Hammer problems

[RAZZ]

I have been reading this forum for quit a while now and have sucked up alot of info,THNX. Now its time to use it.Thought I would post here,not much going on in the LPS forum. Im having a problem with my hammers. It use to be one piece but it broke in 2.It broke at the stem and I dont think this is part of the problem,the break isnt near the heads. Anyway the poylps dont extend anymore.Its been this way for a couple of weeks now.Both pieces are the same condition,and thay are not even close to each other.Having 2 pieces I have tried different things with them.Up high in the lights ,low in the lights ,low current,high current. No matter where I put them they still look the same.Like I said poylps are not extending.They look worse at the end of the day. In the morning at lights on,the poylps looks a little extended,but the body is swollen like a dome shape. I have a frogspawn and it is doing fine.(thats my only other LPS).OK water conditions.Amonia 0/Nitrites 0/Nitrates undetectable/cal 450/alk 9 dkh/ph 8.0a.m.-8.3 p.m. Lights 2 x 250 6500k MH /4X40 URI atinic. Its an 80 gal. LR with a DSB.Sps,clams,leathers all doing fine. Would be very thankful to any input u may have to offer, and possible treatment.

THNX

RAZZ

[kevinpo]

I have 3 of the ridge type hammers, but I think the care is the same. I've had them for 4-5 years. A 20% water change always got them extending again. I feed mine raw shrimp a couple of times a week when I want to increase growth or if they look like they need perking up.

HTH,
Kevin

[organicreefer]

sounds like too much light(hence better expansion at night-looking worse as the day goes on) and or current to me.

put it on the bottom in indirect light /low flow and give it time-its probably stressed from moving around alot too.

just what i would do

[deano]

I assume that this is a branching type hammer due to the fact that it broke into two seperate brances. Anyway heres my take on your problem. I think that you might be experiancing the branches splitting. My branching torch will do as you describe whenever it splits and adds another branch(es). My torchs pylops will not extend as much and it will get like a bubble in the center of the branch. Just to let you know! This process, at less for my torch, takes several months to complete but once done I have a new branch(es). I've had this coral for over 3 years now. It started, in size, about as big as a fist. Its now as big as a soccer ball. Its adding more branches as I type this. 1 branch is splitting in to 3 branch and 2 others are splitting, Its to soon to tell how meny I will get from these two. But I'm shooting for NBA size. I will try and get some picture of the splitting tonight with my crappy digital camera.

[RAZZ]

Thnx for the input.I like that,3 different answers.OK I dont think its a lighting problem because these have come from this light from over a couple of months now.One of the branches has been on the sand bed for about two weeks,and the other up higher and in more flow.Water change,why not, Ill do one and see if that helps.I rarely feed them and if I do cant tell if there getting anything or not. As for splitting I have see the bubble in the middle of my heads before,and yes they would split in two.This bubble is more like he head itsself.But the weird thing is they are both doing it and they are 2 feet apart and under different conditions.I know there still alive because they change shapes. Just ran some carbon and phosguard in my canister for a couple of days and that did nothing(maybe cleared the water a little). Im trying,any more suggestions.
THNX for the input.

RAZZ

[bongobrian]

Razz- what are the rest of your water params like temp and salinity? have you changed anything recently? try to backtrack and figure out exactly when the coral stopped opening and if there was anything you may have changed before then. When is the last time you did a water change? I would try doing a 15% water change and observe the coral's reaction. If it starts opening after the w/c then that may clue you into a water parameter that the coral isn't happy with. It could also mean there is something in the water that is causing problems like contaminanats. How is your iodine level? it could be that the coral has an infection due to lack of iodine. You could do an iodine dip to help nurse the coral back to health. I would start by doing the w/c and go from there. HTH.