**I know this post is long, but i wanted to provide all relevant information so troubleshooting would be more efficient and resolutions more easily given. So please, please do not be turned off from helping because it is to long to read. I really need some advice, I cannot find anything like this. Thank you!***
Ok, I have what I believe to be a Finger Leather Coral (at least that was what it was labeled at the LFS). I have attempted to look up different varieties of Leathers to see which one looks the most like mine. Finger Leathers looks like it's the right one but I'm not 100% and I feel like I should be.....
Anyway maybe ya'll can help with that in the process of helping me figure out what the hell is happening to my Leather!!! I got it about 4 months ago from the best LFS in my area, or so people say....It was $50 and its fairly large. Like 5 to 6 inches in diameter when fully expanded and about the same in height. I bought it because of its gorgeous blue/teal/turquoise coloring. they had it under LED's 20,000k and lots of actinic. So the light in the frag tank was fairly blue at the time and the Leather was just brilliantly colored a tie-dye of blues and greens I have never seen before.
Sorry for the tangent, I'm trying to give as much information on its coloring for identification reasons and for the following:
When I got it home and acclimated (under my 2X 12,000k and 2X 460 Actinic T5 HO's) in my 20 gallon nano reef with all 800GPH of circulation everything was fine. However the next day I noticed that the leather had turned brown and its polyps were out. from then on it has spent 80% of its time in my tank as brown. It occasionally turns back to its blue/green persuasion and sometimes just part of it will turn back while the rest will stay brown. Also when it is touching something, like when one of its fingers are touching the glass, the part that is touching turns blue/green, while the rest remains brown. I Thought maybe ya'll could help shed some light on this "phenomenon". I bought this damn thing because of it's beautiful coloring and I am not really down with the brown.
Ok, so on to the real problem, thank you for staying with me this long.....
The leather has been doing great beside the brown. It has grown considerably and its polyps are out all the time. However I started to notice these white craters on the leather. it started out as just a couple all centralized in one area and began to spread all over. All of these craters are located at the base of the fingers. Like were the fingers meet the bottom of the leather.
There are two things that may or may not be pertinent to the issue. Firstly, I have a Green Clown Goby that has taken up residency inside the leather. I put the Goby in the tank about 1.5 months ago and he immediately went straight to the leather and he really only leave when he's hungry and at feeding time. He just sits in there, swimming between the fingers, perching in between. He's a small fish and quite gentle looking but I'm afraid he may be chewing on my leather, not sure if they do that....
Secondly, I have a Starry Blenny who like to gobble up sand and then release it out of some opening at his belly. He does this frequently and sometimes it is right over the Leather. So almost every other day there are small pinches of sand laying inside the leather coral right at the bases where the white craters are. So obviously I'm thinking it may be the sand somehow. it took me a little while to notice this was happening (the sand thing) and I began blowing the sand out around every other day or whenever I see sand.
The white craters are just what they sound like. they are not just white spots on the surface. it is an actual hole in the coral or indentation. but it really looks like something is eating away at it or something. I have attached pictures to show you what I mean.
Thank you again for reading and looking, any input is appreciated!!!!
Ok, I have what I believe to be a Finger Leather Coral (at least that was what it was labeled at the LFS). I have attempted to look up different varieties of Leathers to see which one looks the most like mine. Finger Leathers looks like it's the right one but I'm not 100% and I feel like I should be.....
Anyway maybe ya'll can help with that in the process of helping me figure out what the hell is happening to my Leather!!! I got it about 4 months ago from the best LFS in my area, or so people say....It was $50 and its fairly large. Like 5 to 6 inches in diameter when fully expanded and about the same in height. I bought it because of its gorgeous blue/teal/turquoise coloring. they had it under LED's 20,000k and lots of actinic. So the light in the frag tank was fairly blue at the time and the Leather was just brilliantly colored a tie-dye of blues and greens I have never seen before.
Sorry for the tangent, I'm trying to give as much information on its coloring for identification reasons and for the following:
When I got it home and acclimated (under my 2X 12,000k and 2X 460 Actinic T5 HO's) in my 20 gallon nano reef with all 800GPH of circulation everything was fine. However the next day I noticed that the leather had turned brown and its polyps were out. from then on it has spent 80% of its time in my tank as brown. It occasionally turns back to its blue/green persuasion and sometimes just part of it will turn back while the rest will stay brown. Also when it is touching something, like when one of its fingers are touching the glass, the part that is touching turns blue/green, while the rest remains brown. I Thought maybe ya'll could help shed some light on this "phenomenon". I bought this damn thing because of it's beautiful coloring and I am not really down with the brown.
Ok, so on to the real problem, thank you for staying with me this long.....
The leather has been doing great beside the brown. It has grown considerably and its polyps are out all the time. However I started to notice these white craters on the leather. it started out as just a couple all centralized in one area and began to spread all over. All of these craters are located at the base of the fingers. Like were the fingers meet the bottom of the leather.
There are two things that may or may not be pertinent to the issue. Firstly, I have a Green Clown Goby that has taken up residency inside the leather. I put the Goby in the tank about 1.5 months ago and he immediately went straight to the leather and he really only leave when he's hungry and at feeding time. He just sits in there, swimming between the fingers, perching in between. He's a small fish and quite gentle looking but I'm afraid he may be chewing on my leather, not sure if they do that....
Secondly, I have a Starry Blenny who like to gobble up sand and then release it out of some opening at his belly. He does this frequently and sometimes it is right over the Leather. So almost every other day there are small pinches of sand laying inside the leather coral right at the bases where the white craters are. So obviously I'm thinking it may be the sand somehow. it took me a little while to notice this was happening (the sand thing) and I began blowing the sand out around every other day or whenever I see sand.
The white craters are just what they sound like. they are not just white spots on the surface. it is an actual hole in the coral or indentation. but it really looks like something is eating away at it or something. I have attached pictures to show you what I mean.
Thank you again for reading and looking, any input is appreciated!!!!
