Bringing down the hammer

[Ride2win157]

Newbied reefer here looking for some recommendations...

Recently purchased a beautiful Green Splatter Hammer that has become a preferred snack for one of my tank inhabitants. Seems as though my coral beauty is the likely suspect.

Half of the hammer has been eaten down to the skeletal structure, other half seems to still be intact so I've moved it to my fuge for the time being.

Any recommendations on what I can do from here?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cell]

If a fish is eating coral you have to remove the fish or the coral.

 

[Ride2win157]

I figured as much.

Can the hammer be saved with half soft tissue loss?

Also, the coral beauty does not seem to have a taste for any of the other corals in the tank. (Variety of Zoas, leathers, Gsp, Duncan’s, acans, candy cane, and pocillopira)

Is it likely that he only has a taste for hammers or will this be a developing issue that really should be addressed with fish removal?

thanks!

 

[stoney7713]

I figured as much.

Can the hammer be saved with half soft tissue loss?

Also, the coral beauty does not seem to have a taste for any of the other corals in the tank. (Variety of Zoas, leathers, Gsp, Duncan’s, acans, candy cane, and pocillopira)

Is it likely that he only has a taste for hammers or will this be a developing issue that really should be addressed with fish removal?

thanks!

It might recover. An iodine dip might help prevent infection.

You have a choice, the fish or the coral.

It's possible it may never touch your other corals, it's possible it may gain a taste for the others one day also.

 

[Cell]

I figured as much.

Can the hammer be saved with half soft tissue loss?

Also, the coral beauty does not seem to have a taste for any of the other corals in the tank. (Variety of Zoas, leathers, Gsp, Duncan’s, acans, candy cane, and pocillopira)

Is it likely that he only has a taste for hammers or will this be a developing issue that really should be addressed with fish removal?

thanks!

Impossible to predict. Some never touch coral and are perfect reef citizens. Others treat it like a buffet. One way to help mitigate any nipping is to make sure it's well fed. But that is not a guaranteed safe guard by any means.

 

[TurboTang]

I have a coral beauty that would nip at new corals I added - only new corals nothing established. It would stop if I moved the coral to a new location - even temporarily. I could eventually move it where I wanted. Still have the fish years later and no problems

 

[Aluco]

I have a pearlscale butterfly in a mixed reef. He has eaten a frammer and frogspawn as well as rfa's. How big is your coral? I now have like 4 torches and 2 hammers with my butterfly. I believe if you get one large enough they are less likely to eat them. Coral eaters are weird tho, I've had 2 acans in there one he won't touch one he wiped out. I also feed a lot, like too much but my fish are plump and my corals are no longer being eaten. I also have 2 dwarf angels and a toby puffer heh. I cannot keep sps in that tank tho, my flameback angel will eat them. Hopefully you can find a balance of corals you enjoy that your fish won't eat, and try and get bigger colonies if you can.