Hammers are losing color

[dkorenieva]

Hi there,

I have Fluval evo 13.5g tank started at the end of September. Haven’t replaced stock light, but replaced pump for IM mighty jet mini. I have introduced multiple Zoa and Duncan coral in mid October. Then hammers in November.

My first blue tip hammer I placed in mid level of the tank from the start. It looks healthy to me, but seems like it has lost its blue color on the tips (color is barely visible now). Second hammer I've put on the bottom initially, where it started to split. Then I moved it to the mid level closer to the first hammer. Now its tentacles are really short after split (split happened week ago) and I think it's getting dull as well.

I've got torch and neon green candy cane yesterday. And when I've put them into the tank, I've noticed this huge difference in color. New corals are bright and my hammers are so dull in comparison. Though initially my second hammer was the same bright green on the tips (see photos). What am I doing wrong? Is it too much light for hammers?

My water parameters:
NO2 = 0.03
NO3 = 2
pH = 8.0-8.15
kH = 8.0 - 9.0
Ca = 420
Mg = 1185
PO4 = 0.03
Salinity = 1.025-1.026
Temp = 26.5C

I’ve got tests for Ca and Mg recently, so started to raise these parameters slowly. I guess for couple of month Ca was below 340 and Mg below 1000. My NO3 and PO4 were zero for couple of month as well (got dinos now). I am dosing NeoNitro and NeoPhos for a week now, but they are still low.
I dose 2ml of all-for-reef every other day for a month now.

Current inhabitants:
3 hermit crabs
Trochus snail, astrea snail, cerith snail, bumblebee snail
1 strawberry conch
1 clownfish
1 yellow clown goby
1 shark nose goby
1 rock flower anemone
1 Duncan coral
2 hammer corals
1 micromussa
1 acan bowerbanki
1 acan lord
1 torch
1 candy cane

Photos attached:
First photo is to see placement in the tank
Second photo has my hammers in it
And on third photo you can see newly added bright torch

 

[sfin52]

Maybe to much light and your po3 is low. 10-20 is what most like.

Sand bed may have start of dinos.

 

[Macbalacano]

Thanks for posting all the info, it’s very helpful!

I think it’s either your nitrates and phosphates level or lighting. But more likely it’s the low nitrates. I would try to get that up. Phosphates are good, but even going a little higher would likely be ok. I’m not familiar with the stock light on the Evo but I would be surprised if it’s too much for your hammers. I keep mine closer to middle of the the tank and running my AI Prime 16 HD close to 100%.

I keep mostly LPS and have kept many hammers and torches. You can also see my current tank thread - I have a similar size tank as you.

 

[kevgib67]

You are starving the little guys. You need nitrate at 10-15 and phosphate at.05-.1, you can achieve this by having more import and less export. Feed more, cut back on water changes and if you have a protein skimmer take the collection cup off ( you still want gas exchange). Also your magnesium is very low, get it up to at least 1350 but they tend to thrive when it is 1400 or higher. Moderate flow and lighting.