Hammer Coral

Euphyllia ancora

Care Level	Easy to moderate
Lighting	Moderate
Water Flow	Low to moderate
Placement	Low to mid rock
Aggression	Aggressive — long sweeper tentacles
Coloration	Green, gold, or two-tone

Overview

The Hammer Coral is a stunning LPS coral with fleshy, hammer- or anchor-shaped tentacle tips that flow in the current. Hardy and forgiving for an LPS, it is one of the best “gateway” stony corals and a Euphyllia hobby favorite.

Care & Placement

Give moderate light and low-to-moderate flow — too much flow keeps the polyps from extending. Place it with plenty of room from other corals, as it extends long stinging sweeper tentacles at night. Euphyllia often do best mounted low-to-mid on the rockwork.

Feeding

Photosynthetic, but responds very well to feeding — target-feed meaty foods (mysis, chopped seafood) once or twice a week for faster growth.

Propagation

Branching hammers can be fragged by cutting between heads with a bone cutter; wall types are harder and best left to experts.

Cautions

AGGRESSIVE — it extends long sweeper tentacles that sting neighboring corals; leave several inches of space. Compatible with other Euphyllia (hammer/torch/frogspawn) in most cases, but keep away from unrelated corals.