Soft leather toadstool help

[Dans tank]

Hi fellow hobbyists, can anyone help with my leather toadstool. It always looks like this with polyps hardly out. When I bought 6 months ago it was completely out full polyp extension etc. Done it’s monthly retract and shed a few times then one time retracted, shed then never came bk out and has been the same for about 3 months. Nothing has changed and been pretty stable. I have checked PIR and varied flow to see if that helps. Anyone else with any ideas? Tank parameters 1.025, 25 temp, 0.001 nh3, 0.015 phos, 8.22ph, calcium 360ppm, magnesium 1300, kh 9, nitrate less than 5

 

[DanConnor]

Well, something is bothering it. Do you have other corals that look good?

 

[Dans tank]

No just starting out with corals so only have this and gsp which is on opposite side of the tank. Have a magnificent anemone which is fine so pretty sure not water parameters

 

[jeffchapok]

If anything, I'd say your nutrients are too low. Softies in general like dirty water. If the only other thing in your tank is GSP, it wouldn't mind it either.

My PO4 runs .5 and NO3 40-50 consistently, and this is my toadstool today. It has quadrupled in size over the past year. Its growth really took off once I moved it off the bottom to more light and flow.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Toadstools require sufficient water flow (not strong but not weak either), Moderate lighting and temp range of 77-79 deg and salinity range of 1.024-1.026
Try gently blowing several burst with a turkey baster around the top and it should perk up. They form a film on their heads when there is inadequate flow/current.
Also add strontium and iodine to water occasionally.

 

[Dans tank]

Great thank you for the info. There isn’t a waxy coating, polyps aren’t completely retracted just not extended. I think that it’s possibly my low nutrient system. I usually run at less than 5 nitrates and barely detectable phos. How do I keep a low nutrient system and get the nutrients for the toadstool or is it a one or the other scenario
Thanks