branching in hammer corals
Re: branching in hammer corals
As for my alk and cal numbers, I'm afraid I don't have those. I've only been tracking the basics since I've just got the two corals in my tank. To be honest, I'm still getting the hang of all this. What's making me nervous about my hammer is that it just looks a bit off. The way I'd describe it is that it seems droopy - I'm not even sure if that's a thing, but that's the best way I can put it. There's one head that's pretty much shriveled up, and then there's another one that's half inflated and half shriveled at times.
Re: branching in hammer corals
Clowns could be bothering the coral, that's possible. It's looking a bit better though. For a tank that size, I don't think you need to test alk and ca if you're doing regular water changes.
Re: branching in hammer corals
If the clowns are indeed going into the coral, they're likely bothering it. I've got hammers in my own tank that are as close as 12 inches from a Kessil A350W, running 100% on blues and about 30% on whites, and they don't seem to be affected in terms of coloration. However, I do think that LEDs can be pretty intense, and if your hammer wasn't under LEDs before, it's possible that the sudden change could've killed off some of the zooxanthellae, which might take some time to recover.
In a tank of your size with only a few corals, I think regular water changes should be enough to keep things stable, as long as you're using RO/DI water and a high-quality salt. Consistency is key, especially with these corals. Branching hammers are pretty hardy, but they can be sensitive to changes in water parameters, like light intensity, temperature, calcium and alkalinity swings, and pH swings. I've found that dosing magnesium helps keep things stable. It's also worth keeping an eye on nitrates and phosphates, as they can be tricky to control in smaller tanks.
In a tank of your size with only a few corals, I think regular water changes should be enough to keep things stable, as long as you're using RO/DI water and a high-quality salt. Consistency is key, especially with these corals. Branching hammers are pretty hardy, but they can be sensitive to changes in water parameters, like light intensity, temperature, calcium and alkalinity swings, and pH swings. I've found that dosing magnesium helps keep things stable. It's also worth keeping an eye on nitrates and phosphates, as they can be tricky to control in smaller tanks.