Leather Help!!

[ozzmosis]

I have been having problems with my leathers for the last week or so. They have not been opening up and some of them are just getting to the point that they are just laying over on their side. I had problems with my pH and Alk last week, but I have gotten that back to an acceptable range and still no results on a couple of my leathers. Any ideas or suggestions? 2 of my leathers are beginning to show so life again, but the othere 2 still have done nothing.

[ozzmosis]

Sorry, I can't type today.

[keckles]

Try to move them to an area of strong water movement if they are not already. This will help with diluting any close proximity or surface irritants. They may still be feeling the effects of your recent ph/alk fluctuations. If you still have some phytoplankton or cyclop-eeze (or any plankton really) I would feed some later tonight to see if you can get a response.

Good luck

[Brooks_McClary]

My only advice is that it is pretty hard to kill the whold coral. If you notice major die off but there are some healthy bits, frag off the healthy parts and start off fresh.

THIS IS A LAST RESORT!!!

but it works.

Often they will shrivel, shrink, bend and otherwise look very unhealthy (I believe they are trying to flush out their system) then pop right back. It's not over till the stout lady sings. A good way to tell if it is dead, or has dying parts, is if it feels mushy (dont prod too much), or STINKS.

Good luck.

[abugs1985]

souds like the problem may be from your previous PH and Alk problems. Leathers can be a pain to keep and they are very sensative to ammonia spikes...check your ammonia levels too just to be sure. That may be part of the problem but it could be any number of other reasons...

[jake792]

I've had a yellow polyped sarcophyton for about 9 months now. It goes through "stages" of dormancy and activity. My sarco enjoys moderate flow (tail edge of 620 gph). They need a good flow to wash off their mucus mantle when they clean up the crown. You'll see a shiny layer appear on the sarco's crown when it is in the "cleaning" mode. It will also bend over (limp) and appear to be dying on you. That is okay.

My sarco also tends to lean out towards the front of the tank after the tank light is off. It is leaning towards the ambient light of the room it is in (living room), so nothing to worry about there either.

The sarcophyton is a very active coral and will react to just about any change inside the tank. Mine has endured top-off overflow (low salinity), high nitrates, high temperature (over 80F), and removal from the water.

If you can be consistent with the sarco, it will open again. Just make sure your water temperature is between 75 F and 80 F. When my tank goes above 80F, the sarco usually closes up and only shows its polyps for a few hours in the morning.

Check your lighting fixture. If they are older than 6 months, get new bulbs. The sarco is a photosynthetic coral and is very sensitive to strong lighting. Don't try to give it super-high-output lighting as that will damage it.

Visit www.wetwebmedia.com for additional information on the sarcophyton corals. That's where I learned most of my how-to. Like you, I was concerned about my sarco when I first got it and it was always limp. Then I learned, with experience, that it can take up to 7 days for the sarco to "recover" from anything that disturbs it.

Anecdotally, my starry blenny loves to sit in the crown of my sarcophyton, especially when the polyps are out. You might find that a denizen of your reef is also resting on your leather's crown, which will make it close up for a day or less.

[Ken-21]

I agree with Keckles. I had the same problem and after I moved it itopened right up. Mine likes moderate water movement.