Sick hammer coral issues

[flintcore]

I've had great luck with euphyllias in the past - even nursed some back to health that were on their last leg. But this young hammer I picked up at my LFS has me stumped. It was looking good at the store, nice and open under the actinic lights, but since I brought it home it's been a different story. The decline has been rapid - I've already lost half the tentacles. There's this white slime on it, which I'm guessing is some kind of bacterial infection, so I've dipped it in revive and moved it to a spot with medium flow and medium light. I keep a close eye on my tank parameters and all my other LPS are thriving, so I don't think that's the issue. My SPS are all doing well too, and growing like crazy. I'm at a loss for what to do next to stop the deterioration and get this guy to heal up. I'm pretty sure it's a walling hammer, but I'll post some pics tonight and you can take a look. Any advice would be appreciated - thanks in advance, guys.

[felinxo]

Unfortunately, that white slime is likely a byproduct of the decline, rather than the cause. It's probably too late at this point, and I think it's a lost cause, sorry to say.

[flintcore]

I'm wondering what might've triggered the decline initially - was it the tank transfer, or did it come in already stressed from the LFS, and just happened to show the white slime after I got it home?

[felinxo]

I've had great luck with euphyllias in the past - even nursed some back to health that were on their last leg. But this young hammer I picked up at my LFS has me stumped. It was looking good at the store, nice and open under the actinic lights, but since I brought it home it's been a different story. The decline has been rapid - I've already lost half the tentacles. There's this white slime on it, which I'm guessing is some kind of bacterial infection, so I've dipped it in revive and moved it to a spot with medium flow and medium light. I keep a close eye on my tank parameters and all my other LPS are thriving, so I don't think that's the issue. My SPS are all doing well too, and growing like crazy. I'm at a loss for what to do next to stop the deterioration and get this guy to heal up. I'm pretty sure it's a walling hammer, but I'll post some pics tonight and you can take a look. Any advice would be appreciated - thanks in advance, guys.

Not knowing the specifics of your tank parameters compared to the LFS, and also the tank history of the hammer at the LFS, makes it tough to pinpoint. Was the hammer recently acquired by the LFS and is it indeed a wall hammer?

[flintcore]

I've had it from the LFS for over a month now, so I'm guessing that's how long it's been in their system.

[felinxo]

Honestly, we're just speculating here without more information, but I think it's worth exploring the possibility that the LFS's tank parameters might have been off, or maybe the coral was already stressed when I got it.

[flintcore]

Lost my first hammer. Was wondering if there's any possibility the skeleton can regenerate new heads.

[felinxo]

I've seen it happen before, but it's a long shot. Stick it in a quiet spot and just let it be, that's your best bet.

[flintcore]

Thanks for the input, I'll probably just stick it in the back and let it be.

[microvolt]

I'm curious about the transportation - was the coral bagged or containerized from the LFS to your house? I've found that Euphyllia are notoriously bad shippers due to their fleshy bodies getting pinched against the skeleton, which can cause tears. For wall hammers specifically, this is particularly problematic as any laceration can lead to infection spreading rapidly.

To mitigate this, I've started bringing containers to my LFS for transporting Euphyllia. For smaller pieces on plugs, I attach them upside down to a Styrofoam block that's wedged at the top of the container. For larger pieces, I use a dab of epoxy to temporarily secure them to the bottom of the container.