Hammer corals not extending

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FoxNova9
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:13 am

Hammer corals not extending

Post by FoxNova9 »

Just set up the Mars aqua LEDs in my tank and most of my corals are thriving after the gradual transition. However, my branching hammers aren't having it - they've been retracted for three weeks now, and I've seen zero signs of them coming back out. I did relocate them, but only to the opposite side of the tank, same height and flow as before. Is this a normal reaction? Are they a lost cause? Any ideas, reefers?

My tank's at Cal 420, mag 1300, dkh, phos 0.01-0.02, nitrates 0.
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felinxo
Posts: 249
Joined: Sun Feb 06, 2022 3:16 am

Re: Hammer corals not extending

Post by felinxo »

LEDs can be pretty powerful, so it's no surprise your hammers are being a bit sensitive. Delicate corals like euphylia can take some time to adjust. You might want to try lowering the intensity percentage or raising the light itself to see if that makes a difference.
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Kaidox
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon May 09, 2022 7:57 am

Re: Hammer corals not extending

Post by Kaidox »

My branching hammers didn't take to the LEDs at first either. Had to move them to a spot with lower PAR reading. Took about 3-4 days for them to come around.
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BankoLite
Posts: 9
Joined: Thu Apr 13, 2023 2:47 pm

Re: Hammer corals not extending

Post by BankoLite »

Try dialing back the photoperiod to 2 hours, then gradually increase it every other day.
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