Neon Green Toadstool a bit lazy?

B

bobpiker

New member
I've a neon green toadstool that has been in my aquarium for 3 weeks now. Everyday, its cap extends fully and it's even sloughed off its skin once about a week ago. However, during the day its polyps won't extend and the cap looks like a pin cushion as if they want to come out but are hesitant for some reason. I have a more common pinkish toadstool which opens fully everyday that has also recently shed its skin but for some reason the neon just won't open.

Water parameters: Ammonia 0, nitrites .25, nitrates 0, ph 7.8, sg 32, salinity 1.025, calcium 480, phos 1, temp 79

I do a 10% water change weekly on my 55. I have both of my toadstool towards the top but started with the neon at the bottom for the first 2 weeks having the same results. Flow is moderate and not direct and you can see the polyps on my pink toadstool moving slowly in the current. Also, I have a 6x54 t5 lighting up the tank about 10 hours a day.

Is there anything I can do to help my neon along?

Thanks, Bob
 
First, I'd think the leather would do better lower in the tank. That amout of light is a bit much.

Second, do you run carbon? Leathers can release toxins that affect other corals. The other toadstool may have release some when the green "sloughed."

Third, then just let it be. It can take time for it to get used to your tank.
 
Thanks, Jesse.

Thanks, Jesse.

Good morning, Jesse.

Yes, I do run carbon from a LF 150 reactor. I'll try lowering my neon a bit per your suggestion and see if that helps. My pink toadstool is actually a few inches lower than my neon and it opens up well.

I imagined that a toadstool wouldn't affect another toadstool with chemical warfare but different varieties could affect one another?

Thanks,
Bob
 
recent photo

recent photo

Here's a recent photo of my neon green toadstool. It represents the extent to which its polyps open. It has shed a couple of times in the past month but never opens any further than this. My other more common toadstool is still opening up fully everyday except for when it sheds so the difference between the 2 is still night and day.

If there were one most likely parameter which could be affecting my neon what do you suppose it would be?

Regards,
Bob
 

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may I ask why you have nitrites in the tank? a cycled tank should never have those. even thought they are harmless in SW it leeds me to beleive you had a mini cycle of some sort.
 
Check your phosphate levels. I've found toadstools surprisingly intolerant of high phosphate levels.
 
Maybe a new test kit?

Maybe a new test kit?

I've used the ATI test kits since starting my aquarium but I'm thinking I need to spend a bit more and get something more reliable. The ATI kit may be ok but others I've read about seem to have more reliability. Usually, my nitrates are at 0 but if I've overfed a bit I think that's when the # has gone up a bit. I'm also using an ATI phosphate test kit and actually got a 2 a couple of times when it is usually at 1 so I think maybe my phosphates are a bit high and may actually be affecting my neon toadstool. My pink toadstool is unaffected, though, so I'll have to see the reaction when I try a phosphate sponge and if my neon opens up fully then. If the sponge does the trick, I'll have to work on lowering phosphates and get that new test kit.

Best regards,
Bob
 
I have found flow to be a major factor in leather coral extension. The less direct the flow the better the extension in my experience. If one of mine stays closed for longer than a week I move it or adjust the power heads. Most of the time it will come back out within a couple of days.
 
vwtanker said:
I have found flow to be a major factor in leather coral extension. The less direct the flow the better the extension in my experience. If one of mine stays closed for longer than a week I move it or adjust the power heads. Most of the time it will come back out within a couple of days.
Click to expand...

+1.

misled said:
First, I'd think the leather would do better lower in the tank. That amout of light is a bit much.
Click to expand...

No, it's really not. I've grown leathers directly beneath a 400w halide bulb and they've loved it. I've also seen them do just fine under a 1000w halide bulb. Might need a period of adjustment if it was kept under much lower light intensity for any length of time, but that's it.

misled said:
Second, do you run carbon? Leathers can release toxins that affect other corals. The other toadstool may have release some when the green "sloughed."
Click to expand...

Terpenoids are fairly nasty chemicals, but I've never seen a leather disturbed by them, no matter how many different families of leather were in a tank. They're also removed by skimming as well as carbon, so I'd doubt very much that they're a factor here.
 
I'll move 'em to reduce flow a bit

I'll move 'em to reduce flow a bit

Thanks for the advice on flow. I'll give it a shot and hope for the best. It gets all pin-cushiony eveyday but its polyps haven't extended even though its cap is large every day. It gets smaller at night and then comes right back in the a.m. Hopefully, flow will do the trick by lessoning it.

Regards,
Bob
 
Yep, it's a bit low

Yep, it's a bit low

I've been reading on raising my ph a bit and will hopefully have it under control soon. If it got lower than that I would be very worried but everything has looked so good with the exception of my neon green toadstool that I haven't been worrying too much. What's the best way to raise my ph without a controller? That will come later.

Thanks,
Bob
 
It's the phosphates really, nothing else. Bring it down to 0.1ppm and below and you will see your leather opening back up. Tested & proven. I experienced what you did with my Jap leather and my walt smith leather. All I had to do was to bring down phosphates. Did'nt even bother with the other parameters much.
 
For one dont lower it!
Leathers can take tons of light.

Second direct your powerheads to where the head Is flowing over the cap, not directly at it.

Don't be down on your toadstool when it doesn't open, if you were a toadstool you'd probably be ****ed too especially Every time some new reefer saw you and said, "hey that's a crazy looking carpet anemone!"
 
Not lowered yet

Not lowered yet

Thanks, Kentucky.

I haven't lowered it yet and I believe I'll have my phosphates practically gone shortly. I'm trying some phosphate sponges just to see if that's the trick, too.

Regards,
Bob
 
If you PH is that low you should really be adding Kalk, I use mrs wages pickling lime in a slurry. It is $4 for a bag and literally takes 2 minutes a week
 
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