Leather question

[DragonZim]

I picked up a Devil's Hand leather over the weekend and I am having trouble with it seeming to deflate on me. The coral is about 4 inches across and it attached to a small piece of live rock. I've tried wedging the rock into my rockwork and sinking it into my sandbed in an effort to find a good place in the tank for it. Wherever I place it the coral seems to just sag over and go limp. My tank is a 75 with 6x54 watts T5.

Salinity - 1.025
Amm - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 0
Temp - 79

Any suggestions?

 

[sir_dudeguy]

what type of flow do you have? my leathers love flow. And my devils hand will shrivle up about once a week and shed its skin. When it sheds it looks bigger, and immediately after shedding the polyps are really nice dark yellow/gold.

I think just by the sounds of it you may have not enough flow.

 

[DragonZim]

Its got moderate flow where it is now. I can move it up higher to get it some more flow though

 

[kjord97]

just give it a few days, may need to just get use to your lights and tank. These guys are very hardy, and will look limp or dead when they are shedding the skin. You should see like a slim muccus on them. Ever since I saw Anothy Calfo take a leather and cut it to pieces, has made me think that leathers are a can not be killed. Also if you have more than 1 leather in tank, science has shown that when 1 leather is botherd, they emit a chemical in the water that will make the other leathers close up. Sort of like a message to each other.

 

[DragonZim]

This is the only leather that I have on the tank. I've got some xenia and a kenya tree as my only other softies. The leather is shedding its mucous coating, I take it this is a good sign?

 

[kjord97]

yes the leather shedding is a good sign, Usally i take a power head or a use my hand to make a stronger current to help it shed. Your leather should be fine.

 

[cl2ysta1]

just leave it where it is. leathers are very finicky. It took a large toadstool we got TWO MONTHS before it finally was happy