Toadstool hasn't opened in a year!

[ritter6788]

That's right a year. January 2014 was the last time this thing was doing well.

Earlier in the year I broke down my tank for aefw, QT'd and dipped all my acros. The toadstool never left the tank. I did get too much Bayer residue in the tank and killed off my pod population. My derasa clam also died possibly from the bayer residues but I can't say for sure. The toadstool is known to close up for a month and shed. This one is closed up and hasn't opened since earlier in the year. It has a brown algae that covers it also. It gets asterinas on it eating the algae but it's always done that before while shedding once it sheds the asterinas are gone off of it. It's still firm and stands upright and every now and then I see I green polyp or 2 sticking out. It never lasts long and closes back up though. I've moved it to the frag tank with no luck and just now moved it into a smaller tank where I can keep it from tangs eating the algae and free of asterinas.


Any suggestions on helping it out?

 

[ritter6788]

Here's a current pic.

 

[Oscaror]

whoa O_O. What happened to the rest of your tank. Second picture looks like a mess, besides the toadstool.

 

[ritter6788]

Haha. The rest of the tank is fine. That's just how ugly the toadstool is now. It's in a tank with just liverock, some macroalgae and 2 clowns now.

 

[ritter6788]

Bump. Still not opened but not dying either.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Have you considered lightly brushing the toadstool to get the algae off?

 

[CherryCoralsConsigliere]

I concur with trying to give her a nice little scrub. The coral, that is...

Once that's done, since it's easily accessible in the smaller tank, I would start a dipping regimen hitting it a few times a week, and placing it back in smaller tank under high flow. Since it hasn't opened in nearly 11 months, but hasn't disintegrated I would be pretty harsh on it, relatively speaking. Letting it sit obviously isn't doing much for it so time for the man to intervene

By the way that's a stellar FTS :thumb:

 

[ritter6788]

Have you considered lightly brushing the toadstool to get the algae off?

I concur with trying to give her a nice little scrub. The coral, that is...

Once that's done, since it's easily accessible in the smaller tank, I would start a dipping regimen hitting it a few times a week, and placing it back in smaller tank under high flow. Since it hasn't opened in nearly 11 months, but hasn't disintegrated I would be pretty harsh on it, relatively speaking. Letting it sit obviously isn't doing much for it so time for the man to intervene

By the way that's a stellar FTS :thumb:

That's a good idea. I haven't tried scrubbing it.

Not sure if you can tell from the pic but occasionally this is what it does and I always think it's going to open.

Usually gets my hopes up and looks like it's going to shed. Then it goes back into its dormant state again. I can actually see a few green polyps right now. I've even tried to cut a frag off. The frag showed green polyps but melted away later on.

 

[ritter6788]

Cleaned up nicely. If I can't get it to open I'm going to dip it for pests in Bayer but it was dipped once before when I broke the tank down for aefw.

 

[Eckolancer]

Mine liked a low to med flow indirectly. Also seemed to do better in higher light but not leds for some reason. Is the tank being fed anything? Maybe it's starving.

 

[ritter6788]

Mine liked a low to med flow indirectly. Also seemed to do better in higher light but not leds for some reason. Is the tank being fed anything? Maybe it's starving.

I grew it in that same spot from a tiny nub. I'll see if I can find an old pic of it. I has thrived in my tank for a few years until this problem.

I gave it a good brushing and it cleaned up nicely.

 

[Eckolancer]

Yeah that pic looks a lot healthier then the last one.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Any improvement?

 

[ritter6788]

Any improvement?

Nothing....

 

[Reefing Madness]

Cleaned up pic looks good, now ya just gotta wait him out, see if that actually works, you know softies and their pouting.

 

[VelasCorals]

Do you have any fish that might nip at it?

 

[ritter6788]

Do you have any fish that might nip at it?

Only fish in there right now are a rabbit fish and a damsel. The toadstool was closed up long before I added the rabbit fish. No hermits or shrimp.

 

[VelasCorals]

I would keep it cleaned off by just using your finger with very light pressure. I would also put it in a high flow area.

 

[phillrodrigo]

My tyree green which it look like that one is also the same is a pouting pain in my butt. It opens maybe only 5 days out of the week. Then their may be a week we're it's closed except the 2 or 3 green polyps kind of poking out.

 

[ritter6788]

My tyree green which it look like that one is also the same is a pouting pain in my butt. It opens maybe only 5 days out of the week. Then their may be a week we're it's closed except the 2 or 3 green polyps kind of poking out.

I've had it close up for a month or 2 and once 3 months. It always sheds and pops right back though. Doesn't seem to be shrinking or dying, just closed. :/