• Date Added: 11/15/2008
• Tank: Cardiff 24 gallon
• Status: Inactive 7/3/2009
• Purchased at: Marine Warehouse Aquarium
• Cost: $100.00
• Coloration: Orange
• Lighting: Nova Extreme Pro T5HO – 20″ – 6 x 18 Watts

General Information

• Description: The Hammer Coral is a Large Polyp Stony Coral (LPS). It is colonial in nature with each colony extending for around one meter. Euphyllia ancora forms continuous colonies and the collective length of the colonies may extend till quite a few meters. The polyps of Hammor Coral extend from a delicate skeleton resembling a cup. The polyps of Euphyllia ancora have large sweeper tentacles with anchor or hammer shaped tip and therefore the names Anchor Coral and Hammer Coral.

  Euphyllia ancora is nocturnal in its habits and the tentacles of Euphyllia ancora extend to around six inches in length at night. Sweeper tentacles defend Anchor Coral against any other coral colony encroaching the area of Euphyllia ancora. The tips of the tentacles have white colored nematocysts that have strong venom and can therefore, hurt the other weaker members of your marine aquarium.

• Light & Flow: For optimum coloration, it should be given a medium light levels such as T5 or metal halide lighting combined with moderate to low intermittent water current within the aquarium.
• Supplements: It will require maintaining stable levels of calcium, magnesium, pH, alkalinity, and other trace elements as you would with other types of LPS corals. It is essential for LPS health to keep nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates near low to undetectable levels.
• Feeding: Euphyllia ancora derives its nutrition mainly through photosynthesis which is performed by zooxanthellae, a photosynthetic alga living symbiotically within the coral. While it does not require additional food to maintain its health in a mixed reef tank, it will feed on micro-plankton and foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates. It is Carnivorous in feeding habit and filter feeds weekly, when open and feeds upon acellular marine invertebrates, frozen meaty bits of raw shrimp, Silver Side, fish, squid and Mysis Shrimp, zooplankton and phytoplankton.
• Care: It is susceptible to Brown Jelly Infection in which the parasite converts the coral into a jelly like substance and thus kills it. Treat immediately.
• Range: Indo-Pacific including Fiji, the Great Barrier Reef, Tonga and Solomon Islands
• Other Names: Anchor Coral, Hammerhead Coral, Ridge Coral
• Other Colors: Green, blue, gray, orange, brown and cream.
• More Info: This was one of my favorite corals with great color and growth. The ancora are allegedly very temperamental and difficult to keep alive compared to other Euphyllia species. For mine, I accidental bumped with another coral which caused RTN which I could not help it recover.

Green

Orange - Same coral as the main picture

Orange - Same coral as the main picture