Leather coral problem

[sharkbait1122*]

Hey everyone! Does anyone have any idea what’s up with the base of this leather? The coral head itself is shedding its slime coat but is big and beautiful most of the time. The base however looks horrible. All conditions are stable and the base has been like this for a month or two now

 

[maleks.reef]

is it placed in a high flow area?

 

[sharkbait1122*]

is it placed in a high flow area?

Medium/low flow most of the day but under high flow about 3x a day for about 15 minutes each time

 

[sharkbait1122*]

Any thoughts?

 

[maleks.reef]

Medium/low flow most of the day but under high flow about 3x a day for about 15 minutes each time

Parameters?

 

[sharkbait1122*]

Parameters?

Nitrates are a little low at 5 but alk sits at 8.2 salinity 1.026 calcium and mag never change from 1440 and 450 and I’m running a Kessil a160we at 40% intensity about 9 inches off the water

 

[sharkbait1122*]

Here are pictures from this morning, lighting is off, look at the base

 

[maleks.reef]

Here are pictures from this morning, lighting is off, look at the base

I can not tell whether that's algae growing on it or if the tissue is dying, either way if you have a dip around i suggest you do that. If the coral is opening up perfectly fine during the day then it is probably just algae and there is no need to worry. Keep a close eye on it though. Also, make sure no nearby corals are stinging it.

 

[Paleozoic_reefer]

It looks fine to me. You can see in your photos that it has a shiny coating on it which means it is waxing and about to shed. Give it some time and avoid moving it. It's just acclimating to any possible recent changes in flow or lighting...

 

[sharkbait1122*]

It looks fine to me. You can see in your photos that it has a shiny coating on it which means it is waxing and about to shed. Give it some time and avoid moving it. It's just acclimating to any possible recent changes in flow or lighting...

The top is shedding, and sheds often and grows well, the base is what concerns me, it is green and looks brittle and idk

 

[sharkbait1122*]

Even more photos in case someone has had this problem before

 

[JGT]

Looks normal. Bases typically have a little crudiness on them. When leathers shed, many times the shed doesn’t happen all the way down to the base so you kinda get a buildup of dead skin which grows algae on it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Not untypical of leather which thrive best in Moderate light and good water flow. Give it time as it may be in shed mode for a few days. It may stay closed for a few days or a week before you start to see the actual shedding. once the shedding starts, it could go on for a day or more, depending on size of the coral. You can use a turkey baster to assist with the shedding process or simply keep it in high/moderate flow.