Is a toadstool a silent killer?

[Notsolostfish]

Good afternoon everyone.

I am facing a weird death issues for my LPS in my tank, it only happens when my toadstools closed closed to shed or its fragging itself. The whole tank gets upset, and the next day i find one of my hammers head peeling off. At first i wasn’t sure what’s going on, so i did ICP test, i even did the full microbiome test, and they couldn’t find any coral plague. My tank was doing good for a month, now since my toadstools both closed for shedding and fragging theimselves. Everything else is pretty upset. It can’t be a coincidence because everytime the toadstool is open, everything else is happt, the moment they closed, everything else for the most part gets upset (2-3 corals)

Have anyone experienced any similar issues with their toadstool and chemical warfare? My tank is almost 2 years old. I test weekly. And my parameters going to be listed below stable.

You can also see the condition of my tank in this video



Alk:8.3
calcium: 420
Mag:1380
Phosphate:0.31
Nitrate:16
Ph:8.2
Temp:77F
Salinity:1.026

 

[CHSUB]

Never experienced that…my toadstool is at war with a torch coral and a Monti digi, which it appears to be losing.

 

[Faurek]

Toadstools do release toxins, so it's a maybe. On a mixed reef it's always safer to run carbon. So get carbon asap.
A degrading toadstool can kill the entire tank.
Are you sure it's just upset and not dieing?

 

[Notsolostfish]

Toadstools do release toxins, so it's a maybe. On a mixed reef it's always safer to run carbon. So get carbon asap.
A degrading toadstool can kill the entire tank.
Are you sure it's just upset and not dieing?

I always ran carbon in my tank. 24/7 on one of the deluxe brs reactors. I change my carbon every 25-30 days. Changed kt this morning. So weird

 

[Faurek]

I always ran carbon in my tank. 24/7 on one of the deluxe brs reactors. I change my carbon every 25-30 days. Changed kt this morning. So weird

Carbon should do the trick, but if it's that bad I wouldn't be surprised to see a melted toadstool in a matter of days. What do you mean by fragging themselves exactly? I shrugged to newbie throwing words, but it might actually explain this. Tell me how are they fragging? Are they releasing little bits?

 

[exnisstech]

I wonder if there is something the bothering the toadstools that isn't showing up. Them fragging themselves is not normal behavior in my tanks. I've kept them for years and have only once had one drop a baby. My oldest is probably 7-8 yo and has never fragged itself.

 

[Notsolostfish]

I wonder if there is something the bothering the toadstools that isn't showing up. Them fragging themselves is not normal behavior in my tanks. I've kept them for years and have only once had one drop a baby. My oldest is probably 7-8 yo and has never fragged itself.

Carbon should do the trick, but if it's that bad I wouldn't be surprised to see a melted toadstool in a matter of days. What do you mean by fragging themselves exactly? I shrugged to newbie throwing words, but it might actually explain this. Tell me how are they fragging? Are they releasing little bits?

see the video it has a big cut. It cut half of itself. I did every single icp test known. Including the microbiome i cant find anything. This is not the first time this happens. Its been happening. And its almost getting me out of the hobby.

 

[exnisstech]

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable with leathers can chime in. I've had this one since 2016 and its never multiplied.

 

[old_salt]

The toxin is terpene macrolide sarcophytoxide.

If tissue is exposed like that toxin is probably being released.

Carbon and skimming will help. Carbon only lasts about 3 days.

 

[exnisstech]

The toxin is terpene macrolide sarcophytoxide.

If tissue is exposed like that toxin is probably being released.

Carbon and skimming will help. Carbon only lasts about 3 days.

So the toxin I keep reading about only happens when they are splitting?

 

[old_salt]

The leather will release toxins if injured, or if there are too many other softies near it, or if it is being fragged or self fragging.

 

[DD Corals]

Well I got the same toadstool in two tanks. One stays open 24/7 practically. The other one closes as the light cycle changes, since I have it so the light turns from heavy blues to heavy whites and back to blue. My only guess could be the lighting changing or temperature fluctuations. But my toadstool is very sensitive for some reason but every other coral isn’t.

 

[DD Corals]

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable with leathers can chime in. I've had this one since 2016 and its never multiplied.

I think it depends on the species of toadstool. Or the conditions it’s in. My pink toadstool splits naturally while my neon green one doesn’t or if it does split. It takes a longer time to do so.

 

[Notsolostfish]

The leather will release toxins if injured, or if there are too many other softies near it, or if it is being fragged or self fragging.

Why is mine self fragging like that though. It got so bit doing well. And this

 

[Notsolostfish]

The toxin is terpene macrolide sarcophytoxide.

If tissue is exposed like that toxin is probably being released.

Carbon and skimming will help. Carbon only lasts about 3 days.

I just removed the toadstool but I couldnt get the chunk at the bottom out. I peeled as much as i can. My skimmer is running 24/7 and my carbon has been changed yesterday.. thats the chunk left. Would it grow back? I dont want it in my tank. But im keeping the leather next to it

 

[DanyL]

Yes, it’ll grow back if there is any tissue left behind, even much less than you have in the picture.

Just to add to this thread - the leather you had was Sarcophyton, which doesn’t propagate by splitting on its own unless something very drastic happened.
Those who claim their leathers do this on a regular basis most likely have Lobofitum, which looks very similar and does indeed propagate in this manner.

 

[Notsolostfish]

Yes, it’ll grow back if there is any tissue left behind, even much less than you have in the picture.

Just to add to this thread - the leather you had was Sarcophyton, which doesn’t propagate by splitting on its own unless something very drastic happened.
Those who claim their leathers do this on a regular basis most likely have Lobofitum, which looks very similar and does indeed propagate in this manner.

Thank you for this info dany. Mine grew big, and it was layong on one side, and i noticed at first a literally tear in its body. And than that tear started to get bigger and bigger. I dont know if it was the weight of it that made it tear that bad? Also not sure what do you mean by drastic. I am a person who is on top of the tank maintenance and testing every week. Anyway. U said that tiny patch will grow back. Its probably going to take a long time to grow back though no? I should be good for the time being with toxins release till it grows back? Or that tiny patch will still release toxins? I have fresh carbon changed yesterday

 

[DanyL]

Thank you for this info dany. Mine grew big, and it was layong on one side, and i noticed at first a literally tear in its body. And than that tear started to get bigger and bigger. I dont know if it was the weight of it that made it tear that bad? Also not sure what do you mean by drastic. I am a person who is on top of the tank maintenance and testing every week. Anyway. U said that tiny patch will grow back. It’s probably going to take a long time to grow back though no? I should be good for the time being with toxins release till it grows back? Or that tiny patch will still release toxins? I have fresh carbon changed yesterday

Sarcophytons can grow to huge sizes, multiple meters wide without tearing apart.
The only time I had this happened was when I heavily cut my large Sarcophyton, (something I usually do twice a year, but that time I let it overgrow), and it was severely stressed and cracked in the middle, which took months for it to heal.

This pic below demonstrates the size at which I usually cut it, that one time it created the crack it was about 1.5 times bigger.

As for the leftovers on the rock, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. While it will release toxins to the water, the amount will be negligible to have any severe affect.

 

[Notsolostfish]

Sarcophytons can grow to huge sizes, multiple meters wide without tearing apart.
The only time I had this happened was when I heavily cut my large Sarcophyton, (something I usually do twice a year, but that time I let it overgrow), and it was severely stressed and cracked in the middle, which took months for it to heal.

This pic below demonstrates the size at which I usually cut it, that one time it created the crack it was about 1.5 times bigger.

As for the leftovers on the rock, I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. While it will release toxins to the water, the amount will be negligible to have any severe affect.

Im surprised this happened then. I wonder what made it tear like that. So sad. I still have anothwr toadstool next to it healthy that one i kept. It has white polyps

 

[Faurek]

How are other corals doing? Resetting it might be the best option here by leaving only the small fragment and see what happens.
Cutting frags of the big one on the healthy zone and giving to friends would be the ideal option, so you don't just waste coral.