Leather questions

Susan Edwards · Feb 20, 2018

My first tank I made the mistake of having a couple of colts. They dropped branches all over the place. I've removed them, couldn't bear to kill all of them so they went into a temp. tank and will soon go to live in the coral qt tank. I'm constantly removing ones that rooted into my tank! I could have opened a business just selling those! Except who'd want them.... Except I do like them just not a zillion of them!

So my question is: I've got a new tank set up and want to add some leathers--love them. The finger leathers (sinularia) have the same branching structure as colts. Do they drop branches to propagate?

I'm looking at toadstools, weeping willow, yellow toadstool, and finger leathers. maybe rasta, cabbage leather and the green palua neptha.

What other corals can go beneath a leather and not sting or be stung or cause a chemical war. Zoas? Planning out my tank as much as I can instead of impulse buying as much as I can

Tank is 125 gal, 6 x18 x 22

Susan Edwards · Feb 20, 2018

oh, can I put a toadstool on a rock with a lower growing leather like the cabbage beneath?

reef lover · Feb 20, 2018

They all have the ability to split/ reproduce...but don't do so at a fast pace...I would stay away from nepthea...will drop profusely... And u can put ZOA's, mushies and other low light corals around them. As long as u actively run gac u shouldn't have any troubles with chemical warfare.

Opus · Feb 20, 2018

I've never known the Palua Nephtea to drop branches.

Susan Edwards · Feb 20, 2018

The colts sure drop them and at an alarming rate! Which is too bad as it was/is one of my favorites softies.

reef lover · Feb 20, 2018

OK my bad after some further research seems the palua nepthea is actually in the sinularia family and not the nepthea/ Kenya tree I was thinking of....looks like it'd make a great speciman.

reef lover · Feb 20, 2018

Double post....

Opus · Feb 20, 2018

Susan Edwards said:
The colts sure drop them and at an alarming rate! Which is too bad as it was/is one of my favorites softies.

Do you have a pic? I had a colt for around 5 years and it never dropped any branches. Sure it wasn't a Kenya tree, they drop like crazy and can be mislabeled as a Colt.

Susan Edwards · Feb 20, 2018

Here are my original 2. Ended up with a 3rd. And a zillion more. Even tried to save and root them as they fell until I realized that was all I'd have in my tank <g> I really do like them. Just not in my displays anymore and do not want to get any others that do what this one did.

Opus · Feb 20, 2018

That is Kenya tree (Capnella sp).

Susan Edwards · Feb 20, 2018

@Opus thanks. So I'll be good to go with fingers then.

reef lover · Feb 21, 2018

Agreed that is capnella, avoid that as well as nepthea as you've seen they're prolific....lol. And yes sinularia/ finger leathers are good.

Saltdaddy · Feb 21, 2018

You may want to double think about cabbage coral. I had it in my last tank and it was growing almost as fast as the Kenya tree. I do like it though .

Susan Edwards · Feb 22, 2018

Good feedback, @Saltdaddy Is it easy enough to trim back, like if it is on a rock with a taller leather--one low, one high

Rachael0059 · Feb 25, 2018

Susan Edwards said:
The colts sure drop them and at an alarming rate! Which is too bad as it was/is one of my favorites softies.

My colt has never dropped and I have several. One is at least 14". Are you sure its not a kenya or something?

Rachael0059 · Feb 25, 2018

Susan Edwards said:
Here are my original 2. Ended up with a 3rd. And a zillion more. Even tried to save and root them as they fell until I realized that was all I'd have in my tank <g> I really do like them. Just not in my displays anymore and do not want to get any others that do what this one did.

Nevermind. Just saw this. Definitely a kenya. Colts dont drop like that.