Hammer coral

Care at a glance

The hammer coral owes its name to its tentacle tips, flattened into little hammer heads or anchors. In gentle flow the whole colony sways along, which is exactly why it is one of the most popular corals in the hobby. It is an LPS that grows surprisingly fast given reasonably stable parameters.

Do not underestimate its reach: at night it extends long sweeper tentacles that go well beyond the colony itself, and anything they touch gets burnt. Keep at least a hand's width from other corals. It is also prone to brown jelly, so remove affected tissue immediately, and keep alkalinity stable — swings there show up straight away as retracted polyps.

Good to know

• Potent sting — keep distance in the tank

Related species

• Branching hammer coralEuphyllia paraancora
• Duncan coralDuncanopsammia axifuga
• Blue xenia (cespitularia)Cespitularia sp.
• Torch coralEuphyllia glabrescens
• MontiporaMontipora sp.
• Pom-pom xeniaHeteroxenia fuscescens