Toadstool Leather not doing too well...

NickNiz · Jun 2, 2017

I've got a toadstool that isn't doing very well in a 12-gallon nano cube. It has been in the tank for 6 months now and used to do very well. About a month ago, I was away for 6 weeks and the person looking after the tank left the primary pump off for the entire time, resulting in several dead zones. A lot of the corals have come back since I got home, but the toadstool is being troublesome.

I feed reef roids 2x per week, and it extends a few polyps (about 1/10) to accept food when I do. All other times polyps are mostly receded... The coral seems to have lost strength in the stem as well. No matter where I place it, or prop it up on a rock, it flops back over onto the sand...

Water changes consist of 2.5 gallons using Red Sea Coral Pro every week.

Current water params using API Reef Master (I know I need a better kit):
Nitrate: less than 10ppm
Calcium: ~500 dkh
Phosphate: 0.25ppm
Salinity: 1.027

After being in tank for 3 months:

Currently:

revhtree · Jun 2, 2017

Toadstools are notorious for closing up and staying that way for weeks!! If your other corals are doing good then chances are very good that the toadstool will be fine. Looks like it might be trying to shed? How's the flow on it?

Tahoe61 · Jun 3, 2017

If it continues to be trouble some I would try to bring down the SG to 1.025, and double check your SG with another test.
Increase directional flow usually helps when they droop.
Sarcophyton typically takes awhile to show improvement.

A Toadstool Leather · Jun 5, 2017

Phosphate is a bit high but I doubt that is the issue. What do you use to measure sg? It is important to use a well calibrate refractrometer imo.

NickNiz · Jun 5, 2017

Thanks for the info guys! I use a hydrometer to measure salinity... I know its not as accurate, but its a lot cheaper and pretty good if you take the proper steps to clean it out. I occasionally bring a sample to the LFS and it normally tests to 1.025-1.027 using their refractometer.

As for the shedding, it was releasing a ton of slime when I got home and turned the pump on about a month ago. Then I moved the tank and my corals had to go through a 6-hour car ride (about 2 weeks ago)... made sure to bag the leathers individually with plenty of air. Is there anything I can do to induce sliming/shedding if that's what it needs to do?

And @revhtree , the flow throughout the tank is decent with the koralia nano pump and the stock filter pump. I'd describe the flow where the toadstool currently is as medium... I've tried moving it up to higher spots but the coral just flops over or falls off into the sand.