8 months with a toadstool that won't open

Mr. Comer · May 28, 2015

Hello fellow reef addicts,
This is my first post on this forum and I hope someone may help. I've been reefing for over a decade and cant get this one figured out. I bought this 8" neon green toadstool 8 months ago and it shrunk within the first couple days. All water parameters are on (nitrates are a little high but constant 20ish ), flow in my 90g mixed tank is via Jaebo rw-8's, and lighting is done by a pair of Kessil a350's with an ATI B+ and C+. I'm running GFO and carbon in a BRS duo. Everything else is looking good. I've tried high/low flow placements and high/low light placements. I've tried spot feeding, cleaning, and talking to it nicely :) Any ideas?

cloak · May 28, 2015

I'm not exactly sure why it's behaving like that, but after two months of sulking I probably would have traded it in for something else. Just a thought. GL.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2013/3/corals

Mr. Comer · May 28, 2015

Yea, I should probably give up the fight. It was just so sweet looking when I got it.

PapaDragon · May 28, 2015

Have you tried soft music? Just kidding. :D

I think some corals just aren't suited for every tank.

ritter6788 · May 28, 2015

I had one close up on me that I grew from a small head to softball size. It didn't open for a solid year. I gave it away to a friend and he removed it from the base rock it was on. Shortly after it started to open in his tank. I got it back and now it's opening again. I think something in the rock may have been bothering it. Some type of pest I couldn't see.

Larry L · May 28, 2015

It's possible a vermetid worm was bugging it. They're the ones that live in a tube and put out a stringy web that they use to capture food, and the webby stuff can irritate corals if it gets on them. I had a neon leather and some gorgonians that were not happy and stayed closed almost all the time, but started opening when I moved them to a different part of the tank, and I found vermetid worms near where I originally had them.

Mr. Comer · May 29, 2015

Thanks for all your input. I've spent many years on another forum and you guys are much more friendly. I'm going to sell the toadstool and try something different. I don't think anything was agitating it because I took it off it's base rock and completely scrubbed the rock down with a metal brush and soaked it in steaming hot water. Yep, sometimes things will not grow in a tank and we don't know why.