns? I will be at the meeting this Sunday. All i ask for is a frag once he gets better and is fraggable again. In exchange you get a very nice (albiet very hurting) piece of wall hammer. I'm thinking he may need to have the remaining good part fragged off in some emergancy surgery and I just don't have the tools for this either at this point in my hobbying.

Thanks in advance for anyone that can help save this coral.

[Gseclipse02]

ill take him

whoops just saw you were nw austin ....

[Gseclipse02]

what other live stock do u have ??

[Zarathustra2]

Yep. Thats why I was hoping to meet at the MAAST meeting.

[Zarathustra2]

what other live stock do u have ??

I have a pretty low stock tank. I have a cleanup crew that does include a Emerald Mithrax that i was a bit concerned about but I saw him going on the rock that the coral is attached to and the clowns bombed him till he went away. Other than that I have:
1 Lawnmower blenny
3 sets of xenia
1 Blue Ricordea with 3 mouths
2 Hawaiian feather dusters.
1 Kryptonite Candy cane frag with 6 heads (on the other side of the tank and doing just fine)
A liverock with an encrusting coral all over it (the polyps look like little xenia, not sure of the species of this one.)

It all runs under a coralife 96w PC on 50/50 actinic/10k. I have some nitrate issues but am able to keep it under 20ppm and am getting an enlarged refugium in the next couple of weeks.

Like I said I am 90% sure the issue is the clowns hosting in this coral. It was fine and thriving up until they started really wallowing in the poor thing. Though if anyone has any other suggestions I am very happy to hear them as I am really attached to this particular coral.

[Kristy]

You are probably right about the clowns causing the trouble for your hammer. We have also seen our torch corals bounce back by playing with the flow, changing their placement, etc.

If you really want someone to try to nurse it back to health, we'd be willing to take it and give it a try, but if it's a goner and doesn't make it, we don't really want to be in a position where we owe you something. If the coral does make it, of course we would offer you a frag. We'll be at the meeting tomorrow if you decide you want us to give it a go.

[Zarathustra2]

So i did try to move it into an area of lower flow. If it recedes any more tonight I'll bring with me to the meeting.

And I totally understand that it may not make it. Just want to give the little guy the best chance he has to get there.

[Bill S]

I've found that to help these guys recover from damage (fish or falling), a 10 minute dip in 4 drops of Lugos/liter of seawater REALLY helps. Lugals is iodine, available at most LFS. Once a day won't hurt them. Bubbles also like it when they start to "jelly". I've saved mine several times this way.

[Zarathustra2]

eek. So the poor thing is down to about an Inch of flesh now. The rest is bare skeleton and it looks like my Candy Cane is effected as well. Just overnight it went from fully extended to now its losing flesh like crazy. Not sure what to do at this point besides take them out and put them out of thier misery. Gonna bring to the meeting, hoping that someone with more expertise can save them.

[Zarathustra2]

For everyone at the meeting thanks for your help.

I went ahead and got some SPS fragging shears and cut it down. My 3-4" hammer is now a 1" but hopefully it will live. I put it in the sand and the lights are off for the night. I'll let ya'll know in the next couple of days if it survives.

[JimD]

Any updates?

[Zarathustra2]

Any updates?

So, Fragged it off and put in sand. Has been looking fine, no receeding, full extension in the light. And this morning i found my clowns wallowing in the poor thing.

Gonna stop by aquatec on the way home and get a small breeding net to keep them off.

[JimD]

Well thats encouraging!

[apedroza]

What kind of clowns do you have??? I had 2 percula clowns before that use to host in my hammer and torch corals all the time and it never seemed to affect them. Although if the coral was on its way out then the slightest irritation could speed things along.

[Zarathustra2]

What kind of clowns do you have??? I had 2 percula clowns before that use to host in my hammer and torch corals all the time and it never seemed to affect them. Although if the coral was on its way out then the slightest irritation could speed things along.
Percs as well and I'm still not entirely sure it was them. Especially with my candycane melting down. Though everything else i have appears to be just fine.

I have the hammer under an acrylic tent right now and it still seems fine, though much smaller than before. The clowns didn't seem to affect it at all today so that is good. Trying to get a decent picture of it.

[Zarathustra2]

It is a sad day. I had to throw in the towel with the hammer. It was doing just great. Full extension ect. I walked in to my tank yesterday morning and the clowns had flipped over the acryllic tent I had on it and both were wallowing in a coral who was now half receeded. I could see where they had ripped into some of the polyps. So, telling Bob and Bob that this was why they can't have any nice things I put the tent back on and waited. This morning my hammer was all but dead so I ended up having to get it out of the tank before any real rot set in. :at_wits_end:

Thank you all for your help. I learned a lot from this experience and feel i am a better reef keeper for it. Can't wait for the next adventure.

[JimD]

Well thats too bad. It might have made it if the clowns didnt molest it...

[Crazyeyes]

You can get rid of the coral or the fish, or get an anemone.