Is something eating up my toadstool

[zielit]

I have my green toadstool leather for approx a year. It grew up from 3 inches to the size of the palm of my hand and it is thriving, but...

recently first I spotted little discoloration in one spot / thinner wall, after examination it looked like something whitish on the outside. I though maybe it is scratching on the rock. Later on that became a small hole which is getting bigger and bigger every few days. I didn't caught any creature munching on it (only cleaner shrimp likes to get some food leftovers from inside).

Kinda gets me worried...

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Hopefully someone else will chime in but sometimes toadstools will frag themselves this way.

 

[zielit]

Yeah I kinda hope that's the case (propagation), but I've read that they rather loose/drop some small chunks which might leave a hole in it. I can't find any and the hole get's bigger. Maybe it's trying to "slim down" or get rid of bigger portion of itself, as I mentioned it has grown considerably over the time and the "stem" by which it is attached to the rock seem to be under "stress" as it didn't grow as much as the rest of it.

 

[Dbichler]

My bet would also be on self propagation. Not typical of them to do it right in the center but nice that it will give you two big pieces rather than a tiny one.

 

[Gqch]

It happened to my pink nepthea leather few years ago, after i googled it out and know that it's a leater eating mutibranch caused it, i cut the big leather up and found 2 BIG N UGLY mutibranch inside the trunk of the leather!!!

 

[ARCkeeper]

I had a green tentacled leather that looked almost identical to yours. I can't say for sure that yours will follow the same course, but mine developed a slightly off center hole big enough to stick my thumb into. The flesh at the edge of the hole always looked healthy and the hole just stopped growing on its own. The leather continued to thrive for years after and the hole never closed. I guess you would call it a fistula? Sorry I don't have pictures. I rehomed it when it was taking up a third of my 50 long tank. It was over 18" across fully open.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

I think the encouraging part is that it's still open. I had one that got some sort of infection? in a couple spots and closed up tight for a couple weeks. I finally took my turkey baster to it and two rock hard "plugs" were expelled from it's cap. It started opening again that night. Two nice divots in it but it doesn't seem bothered by them, it was way more bothered by the bad stuff that was in them. I guess long story short, toadstools can be drama queens and if this one is still looking happy I feel like that's a good sign.

 

[zielit]

Assuming it is a self-propagation, what do I do with the piece that will fall off? It will not have a stem/foot I guess, how would I attach it to different spot?

 

[Dbichler]

Put it with some rubble rock or rubber band it to a rock or toothpick through it and it will grow a new foot

 

[Tabbers920]

I have something similar happening to my leather.. what ended up happening to yours?
Here is mine closed, it does still open as well. There are two "bite" marks?

 

[zielit]

Hard to say if that's the same case. I ended up with 8 "frags" and the reminder (about 1 third of the original size) still attached to the rock. Looks kinda funny with that big "foot" but I kinda got used to it.3 frags separated on their own, the rest with a little help (just a final snip to end its "suffering")

 

[Tabbers920]

Hard to say if that's the same case. I ended up with 8 "frags" and the reminder (about 1 third of the original size) still attached to the rock. Looks kinda funny with that big "foot" but I kinda got used to it.3 frags separated on their own, the rest with a little help (just a final snip to end its "suffering")

Well it's neat you got 8 more I guess!! Thanks for the update!