Another concerned toadstool owner

Calm Blue Ocean

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With toadstools I'm usually of a mind that, "if it's not disintegrating, it's still good"! But that hasn't stopped me from being concerned about one of my latest additions. It opened a few days after adding it to the tank, stayed open for about two days, then closed up again. Since closing it's started developing these brown spots which I find worrisome. It's on a frag rack, bottom third of the tank, in fairly strong flow. I'm considering moving it down to the sand into a more protected spot but of course there is always the concern that I'll make things worse. The tank has two other toadstools that are open. Really don't like the brown spots.

toadstool.jpg
 

vetteguy53081

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Seeing that it is covered in algae is an indicator that there is inadequate flow which they highly require. When there is a lack of flow, they tend to get what looks like a layer of lacquer on them . It is actually a film. You can blow the leather with a turkey baster to clean it up and then direct flow towards them, not at them. Good water flow therefore is an important aspect of leather coral care. Too much current can cause these corals to retract their polyps and not grow and spread as they should. Too little current, though, can make it harder for them to shed, which they need to do to stay healthy.
Leather corals shed about once a month by developing a slimy film on their surface. When this happens, they usually retract their polyps, giving them a smooth appearance. Shedding allows them to get rid of algae and other irritants that may have begun to accumulate on their surface. This process usually takes a few days, during which time the coral may seem to be shrunken or unhealthy. This shouldn’t be a concern, though, since leather corals generally re-open even larger and healthier than before once their film is shed. Good water flow will help remove this film, so this process will go faster if your coral is placed in a moderate current.
One of the reasons leather coral care is so easy is that they don’t often require intentional feeding. Leather corals are photosynthetic, meaning they are able to derive the nutrients they need from light. They do this by using marine algae called zooxanthellae which are often contained inside their bodies. Because of this, leather corals can often thrive off good lighting alone, and several enthusiasts won’t bother feeding their corals at all.
If, however, your coral seems to be struggling or isn’t getting enough light, you can spot feed it. They are soft corals with small polyps all over their skin, and they are popular with both beginners and experienced reef tank owners.
These soft corals are easy to care for, and they can tolerate a small range of water parameters, and they are excellent choices for new reef aquarists. Some corals need very stable water parameters, but Leathers can do well in a newer tank that is not stable yet.
Newer tanks tend to have fluctuating parameters which makes Leathers a good choice because they are hardy enough to survive the swings a little bit better than some others like SPS or LPS.
 
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Calm Blue Ocean

Calm Blue Ocean

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It definitely looks rough. What is on top of it? You should try a dip and get it in an area of higher random flow for a bit.

It looks like it was mounted to the frag plug by using a stick stuck into a ball of epoxy or similar and that stick is what's poking out through the top.
 
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Calm Blue Ocean

Calm Blue Ocean

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Based on the comments here I suspect it's actually getting too much direct flow. Hopefully it's not too late to take action, it was really pretty for the two days it was open. :(
 

DeniseAndy

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iodine will be good for it. Just get it in a good area of the tank and let it be. Watch, but leave alone. Leathers are also really finicky to changes. If you bother it too much, it will not come out.
 
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Calm Blue Ocean

Calm Blue Ocean

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Thank you all for the advice. Including this one I have 4 toadstools across two tanks and they are among my favorite corals. I was so excited to add a green one to my collection but apparently it wasn't so excited to be added! I've gone ahead and dipped it and placed it in strong but indirect flow. We'll leave it alone now and see if it can recover. Again, I really appreciate the help here. I'll update if anything changes.
 
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