Sick Toadstool! Is it dying?

[jpc763]

I have had this toadstool for 2.5 months and it has been great up to about a week ago. At that time I got a new Open Brain coral that I put in the Toadstools place and moved the Toadstool. Since then it has been opening sporadically and recently not at all. I have since moved it to it's old spot, but I am worried it is dying.

Here is the before picture from 12/6


Here are two shots from today




I have noticed that it has a green tinted film around the cap and a discoloration at the base of the stalk. Any help would be appreciated.

[kau_cinta_ku]

looks to me like it is getting ready to shed. I would make sure it has decent flow to help remove the shedding. otherwise it looks fine

[jpc763]

So the purplish marks on the bottom of the stalk are OK?

[bitis316]

put it under heavy current.. It'll be fine..

[brandon7491]

i agree with all the above its fine and not gonna die give it time

[lancer99]

The purplish marks on the stalk are probably just part of the contracting/shedding process....beautiful toadstool (and great pics) BTW!

-R

[jpc763]

Originally posted by lancer99
The purplish marks on the stalk are probably just part of the contracting/shedding process....beautiful toadstool (and great pics) BTW!

-R

OK, I just was worried since I am pretty new in the hobby. Thanks for the compliment on the Coral and the pics.

[jpc763]

Thanks all for your input. Yesterday the shed came off and today the polyps are extending. Thanks!

[jpc763]

And it is doing it again (not opening).

The toadstool shed and came out again in it's full glory 10 days ago. It was clearly larget than before. Starting yesterday, it stopped opening again. I have not done anything in the tank with the exception of getting a new protein skimmer (AquaC Urchin in sump).

So is this normal behavior

Thanks, John

[DanInSD]

My leathers are very particular about changes in water conditions -- temperature, salinity, additives, you name it. Is this leather near your return? Do you do manual top-offs or an automated mechanism? If you do manual top-offs into the sump, and your leather is near the return, it can get quite a salinity shock that can make it unhappy. Same thing goes for temperature -- where are the heaters?

If you're "new" to this hobby, make sure you're checking your water parameters carefully. A small change in pH -- a few tenths -- is meaningful and substantial. Remember, the difference between 8.0 and 8.3 is over a two-fold difference in absolute acidity (hydrogen ion concentration). Make sure your calcium, alkalinity, etc are stable, and your nitrogenous measures are zero.

In the future, when posting something like this, I recommend including your tank size, flow, filtration, water parameters, lighting, tankmates, additives, feeding schedule, location of the coral in the tank, etc. Without that it's largely guesswork.

Dan

[jpc763]

Dan, you are right. I should know better.

To answer your specific questions. The tank is 6 months old as is my experience level. I have several books and have done lots of reading so at least I went into this with a little knowledge!

The toadstool is not near the return. It is within 12 inches of both a powerhead (maxijet with HydorFlo attachment) and the heater.

My latest parameters (12/23) are as follows (I test weekly):

T: 80
SG: 1.025 (with plastic hydrometer... I got a refractometer and it reads 1.030)
pH: 8.2
Amm: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 0
PO: 0
Ca: 440
dKh: 8

The tank is a 55g with a 15g fuge.
T5 lighting 4x54w,
2 MJ1200 powerheads with HydorFlo attachments
AquaC Urchin in sump skimmer
70lbs live rock
50lbs live sand

2 perc clowns
sixline wrasse
firefish goby
Brittlestar
skunk Cleaner Shrimp
Sally Lightfoot
Collector Urchin
Emerald Crabs
Hermit Crabs
Various Snails

Mushrooms
Candycane Coral
Zoos (3 colonies)
Paly's
Branching Hammer Coral
Hydrophora
Club Finger Coral
Open Brain Coral

2 pics of placement of each (the brain has moved since this pic)





I hope that covers it.

[brandon7491]

looks good besides the salinity which u need to get obviously at 1.025 also ur ca is a bit high but that would not explain y it is closed up. One word of advice as u said in your statement above the brain coral has moved. dont move ur coral or lr more than u need too try and get it right the first time unless stuff is dying. the more u move the more stuff will die. set up looks good so far. so now back to y its not opening.

i doubt ur salinity is going to do is because they are hardier than hell but do get it back to normal conditions

ca is not a prob that it is high because soft corals dont have the calcium exoskeletion as hard corals

the new skimmer could be doing it due to the break in process and the micro bubles that could be created by it.

maybe its just growing at a really rapid rate and going to shed again.

i doubt its going to die just still give it time. one time i had some gsp that didnt open up for a month and then one day they did and they are growing all over my glass lol. i think it will be fine. keep up the good work man

[DanInSD]

Agreed about the salinity. You've hit the big problem with plastic hydrometers -- they often read "low" because they get little air bubbles that "raise the bar" so to speak. Refractometer is definitely the way to go.

I would move this coral into higher light and flow -- bottom of the tank is probably not optimal.

Thanks for the info, looks like a nice setup.

Dan

[DanInSD]

Oh -- and adjust the salinity slowly -- no more than two points a day (0.002, of course). I'd do one point a day over five days. Really easy to do, just remove some water and replace with RO.

Dan

[jpc763]

Thanks Guys. Last night he had a few polyps starting to extend. Then a snail came by and banged into him.

I will keep an eye on him today. So I should move him higher? That will put him more in line with the powerhead. Is that OK?

[brandon7491]

leave him be the more u move the coral especially soft corals the longer it takes for them to open up

[Lucky-rc]

I have a toad stool that did this ?twice? a month. then he just stoped. he is about four years old now and does not seem to shed very often maybe once every two months.

It is normal for them to do this 1-2 times per month.... Be happy, although you may not be able to see it, he is growing on ya. (compare pics next month)

These thing are so hardy they will give you a chance to get their environment right. The higher the flow the better they shed but they will do just fine in lower flow as well.(you just have to help remove the film if the current is not strong enough)

Lucky