What in the world is up with my leather?

[Broadfield]

IMG_5083 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

This is in reference to my large green toadstool leather above. So I thought I knew quite a bit about leather corals... but I have never seen this before. I have seen leathers reproduce, where a small hole opens up in the crown and a little guy drops off. But this is an actual tunnel straight down through the stalk. It actually goes all of the way through and I can see the rock that the leather is attached to. It's a really clean "cut". It did have loose flesh over time that I kept blowing out of the hole. Over a matter of a month, it kept getting deeper and deeper until I could see the rock. The tunnel is about 3" deep and 1.5" diameter. I have had it for about 3-4 years and it's around 10" diameter. The polyps do still open up, but not as nice as they use to. The crown doesn't lay out quite as nice as it use to either. It also sheds often now... once every 1-2 weeks. I took these images with the lights off in the morning... easier to see what's going on.

IMG_8404 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

IMG_8406 by Toby Broadfield, on Flickr

 

[Devaji]

wow beautiful tank! I have never seen that either I wounder if its trying to split some how ?

 

[Jisko]

what an the world is going on with that thing... its like a black hole 0_0

 

[Broadfield]

I'll call in some of my good friends! #reefsquad

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Its a leather. Did you look at it wrong?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Sorry, had to.
My thought would be did flow change? And its reacting/Growing into that shape in response?
The other thought would be minor irritation causing the split. Storms clean corals in the wild,(I use a turkey baster), so is it a build up we cant see on its skin?