Hammer (e.ancora) question

[2poor2reef]

Could someone please post a pic of a properly expanded e.ancora? I'm new to lps and I'm having trouble getting my hammer in the correct spot light-wise. I don't have a digital camera so I can't show how mine looks, but when I had it 15" below a 250w ushios mh it barely extended. I have since moved it to a different tank lit by powercompact and it is WAY extended. I don't know if this is healthy or not so I'd like to see one that was properly extended. TIA.

 

[AF Founder]

Could someone please post a pic of a properly expanded e.ancora? I'm new to lps and I'm having trouble getting my hammer in the correct spot light-wise. I don't have a digital camera so I can't show how mine looks, but when I had it 15" below a 250w ushios mh it barely extended. I have since moved it to a different tank lit by powercompact and it is WAY extended. I don't know if this is healthy or not so I'd like to see one that was properly extended. TIA.

I've had this E. ancora for over 15 years.

 

[2poor2reef]

That's gorgeous Terry. What kind of lighting is it under and what's the distance? Is that the oldest coral specimen you have?

 

[AF Founder]

That's gorgeous Terry. What kind of lighting is it under and what's the distance? Is that the oldest coral specimen you have?

For the first 12 years it was in a 150-gallon reef tank directly under 175 watt German 10K bulbs. It is now in a 10-foot tank under 250 watt 6500K Iwaski bulbs plus 10K power compacts. It has grown from a 4-inch fragment to an animal that is 2 feet across. It prefers mild turbulence and will feed on small particules of food.

 

[AF Founder]

You might be interested in how aggressive E. ancora can be.

 

[2poor2reef]

Thanks. That pic is helpful also. I understood that e.ancora produced sweepers and packed a potent sting. I have it in a good location for now. If I make 2' and 15 years that would be a different story.

Your lighting setup is close to what I had originally. But the ancora stayed largely retracted during the day and expanded at night. I noticed dark strands being prodcued which I assumed was zooxanthella being expelled. I took that to be a sign that it was receiving too much light. Was I mistaken?

 

[AF Founder]

Thanks. That pic is helpful also. I understood that e.ancora produced sweepers and packed a potent sting. I have it in a good location for now. If I make 2' and 15 years that would be a different story.

Your lighting setup is close to what I had originally. But the ancora stayed largely retracted during the day and expanded at night. I noticed dark strands being prodcued which I assumed was zooxanthella being expelled. I took that to be a sign that it was receiving too much light. Was I mistaken?

You have to remember that corals can adapt to different lighting conditions, but they adapt slowly. Photoadaption is too often ignored by aquarists.

 

[Tcook]

My hammer is near the bottom of the tank (about 20" under the MH) in mild current. Originally the tank was lighted with 2 x 175 watt MH and 440 watts of VHO . It did very well. I upgraded to 250 watt MH and even with a slow acclimation it didn't expand as much. It is now shielded by a larger Torch coral (which doesn't open as muc as it did) and is doing better again. I plan on moving asll of my Euphyllia sp. to a tank lighted with just VHO. This pic is soon after purchase. It is double the size now. Don't have a camera available for a new pic.

 

[2poor2reef]

Tom, that is the expansion that mine currently exhibits under the powercompacts. If that is still considered healthy expansion then I am alright with my current location. Can anyone tell me what the first symptoms of inadequate lighting are in the species?

 

[Tcook]

2P2R,

The tentacles that my hammer displays now are at least twice as long as the old pic I posted. Also depends on the time of day. My coral seems to contract just before the lights are scheduled to go out. It is also one of the first corals to contract when the water quality declines. The extension that you see in the pic is quite healthy. How long has your hammer been under the PC lighting? I suspect it will continue to improve.

 

[2poor2reef]

Only two weeks Tom. It is also taking food readily. Now that I have seen these excellent pics you both have provided I believe the hammer would have been o'kay in either system. It had been held long enough at lower light levels at the LFS that it probably acclimated easier to the powercompacts. That is probably all that was going on.

My lack of familiarity with LPS is clearly showing. For some reason I have kept only separate systems dedicated to low-light polyps or high-light/energy sps, nothing in-between. This year I purchased an e.ancora and a caulastrea. It is interesting how different lps are from what I have kept before. Thank you both for giving me this frame of reference.

 

[-JB]

Here is my hammer under 250w 10K MH. He is about 8" from the surface.