Lighting
80-160 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 5/10
Hammer Coral
Fimbriaphyllia ancora / Fimbriaphyllia paraancora
Use this Hammer Coral profile to compare hammer or anchor shaped tentacle tips with Torch Coral and Frogspawn Coral, plan conservative spacing, and watch for deflated heads after flow or alkalinity change under moderate flow.
Compare hammer or anchor shaped tentacle tips, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 5/10
- Placement
- Middle
- PAR range
- 80-160 PAR
- Flow
- Moderate
- Aggression
- Moderate
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Minimum tank age
- 4 months
- Minimum tank size
- 25 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Ben Wagner from Bonn, Germany
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 2.0
Photo: harum.koh from Kobe city, Japan
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: Bondolo
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 8-9.5 dKH
- Calcium
- 420-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1280-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-15 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.1 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
moderate indirect flow should move tissue gently without folding it into sharp skeleton or neighbors.
Stability
For Hammer Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Hammer Coral requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- small meaty foods, reef roids, LPS pellets
- Frequency
- weekly or as accepted
ID
Identification
Key features
- hammer or anchor shaped tentacle tips
- fleshy polyps
- branching or wall forms
Common colors
- Green
- Purple
- Gold
- Teal
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Hammer coral has flattened hammer or anchor tips rather than the long simple tentacles of torch coral. For Hammer Coral, start with hammer or anchor shaped tentacle tips, fleshy polyps, and branching or wall forms before checking color. Compare it with Torch Coral and Frogspawn Coral by looking at corallite walls, polyp shape, tissue inflation, and where recession begins, especially after polyps or tissue are fully extended. Because trade photos can exaggerate color, skeleton shape, polyp layout, and expansion pattern are stronger clues than color alone.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 4 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Hammer Coral deflated heads after flow or alkalinity changeOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- hammer tips stay short, tissue pulls inward, or mouths look unusually exposed
- Hammer Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- too much direct flow, a fast light increase, or unstable alkalinity
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Hammer Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Hammer Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact
- reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton
- increase spacing and observe the coral under white light and after lights out
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- treat Hammer Coral as moderate, not no-care, even when it looks inflated
- placing Hammer Coral before confirming hammer or anchor shaped tentacle tips and its spacing needs
- using Hammer Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Torch Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Hammer Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Hammer Coral
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Frogspawn Coral
Fimbriaphyllia divisa / Fimbriaphyllia paradivisa
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Duncan Coral
Duncanopsammia axifuga
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Candy Cane Coral
Caulastrea furcata
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Hammer Coral beginner friendly?
Hammer Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Hammer Coral be placed?
Start Hammer Coral in the middle third with room to adjust up or down. Use 80-160 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Hammer Coral?
Hammer Coral may benefit from careful target feeding with small meaty foods, reef roids, and LPS pellets. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: weekly or as accepted. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Hammer Coral touch other corals?
Give Hammer Coral about 4 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Moderate. Use caution near Torch Coral, Goniopora, and Elegance Coral. Avoid close placement with Acropora and Montipora Digitata. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Hammer Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Hammer Coral, hammer tips stay short, tissue pulls inward, or mouths look unusually exposed and Hammer Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Hammer Coral deflated heads after flow or alkalinity change. Likely causes to check include too much direct flow, a fast light increase, or unstable alkalinity and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Hammer Coral. Start with these database checks: check Hammer Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact and reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton.
What stability issue matters most for Hammer Coral?
For Hammer Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue. The database lists 4 months as the minimum tank age and 25 gallons as the minimum tank size. For LPS-style care, protect fleshy tissue from repeated moves, direct flow, and abrupt chemistry corrections.
Coral Identifier
Identify Hammer Coral.
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Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare hammer or anchor shaped tentacle tips, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
