Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've had my hammer coral for over a month now and it's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Initially, it was super active and fresh, but lately, I've noticed it's not opening up in certain areas and the color has faded a bit.

I've double-checked the water parameters and everything seems fine - salinity is at 9 PPM, pH at 8.2 PPM, ammonia and nitrite are both at 0 PPM, nitrate is at 0 PPM, calcium is at 360 PPM, phosphate is at 0.01 PPM, and magnesium is at 1270 PPM.

I'm stumped and was hoping someone could help me figure out what's going on. I've attached some pics of how it used to look and how it looks now. Can anyone please take a look and offer some suggestions?

I think your calcium level might be a bit off, it's a little on the lower side. I'd suggest trying to get it up to the 400s, but do it slowly, don't wanna shock the coral. What's your ALK level looking like, by the way?

I can offer some insight. It's a wall hammer, and to be honest, their mortality rate is quite high - around 90%. They're notoriously fragile due to the way they're collected, handled, and shipped. I mean, picture this - a canoe in the sun, with stacks of them on board, and the collection process often involves breaking and cutting the walls with a tool that's not exactly sterile. It's a recipe for disaster. These corals are extremely prone to infections, and it's not uncommon for issues to arise around the 4-6 week mark after collection. I'm not saying it's inevitable, but it's definitely a common problem. I wouldn't say it's anything you've done - it's just the nature of these corals.

Wall hammers are notoriously tricky to keep long term, and infections are a major concern due to their poor recovery after being cut.

Looking at your parameters, I'd say the calcium level is a bit off at 360ppm - ideally, you want to be above 380, with 410-420 ppm being the sweet spot.

Also, alkalinity is just as crucial, but it's missing from your list. And, if I'm reading it right, your salinity is way off at 9 ppm - you're aiming for 35 ppt or 1.026 SG.