leather coral question

[slb11106]

i just got a small leather, it has been a couple of days, the fist day it opened up but since then it looks like it is shrinking. do they need a large amount of light?
i have it on the bottom.
it does not look like it is shrinking...

ay advice will help

 

[TippyToeX]

It might be a few things. It could be shedding off it's mucus coat, they do that from time to time. It could also not be getting enough water flow to make it happy. What kind would you say it is getting right now?

 

[vessxpress1]

For mine, they don't seem to care where they're placed, high or low and I just have dual 96 w PCs. They do need at least a little flow. I have quite a few different ones and they all act differently. Some close/shrink then open daily. One I just got recently got covered in algae. It just looked like it turned green. The polyps didn't come out for almost 2 weeks. Then I moved it out in the light a little more where it could also get a little more flow and now it's orange and opened up, polyps out, just like when I bought it again.

Try different things. They're pretty tough and it looks like you have some pretty nice equipment running for it to be much of a water problem.

If you dose Iodine/Iodide, be sure you aren't using too much. If it gets too high, they're kind of sensitive and the polyps won't come out then either until it goes down again.

They all shed a layer of algae from time to time which looks like a layer of skin coming off them and they will shrink and sometimes turn pale white at that time.

 

[buzzer]

Dont be too quick to move the toadstool as this is one thing that annoys them and can eventually kill them.
Leave it alone for a few weeks and see how it does as they can take a while to acclimate.

 

[christensonjes]

I have one that was doing the same thing. I moved it to an area with more flow and now it looks great.

 

[fishman805]

Your leather will need to be in an area that does have a fair amount of flow around it.... For no other reason than to help it shed the mucus that comes off it from time to time.... My finger leather will close up for a day or two then comes back out stronger and a little bigger each time... I'm using 2 x 65 watt pc's in my 37gal and I've placed mine mid-level in the tank and it's been doing great.... Be patient, apply a little more flow around it and also feed it from time to time.... I squirt cyclopeze on my corals about once a week or so..... Here's a shot of my tank... the leather is in the middle.....

Good luck

Bob

 

[vessxpress1]

fishman: How does your bi-color like the tank? Are you keeping him in there temporarily or leaving him in there? I love the bi-colors. I'd like to get one for my 38 but I thought my tank was a little small for one.

 

[fishman805]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6984199#post6984199 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vessxpress1
fishman: How does your bi-color like the tank? Are you keeping him in there temporarily or leaving him in there? I love the bi-colors. I'd like to get one for my 38 but I thought my tank was a little small for one.

You know..... It really depends on where you go to see what Dwarf Angels require to thrive and survive.... Fosters & Smith say min tank size is 30gal while Marinedepot and others say a larger tank is required.... All I can tell you is that mine is only sharing the tank with a Six-Line Wrasse and is doing very well... He eats Spectrum pellets and has fed off the very limited quantity of micro algae that's in the tank .... I put nori in the tank today to give him the "greens" that they say they need and I plan on feeding a frozen food that contains sponge ( which I think that all angels need ).... So far, after several months in the tank, he's doing very well..... I've got plenty of LR in the tank for him to feel comfortable and I've not noticed any decline in health what-so-ever....

But "that's just my experience".....

Bob