Can low height corals be placed near taller corals like hammers without being stung to death?

[Reef Puncher]

I have a whole rock with new hammer corals, and i have gaps i want filled, or at least the neighboring rocks to be filled but i keep reading hammers will sting and kill other corals. But i also saw one guy with zoas surrounding a giant hammer and it looked fine in his tank. What about zoas or really low height encrusting corals? Can they not be placed beside the hammers at all? I know what the safe answer is. "only place hammers near a hammer" but is there no examples of this being broken?

 

[Mschmidt]

not an expert, but here's my opinion.
1) zoas might be fine, but I would place them a little further away and have them grow under the hammers. Keep an eye out for them growing on the hammers too.
2) hammers will grow and fill in the space too. Might be worth waiting to see what happens.
3) stoney encrusters I would avoid as they may encrust over and kill the hammer, or sting the hammers.

 

[Kzang]

Technically yes. The sweepers are dictated by flow. So if the flow doesn’t blow them down, you should be fine.

 

[The_Paradox]

Technically yes. The sweepers are dictated by flow. So if the flow doesn’t blow them down, you should be fine.

All of mine tend to grow out and inevitably down with time. Their tentacles constantly sweep the rocks under them.

If you just want something around them till they grow out it should be ok. They will sort it out. Nature!

 

[Lavey29]

I use zoas for rock gap fillers all around my tank. I think because zoas can't sting and are harmless, other corals don't mind their close proximity. You can see them surrounding hammers in my tank.

 

[The_Paradox]

I use zoas for rock gap fillers all around my tank. I think because zoas can't sting and are harmless, other corals don't mind their close proximity. You can see them surrounding hammers in my tank.

Zoas can be jerks too. These I’m not even sure where these came from but they are some how doing well at 400+ par.

 

[Poseidon03]

I use zoas for rock gap fillers all around my tank. I think because zoas can't sting and are harmless, other corals don't mind their close proximity. You can see them surrounding hammers in my tank.

Can't they overgrow the bases of corals like hammers and SPS?

 

[Lavey29]

Can't they overgrow the bases of corals like hammers and SPS?

Sure they can but most of the time the shaded bases are not areas they try to migrate to. Occasionally I get the tweezers out and clip a couple polyps that might be climbing an SPS coral which also has no sting defense. For the most part I let the corals figure out their own neighborhood and try not to make changes to natural evolution in the tank. You can see in the pics zoas surrounding a monti digi lower right side yet the digi is fine.

 

[Lavey29]

Zoas can be jerks too. These I’m not even sure where these came from but they are some how doing well at 400+ par.

That's cool looking and nice how they have their own defined space. I have some top level zoas growing also in high par with SPS.

 

[Reef Puncher]

I use zoas for rock gap fillers all around my tank. I think because zoas can't sting and are harmless, other corals don't mind their close proximity. You can see them surrounding hammers in my tank.

wow i love how your zoas fill in so many gaps it looks so good. i might try that! worst case i can back the hammer up i suppose.

 

[mfinn]

I've always put encrusting corals on the rock work around taller branching euphyllia.

 

[VintageReefer]

This just bit me the other day and made me regret my decision. I have a torch with a 3-4” stalk, on a plug, it has long sweepers been it’s rather high and I know my flow patterns. I placed a low profile orange lobo on rockwork below it and for several days it was fine. Then I wake up and two sweepers are in the lobo mouth. The lobo tried to eat the sweeper and wouldn’t let go, i separated them but the lobo has mild damage.

 

[Reef Puncher]

I've always put encrusting corals on the rock work around taller branching euphyllia.

do the torches sweeper tentacles sting them?

 

[Reef Puncher]

This just bit me the other day and made me regret my decision. I have a torch with a 3-4” stalk, on a plug, it has long sweepers been it’s rather high and I know my flow patterns. I placed a low profile orange lobo on rockwork below it and for several days it was fine. Then I wake up and two sweepers are in the lobo mouth. The lobo tried to eat the sweeper and wouldn’t let go, i separated them but the lobo has mild damage.

thats what i was afraid of. i wonder if zoas would work or encrusted something

 

[Lavey29]

wow i love how your zoas fill in so many gaps it looks so good. i might try that! worst case i can back the hammer up i suppose.

Thank you, It's like adding ground cover to your rose garden. Zoas and palys are cool because they have so much color variety and are very easy to keep.

 

[mfinn]

do the torches sweeper tentacles sting them?

Never had a issue.
The only issues were when the favias and chalices got to closer together, then they would go to war.