Hermit broke Leather stalk, what to do?

[AK47]

I came home to find my leather bent over with the blue leg hermit crab attached to the top it appears to rip some of the tissue from the bottom because of the crab's weight. I dont think it stand up anymore. Should I cut it in trying to redo it were will this heal and it will stand up again?

 

[mcarroll]

You now have two leather corals. Congrats!

(...but it's gotta be the firing squad for the hermit....nothing but trouble....if he wasn't chopping down tree corals he'd be murduring snails....)

 

[MikeyAl]

What would u do mcarroll? Rubber band him to a piece of rock? Maybe a quick dip?

 

[mcarroll]

What would u do mcarroll? Rubber band him to a piece of rock? Maybe a quick dip?

That seems like unusual punishment for a hermit crab, but I bet it'll work!

 

[MikeyAl]

That seems like unusual punishment for a hermit crab, but I bet it'll work!

Hahah. I actually laughed out loud.

 

[mcarroll]

I had to let that ride for at least one comment.

Getting leathers to stick can be a little tricky - you might have to experiment a little to find a method that works for you.

It's not my specialty, but one method I've used is to put a toothpick through the "stalk" and use the toothpick ends as anchor points for a rubber band that you can use to hold it onto a rock or whatever you want it to grow on.

Trick is, the rubber band has to be barely tight or it'll eventually pull the toothpick through the base just like yanking an earring out of an ear. Ouch!

There are lots of other methods though, including just wedging it inbetween or under some rocks.

Definitely worth a few minutes of googling or Utubing to take a look at what's possible.

 

[mcarroll]

someone here did a pretty decent writeup on the rubber band method:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/fragging-a-toadstool-leather.37098/

 

[MikeyAl]

I had to let that ride for at least one comment.

Getting leathers to stick can be a little tricky - you might have to experiment a little to find a method that works for you.

It's not my specialty, but one method I've used is to put a toothpick through the "stalk" and use the toothpick ends as anchor points for a rubber band that you can use to hold it onto a rock or whatever you want it to grow on.

Trick is, the rubber band has to be barely tight or it'll eventually pull the toothpick through the base just like yanking an earring out of an ear. Ouch!

There are lots of other methods though, including just wedging it inbetween or under some rocks.

Definitely worth a few minutes of googling or Utubing to take a look at what's possible.

That's good stuff. Your joke was priceless. Well played.

 

[mcarroll]

Your joke was priceless. Well played.

You get at least 50% credit....couldn't have done it without a perfect setup.

 

[AK47]

So are you saying i should cut it and reattach it somewhere else, and the leftover part will grow also???

 

[dbl]

The idea is to get the broken piece to adhere to a piece of rock. Don't bother trying to glue it.

As @mcarroll was saying, take a few toothpick and stick in the base of the leather. Then take rubber bands wrapped around the rock and toothpicks to secure the leather to its new rock. Not too tight, but tight enough to hold it in place.

After a few weeks, you'll be able to remove rubber bands and toothpicks as the leather should have attached itself to the rock.

If you leave the existing rock with the original base in the tank, and you're patient enough, in all likelyhood you'll end up with a second leather.

And I'm certainly not trying to speak for mcarroll, I'm merely sharing my own experience.

 

[mcarroll]

So are you saying i should cut it and are attach it???

Well, you can try securing it as-is somehow and just wait to see what happens....but I'm not that comfortable with ambiguity. Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.

So I'd most likely cut and reattach. Maybe @dbl would too.

It's not uncommon to do to leathers - even on purpose!

Whether you should is a judgement call only you can make. And as I said, this is only one method. You might do some scouting around to see if another method sounds like a better fit.

FYI, this image from the thread (neither one mine...just reposting) I linked earlier probably shows the attachment method the most clearly.

For a tiny flake of a leather like that, it might not hurt as much for the rubber band to be tight. But if there's any significant degree of flesh that you're trying to hold down, it can't be over-tight at all or the toothpick will eventually pull through.

It has to be just tight enough to make sure there's contact. Honestly, string would probably do a better job since it doesn't pull once it's knotted in place, but rubber bands are easier since no knots are required. It's a slimy job by nature so easy is good.

 

[dbl]

Agreed. If it's not completely broken off the original rock (as I was assuming it was from your picture), then cut it off and proceed as suggested above. Again, that's one option, and the only option I've ever done.

I have intentionally fragged a leather a couple of times, including cutting the stem off just below the "cap". It grows like crazy in my tank and trimming it is the only way to control the size. I usually just end up giving frags away locally.

But as with most everything, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[AK47]

So I'd most likely cut and reattach. Maybe @dbl would too.

It's not uncommon to do to leathers - even on purpose!

Agreed. If it's not completely broken off the original rock (as I was assuming it was from your picture), then cut it off and proceed as suggested above. .

Thanks I went ahead and cut it and attached it somewhere else. I will watch both pieces close I guess.
Any advice on signs to tell if either are dying so i can get them out? I'm still a new to this

 

[dbl]

They may/will look pretty rough for several days but just give them time. They are actually very resilient.