Hammer Corals! Euphyllia YOUR Tank Needs! | Coral Care Guide

What's going on reefers? Blaine here. We are back in the farm today with another coral spotlight video. We're going to be returning back to the genus Euphilia, but today we're going to be focusing in on hammers. Another coral that brings some great movement and some amazing color to your reef tank. Let's go ahead cut the chitchat though and let's dive in. In this video, we're diving into another iconic LPS coral from the genus Euphilia, the hammer coral. These corals are easily recognized by their hammer or anchor-shaped tentacle tips, which give them their name. Unlike torches that flow in long whip-like extensions, hammers have a chunkier looking polip that adds incredible texture and movement to a reef. Whether you're looking at branching or wall varieties, they're one of the staples of the hobby and a coral that never goes out of style. When it comes to color morphs, hammers have become just as collectible as torches. You'll find strains ranging from neon green and golds to more exotic morphs like orange hammers, splatter hammers, and by colors. At TSA, we're constantly farming out different morphs and working to keep fresh and healthy strains available for hobbyists, looking to add some serious pop to their tanks. For lighting, hammer corals tend to do well in moderate PAR ranges. We keep them in the farm anywhere around 80 to 150 PAR. Branching hammers are generally more forgiving and adaptable, while wall hammers can be more sensitive to changes, so slow acclamation is key with those. Just like with torches, the quality of light is more important than blasting them with intensity. Good blue spectrum will bring out those neon tones beautifully. Flow for hammers should be gentle to moderate and indirect. Their fleshy polyps inflate and extend quite a bit. So, too much direct flow can cause them to retract, stress, or even tear off their skin against their skeleton. On the flip side, too little movement risks debris settling on their tissue. The ideal is the nice pulsing sway, tentacles moving rhythmically without thrashing around. When it comes to water chemistry, stability is once again key with everything here at TopShelf Aquatics. At TSA, we keep them in water parameters as the following. PH between 8.1 to 8.4. Alkalinity is balanced between 7 to 9 dKH. Calcium maintained at 380 to 450 ppm. and magnesium steady at 1300 to 1500 ppm. For nutrients, hammers generally appreciate a little bit more in the system. We aim for nitrates in the range of 5 to 20 ppm and phosphates around 03 to.13. These levels support healthier coloration and give the polyps that full inflated look. On the nutrition side, hammer corals are photosynthetic but also have the ability to catch food with their tentacles. In our systems, they pick up plenty from the broadcast feedings of Reef Genetics, phytolanton, and the slurry of food we mix up for our tanks. You can certainly spot feed them with small meaty foods like micis or coral specific powders, but it's best to limit direct feeding to once a week to avoid stressing the coral. Placement is an important consideration for hammers. They aren't quite as aggressive as torches, but they still have sweeper tentacles and can sting neighbors, especially if packed too closely. Branching hammers often do well grouped together in what we call hammer gardens. But mixing them with torches or frog spawns isn't always ideal as different euphilia species can clash. Keep them in areas where they can inflate fully without brushing up against other corals. And avoid spots with too much sediment or detritus buildup. Another important thing to cover when it comes to hammer corals is the difference between branching hammers and wall hammers. While both fall under the same euphilia genus, their growth forms and care tolerance can be quite different. Branching hammers grow by forming multiple heads on individual stocks. This growth style not only makes them easier to frag and propagate, but also a little bit more forgiving when it comes to stress. If one head gets damaged, the others can continue to thrive, which gives reavers some extra security. Branching hammers also tend to handle changes in water parameters better and can recover faster from minor setbacks. Wall hammers, on the other hand, grow as one continuous skeleton with a large fleshy polip extending over it. While they can be absolutely stunning showpieces, they're also more sensitive and less forgiving. If brown jelly disease or tissue recession sets in on a wall hammer, it can spread quickly across the entire colony since everything is connected. Placement and stability are especially critical with wall hammers, and they usually don't tolerate swings in water chemistry as well as their branching counterparts. Both types can thrive in a reef tank, but it's important for hobbyists to understand these differences. If you're new to hammer corals, branching varieties are often the better place to start. While wall hammers are better suited for reefers who have more experience maintaining stable systems and are looking for that next level centerpiece. One potential issue we mentioned just earlier to watch out for is brown jelly disease, which can affect hammer corals as well as torches. It shows up as a brown slimy coating on the tissue and spreads extremely quickly. If not caught early, it can wipe out heads and even spread to other corals in the system. Symptoms include retracted tentacles, tissue turning brown and slimy, and a rapid loss of color. This is especially concerning with wall hammers since they grow as one continuous skeleton. Brown jelly can move across the entire colony at a much faster pace, making it harder to stop once it starts. Branching hammers, on the other hand, by comparison, are a little bit more forgiving. If one head becomes infected, it's often possible to frag it off and save the rest of the colony. If you notice signs of brown jelly, isolate the coral immediately and begin treatment to prevent further loss. Quick intervention can make the difference between losing one coral and losing multiple prize pieces in your system. Now that we've gone over the care requirements and talking a little bit more about hammer corals, let's do my favorite part. make our way around TopShelf Aquatics and pick out some of our favorites to show here. One that has grown exceptionally well for us here at TopShelf Aquatics is the Rainbow Hammer. Extremely hearty and absolutely stunning is a perfect combination we are all looking for in reefkeeping. And that's exactly the Rainbow Hammer. The colors are brilliant with an overall gold tone that works into multitude of colors, giving it that rainbow name. [Music] The hologram hammer has become a very popular strain for us here at TopShelf and shows off a unique combination of colors that creates a very spectacular look in any reef tank. This is also one for our more popular strains that we have at the farm that a lot of reefers wanted to add into their systems. Another very hearty hammer strain that would be great in anyone's tank. [Music] A unique strain of hammer in the farm is the TSA splatter stock, which the name speaks for itself. The splattering of the polyps really stands out, and the contrast of the dark blue to the bright green really showcases that splattering effect. Overall, a really nice one that is worthy of mentioning. [Music] Now, probably the nicest hammer in the farm is the holy grail hammer. One that truly cannot be appreciated enough until seen in person. Hopefully, I can do my best showcasing it here in the video, but the way it showcases different colors and grows extremely well makes it well worthy of being mentioned in today's coral spotlights on hammers. [Music] Hammers can be a great addition to anyone's reef tank at home, but in my opinion, can be an awesome addition for any beginner looking to get into LPS. If you guys have enjoyed this one and are curious at picking up any of the hammers we're aquaculturing here at TSA, be sure to head over to the website right now. If you guys have hung out all the way till the end, I want to say thank you very much. Be sure to like, subscribe, and hit the bell notification so you don't miss out on any future uploads. [Music]