Leave it to me to create a toilette to kill a toadstool!

[Treefer32]

There used to be a saying in this hobby that leathers, could grow in the back of a toilette. (Granted that's not salt water, and most likely not true, but, a great analogy).

I've had a toad stool that grew from 4 inches in diameter to 12-15" inches when fully open in my 340 gallon display. It's loved my tank over the last 4 years. In the last year... It's base withered away. It used to be 6" tall, now it's maybe 2" tall laying on a rock. Just the top, the top is pale gray in color. And it's needles sometimes open slightly. Just enough that you can still see they're there.

It's semi wrinkled, it doesn't open and close anymore. It just lays there - what's left of it.

I've been in the mindset that it's impossible to kill these things, but, it's dying. About 6 months ago, I had all my Xenia die off about the same time the toad stool started dying.

I did have some fluctuations where my water quality got really clean for a few weeks. Phosphates between .01 to .05. I suspect that's what triggered the Xenia dying off.

However, my phosphates are .3 and nitrates around 50-60. So, if it's dirty water it's definitely dirty!

I have acros, Duncans, Hammers, Bubble Coral, frog Spawn, orange Ricordia, Montipora, a massive Challice that are all doing great. Some Bubble Mushrooms. None of them show signs of stress or issues with the water. I don't know if I just need to toss what's left or if in a few months or a year it'll make a recovery. It's been this way for close to 3-4 months at least.

 

[DanyL]

I have a similarly sized Sarcophyton I keep for 15 years.
As any other coral, it does react to sudden changes in chemistry and when it does it'll take time for it to recover, 3 months from my experience is about right. One thing you need to make sure does not happen is tissue narcosis - brown marks that looks a lot like rotting. If you aren't sure - smell it, it'll smell like exactly as it sounds.

Another thing I would advice to look after is flow, it may try to shed but I found that when it gets too big it may struggle, and some extra flow does help.

Last point - don't let it get too big.
I frag mine twice, sometimes even 3 times a year. granted, I mostly do this for space, but it also helps it to regenerate it's tissue keep it nice and healthy.

 

[DanyL]

Also, I forgot to mention - leather corals does not require high phosphates at all. It's a myth.
I keep my phosphates at 0.03-0.08 and they keep growing at a rate that I can't keep up with them.

 

[Cincyreefer513]

I'm in a similar situation. My toadstool was really doing well until a round of dinos knocked out 15 of my zoa's and made the toadstool close up for months. It retained it's color, but wouldn't extend it's polyps. The dinos have been gone since November and it's just now starting to extend it's polyps a little. No where near it's former glory, but maybe one day.
The whole dino thing did a number on a few of the lps too and just about completely killed a few out. They had a touch of color left. Now that the dinos are gone and my parameters are good and stable, things are bouncing back quickly. Pretty incredible to see actually.
So give your toadstool time (several months) and it might bounce back as long as your parameters are good and stable. For the record, my phosphate is in the 0.20s typically.

 

[Treefer32]

This is mine. I honestly don't know if it's still alive.

 

[DeniseAndy]

It is still alive for now. My guess is it is not happy with the other corals or situation in the tank.
I know that others have had luck with mixed tanks, mine have greatly depended on what corals and how they are placed to be very important. Some do not work together. I have found that making sure the corals get along can be a try and see and some do not.
Maybe as your system has gone more lps/sps, the softies have lost the optimum environment they need.

 

[DanyL]

Best I can recommend you beyond keeping the params in check (mostly stability in the case the of leathers), is to add some flow and make sure sand doesn't fall on top of it - it suffocates them.

 

[DanyL]

It is still alive for now. My guess is it is not happy with the other corals or situation in the tank.
I know that others have had luck with mixed tanks, mine have greatly depended on what corals and how they are placed to be very important. Some do not work together. I have found that making sure the corals get along can be a try and see and some do not.
Maybe as your system has gone more lps/sps, the softies have lost the optimum environment they need.

This is generally true, although one can definitely find an environment that can host most if not all types of corals.
In the case of leathers, I can testify that it most definitely not the case here, but probably more due to the large swing the system went through.

Also, it is true that sometimes moving a coral that been sitting in the same spot for a long time and suddenly feel bad does help sometimes.

Another possible cause are pests, but you would visually see rotten patches after awhile to indicate it.