Hammers Dying

[RabidDragon]

Could be the problem. I can’t really say much on that. My calcium is 540 in my magnesium is 1710 and all of my corals are doing great. But that’s also in my experiment tank.

its not the result values, its the change made in a single day.... again, if those test results were accurate
pH of 7.6 is also a significant concern. The average pH is low in general.

 

[musel101]

its not the result values, its the change made in a single day.... again, if those test results were accurate
pH of 7.6 is also a significant concern. The average pH is low in general.

Either needs to open a window or connect an airline hose to the skimmer and get outside air. That’s what I do.

 

[JGT]

I started dosing Red Sea NO3PO4 a few weeks back and am waiting for it to start doing something, should I run some RowaPhos? Doing 15 gallon water changes weekly to try and knock it down

Nopox takes some time but will work. Water changes are good for nitrates, don’t do much for po4.

 

[Chrisz]

Could be the problem. I can’t really say much on that. My calcium is 540 in my magnesium is 1710 and all of my corals are doing great. But that’s also in my experiment tank

 

[Chrisz]

I have an oversized skimmer and a co2 scrubber attached to my skimmer, its had no affect on PH. Its winter here in Minnesota so I can't do an airline outside but I did buy a co2 monitor and the house is at 500 to 1000 ppm depending on how long we are in the room with the tank. The outside air when I put the monitor outside was at 400 ppm.

As for the jump in cal and mag the output from my dosing pump got clogged, its still definitely too high and have been backing off on the All For Reef. Below is more data, I slacked off on maintenance in 2022 in Dec of 2023 I started to pick it back up, its looking like all the large swings is killing the hammer. What I cant understand is all the other corals are growing like weeds but yet the hammers are dropping like fly's. The Tank is getting quite old, fish and corals are now 15 years old do corals die of old age?

4/4/2021​	11/14/2021​	1/10/2021​	4/15/2022​	12/18/2023​	12/24/2023​	12/26/2023​	12/28/2023​	12/31/2023​	1/4/2024​	1/7/2024​	1/10/2024​	1/13/2024​	1/20/2024​	1/21/2024​	1/26/2024​	Date
7.9	7.8	8	7.9	7.9	7.7	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.9	8.8	7.9	7.8	7.6	7.9	7.9	PH
7.8	6.3	6.9	6.7	7.3	8	7.9	N/A	N/A	7.6	N/A	7	7.4	6.2	7		DKH
314	411	385	317	392	472	434	N/A	490	460	N/A	500	500	396	508		Calcium
1280	1200	1200		1500	1545	1550	N/A	N/A	1540	N/A	1540	1520	1150	1560		Magnesium
1.024	1.025	1.025	1.024	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	Salinity
0.06	0.05	0.04	0.21	0.83	0.85	0.87	0.75	0.73	0.63	0.62	0.66	0.61	0.7	0.61	0.58	Phosphate
0.85	18.5	12	3.48	38.2	30.2	33.1	28.8	24.2	24.1	22.6	26	22.4	25.1	21.4	19.7	Nitrate
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		Nitrite
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		Ammonia
78.8	79.3	79.2	79.2	75	75.2	75.8	74.9	74.5	74.8	75.7	74.6	77	77	77		Temperature

 

[Roatan Reef]

Could be the problem. I can’t really say much on that. My calcium is 540 in my magnesium is 1710 and all of my corals are doing great. But that’s also in my experiment tank.

Really?, nobodys going to comment on the Ca jumping from 386 to 508 or the Mag 1150 to 1560 in a single day? *If* those test results are accurate.....

This is my theory too.

I dosed all4Reef and Bactoblance for a while...did it every day for a few months...some corals took off, others were not happy...I was trying for SPS ans LPS...but LPS ended up not being happy. Too much calcium.

I now use All4Reef once a week and use Red Sea Trace Colors...Torches, hammers very happy and aside of Anacropora , I'm not doing anymore sticks, which in happy with.

Torches/hammers like more nutrients in the water, lower to medium light and flow,and don't require tons of calcium or additives like All4Reef.

I have an 8 head green hammer, 1 2 head bicolor, 1 green eggs and hammer, 1 single head bicolor, 1 dragon Soul Torch and 1 green tip Torch...they and entire tank are doing great.
.40GB 2 years old.

 

[Katrina71]

Your Nitrates appear to be almost half of what they were in mid Dec too.

 

[crazyfishmom]

I have an oversized skimmer and a co2 scrubber attached to my skimmer, its had no affect on PH. Its winter here in Minnesota so I can't do an airline outside but I did buy a co2 monitor and the house is at 500 to 1000 ppm depending on how long we are in the room with the tank. The outside air when I put the monitor outside was at 400 ppm.

As for the jump in cal and mag the output from my dosing pump got clogged, its still definitely too high and have been backing off on the All For Reef. Below is more data, I slacked off on maintenance in 2022 in Dec of 2023 I started to pick it back up, its looking like all the large swings is killing the hammer. What I cant understand is all the other corals are growing like weeds but yet the hammers are dropping like fly's. The Tank is getting quite old, fish and corals are now 15 years old do corals die of old age?

4/4/2021​	11/14/2021​	1/10/2021​	4/15/2022​	12/18/2023​	12/24/2023​	12/26/2023​	12/28/2023​	12/31/2023​	1/4/2024​	1/7/2024​	1/10/2024​	1/13/2024​	1/20/2024​	1/21/2024​	1/26/2024​	Date
7.9	7.8	8	7.9	7.9	7.7	7.8	7.8	7.8	7.9	8.8	7.9	7.8	7.6	7.9	7.9	PH
7.8	6.3	6.9	6.7	7.3	8	7.9	N/A	N/A	7.6	N/A	7	7.4	6.2	7		DKH
314	411	385	317	392	472	434	N/A	490	460	N/A	500	500	396	508		Calcium
1280	1200	1200		1500	1545	1550	N/A	N/A	1540	N/A	1540	1520	1150	1560		Magnesium
1.024	1.025	1.025	1.024	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	Salinity
0.06	0.05	0.04	0.21	0.83	0.85	0.87	0.75	0.73	0.63	0.62	0.66	0.61	0.7	0.61	0.58	Phosphate
0.85	18.5	12	3.48	38.2	30.2	33.1	28.8	24.2	24.1	22.6	26	22.4	25.1	21.4	19.7	Nitrate
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		Nitrite
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		Ammonia
78.8	79.3	79.2	79.2	75	75.2	75.8	74.9	74.5	74.8	75.7	74.6	77	77	77		Temperature

I have found that larger hammers and frogspawns tend to be a LOT more sensitive to fluctuations than smaller ones. I have a show size frogspawn that tells me whenever there's anything even slightly different about my tank. My other hammers (I have a couple of branching hammers that have 7 and 12 heads each and some others that range in 2-6) and some smaller wall frogspawns and hammers that don't skip a beat. Yours look very mature so maybe that's part of it.

 

[Chrisz]

This is my theory too.

I dosed all4Reef and Bactoblance for a while...did it every day for a few months...some corals took off, others were not happy...I was trying for SPS ans LPS...but LPS ended up not being happy. Too much calcium.

I now use All4Reef once a week and use Red Sea Trace Colors...Torches, hammers very happy and aside of Anacropora , I'm not doing anymore sticks, which in happy with.

Torches/hammers like more nutrients in the water, lower to medium light and flow,and don't require tons of calcium or additives like All4Reef.

I have an 8 head green hammer, 1 2 head bicolor, 1 green eggs and hammer, 1 single head bicolor, 1 dragon Soul Torch and 1 green tip Torch...they and entire tank are doing great.
.40GB 2 years old.

Wow post some pictures. You might be right I dose AFR 12 times a day for a total of 8.4 ml and 1. ml of NO3o4.

I too am trying some sticks with good results other than the hammer heads. Maybe a mixed reef is just too difficult just cant keep everyone happy.

Ran tests again this morning PH and DKH still low, always been low but also lights are not on yet. I think I defiantly need to run some GFO though and will do that today ill just put it in a tight media bag on top of the return pump, don't feel like setting up the reactor at this point yet.

I've got cheto in my quarantine tank 2 months fishless going to wait one more month before I bring it into my display don't want Ick. I'm going to go back to cheto and stop the No3o4

			NO3O4-X .6ml
			AFR 10 ml		Post WC	Post WC	Pre WC
1/4/2024​	1/7/2024​	1/10/2024​	1/13/2024​	1/20/2024​	1/21/2024​	1/26/2024​	2/2/2024​	Date
7.9	8.8	7.9	7.8	7.6	7.9	7.9	7.7	PH
7.6	N/A	7	7.4	6.2	7		6.2	DKH
460	N/A	500	500	396	508		423	Calcium
1540	N/A	1540	1520	1150	1560		1450	Magnesium
1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	1.025	Salinity
0.63	0.62	0.66	0.61	0.7	0.61	0.58	0.76	Phosphate
24.1	22.6	26	22.4	25.1	21.4	19.7	17.6	Nitrate
0	0	0	0	0	0		0	Nitrite
0	0	0	0	0	0		0	Ammonia
74.8	75.7	74.6	77	77	77			Temperature

 

[Chrisz]

set up the media reactor to try and slowly reduce phosphate to a reasonable level. Don’t think I can fit any more stuff into my sump area.!