No growth on my hammer coral for 6 months

[Kaidox]

I've been running a Hammer with just 2 heads for 6 months now and I'm not seeing any growth. It looks healthy, full polyp extension, and I've got a decent flow going on - low to med back and forth. I've got a Duncan right next to it, same age, and it's gone from 1 head to 6. I'm stumped. The rest of my corals are thriving, so I'm not sure what's going on here.

My last readings have been pretty consistent:

SG 1.026 - IO Hydrometer
Temps 77-79 - Digital Zoo Med
pH 7.8 - API test
Ammonia 0 ppm - API test
Nitrite 0 ppm - API test
Nitrate 0 ppm - API test
Phosphate .015 - Red Sea test
Mag 1480 ppm - Red Sea test
Alk 8.4 dKH - Red Sea test
Ca 490 ppm - Red Sea test

I've been broadcast feeding on alternate days - Reef Chili, AquaVitro fuel, and Red Sea Reef Energy. Both pumps are in feed mode, 10 mins off.

[zelkor9]

Have you double-checked that hydrometer of yours? Those things can be pretty unreliable. I'm looking at your magnesium and calcium levels, and they seem a tad high - that could be a sign of a higher specific gravity. Same thing happened to me, my hydrometer was off by 0.007, so my tank was actually at 1.033 instead of 1.026. My corals really struggled with the higher SG. I'd recommend investing in a refractometer and some calibration solution, it's been a game-changer for me.

[talonix]

I think your parameters look good, assuming they're accurate, like Mark mentioned. I've found that my hammers thrive with a bit more light, and I also target feed them Coral Frenzy - it's made a huge difference. Keep an eye out for other potential issues, like green hair algae or other types of algae, since you're increasing your nutrient load with all that feeding.

[Kaidox]

I'm pretty confident my parameters are spot on, my SPS are thriving and showing great growth. The hammer's the only one that's not cooperating, it looks healthy, full polyp extension and all, just no growth to speak of.

[Vikingo9]

I've seen better growth and polyp extension since I started target feeding. Now I'm doing spot feeding once a week, using frozen cyclops - seems to be making a difference.

[_SlowDoom]

Euphyllia can be weird, sometimes they just stall, then suddenly take off. If the color's good and it's puffed up, I wouldn't stress about it. My LPS corals barely get fed, maybe once every 6 months if they're lucky. I'd just give it time, but do look into what zelkor9 said about verifying your hydrometer. A refractometer's a good investment, your Mag and CA are a bit high, but nothing to worry about. Just let them drop into the normal range on their own, then adjust from there. Ideal ranges are Mag 1200-1400 and CA 400-440.

[finley9]

I've been advised to keep my specific gravity in the middle of the red zone on my IO hydrometer, as it can fluctuate and this way I'll still be in a safe range. Your pH seems a bit low to me, I've always got mine at 8.2. I think some corals are just naturally moody, I've got two frags of red people eaters and one's been stuck at 6 polyps for 8 months, while my new frag with just 1 polyp grew to 4 in 2 weeks. Guess some corals just need to be really happy to grow.

[brunobear]

I agree with _SlowDoom, Euphyllia can be pretty unpredictable. Sometimes they just stall for a bit before taking off. As long as the color's good and it's looking healthy, I wouldn't stress about it.

[ravelo]

I've had a similar experience with a hammer that just sat there for ages, two heads and not a lot of action. Then out of the blue, it just took off. I think sometimes corals just need a bit of time to settle in and find their groove. They can be pretty weird, but with patience, they'll usually start to grow and thrive.

[copperkit]

Feed it, give it some cut up black worms, see if that sparks some growth.