What is happening to my toadstool?

[FloridaReefer2023]

I’ve had this toadstool for 10 days and I just noticed some whitening and chunks missing on the edges.. any ideas as to what is going on?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Looks like its getting eaten, or its disintegrating. Need more details..... tank info, mates, parameters, lighting, flow, etc...

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

Looks like its getting eaten, or its disintegrating. Need more details..... tank info, mates, parameters, lighting, flow, etc...

Fish: six line wrasse, cardinal, chromis, clowns, hawk fish.
Invertebrates: snails, hermits, emerald crab, asterina starfish(lots of them)
Water parameters: calcium 450, alk 8, nitrate 5, phosphate 0, magnesium 1290, salinity 1.026
Led lighting on low intensity - I run a softie tank and all other soft coral is doing well.
Flow: Moderate
It’s important to note that when the lights go off the toadstool tends to slump and rub on rocks.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

It will slump when lights go off, thats normal.

But if the flow is fine, I would suspect it getting eaten, they even look like bite marks..... the hawkfish would be my first suspect.

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

It may be the emerald crab. The females mainly pick at LPS and soft corals. Turn off the lights and watch and see the ermald crab and hawk fish.

 

[Spare time]

Fish: six line wrasse, cardinal, chromis, clowns, hawk fish.
Invertebrates: snails, hermits, emerald crab, asterina starfish(lots of them)
Water parameters: calcium 450, alk 8, nitrate 5, phosphate 0, magnesium 1290, salinity 1.026
Led lighting on low intensity - I run a softie tank and all other soft coral is doing well.
Flow: Moderate
It’s important to note that when the lights go off the toadstool tends to slump and rub on rocks.

What test kit? 0 phosphate is an issue of its actually 0

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

What test kit? 0 phosphate is an issue of its actually 0

What test kit? 0 phosphate is an issue of its actually

What test kit? 0 phosphate is an issue of its actually 0

Salifert, but honestly it’s hard to read

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

It may be the emerald crab. The females mainly pick at LPS and soft corals. Turn off the lights and watch and see the ermald crab and hawk fish.

I’ll keep an eye on it tonight!

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

how many emerald crabs do you have?

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

Hawk fish are reef-safe with caution.

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

how many emerald crabs do you have?

Just one

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

I found the culprit.. it’s the emerald crab. I caught it ripping apart another soft coral last night when the lights went out. Any tips on getting this guy outta of the tank without ripping up the rock work?

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

It is mostly likely a female. Find his cave and try to catch him. if that does not work, put algae and frozen shrimp in a plastic water bottle, wait for him to go in, and then remove the bottle. And if that does not work go late at night with a bright flashlight and stun him and them manually catch him.

 

[FloridaReefer2023]

It is mostly likely a female. Find his cave and try to catch him. if that does not work, put algae and frozen shrimp in a plastic water bottle, wait for him to go in, and then remove the bottle. And if that does not work go late at night with a bright flashlight and stun him and them manually catch him.

Awesome! Thanks for the tip

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

That's what I had to do when he ate my hammer somehow. Then he started to go after my soft corals and fire shrimp