Nursing back a sick toadstool...

[dpmatty]

So I've taken over a tank that was on a bad downward slide. The toadstool, once quite large and robust had gotten very small and developed a hole in the center of its cap, white crack lines extending from the center of the cap outward, and some discoloration at the fringes of the cap. I have gotten the water and the water chemistry right and it seems to be doing better, the hole in the cap has closed and the white is slowly being replaced by the normal color. There is still a slight blue discoloration to a couple of spots on the cap near the end, but that seems to be doing better as well.

It has started standing upright and the cap is full again, at least most of the time. The polyps have begun extending, but not fully, they're like nubs.

There is some hair algae growing around the base (about one inch of it) and I've been doing my best to lightly brush it off and siphon off any detris (sp?).

Is there anything else I can do for it?

My colt coral also shrank to about half it's size, but it is now fully extended and looks to be doing well. I also have a large cup coral (pagoda) that was in real bad shape when I got it but I gave that an iodine dip several weeks back and now it's thriving. I just don't know what else to do for the toadstool?

Here it is, you can see the hair algae growth and the polyp extension. Sorry for the bad pic. Still learning how to shoot the tank.

 

[AndrewG]

Looks like you are on the right track. It's hard but patience is sometimes the best medicine. It's getting better so just keep on doing what you're doing, the polyps will eventually start coming out.

Toadstools do like iodide so make sure your water has that. I'm probably not the right person to ask how much, I'm more of a 'sight' dosing kind of guy.
Cheers

 

[arcprolife]

Good Luck with nursing back your toadstool. I had a beautiful long tentacle toadstool that didnt make it after it got a hole. I hope it works out for you.

 

[DThompson]

Many years ago (early 90's) my LFS had a toad stool with similar problems. They gave it to me assuming it was going to die. I took it home, cut the base off and gave it a nice freshwater iodine bath. I found a worm, I just could not tell if it had come from the stalk or not.

I then wedged the toadie in between two rocks and waited. After about ten years of being in my tank and having grown very nicely, it was given away to someone else.

Since then I have had one other one that looked like this. I repeated the above and it lived as well.

Good luck with it.

Dan

 

[dpmatty]

Thanks Dan. I'm hoping to avoid surgery (I've never cut a coral before). But the cap is looking better, ie less white marks. I've also gotten almost all the hair algae off the stalk and it seems to appreciate it.

How long did yours take to fully recover?

Matt

 

[DThompson]

Thanks Dan. I'm hoping to avoid surgery (I've never cut a coral before). But the cap is looking better, ie less white marks. I've also gotten almost all the hair algae off the stalk and it seems to appreciate it.

How long did yours take to fully recover?

Matt

I don't remember now but not longer than several days I'm sure. They are really hardy. Do not be afraid to cut it if it means saving it. I remember that feeling the first time. It's not that difficult.

Good luck.

 

[L98-Z]

All my leathers are nearly impossible to kill. Cut a healthy part off and place it elsewhere, it'll grow huge. Cut the base off, the base will turn into another one. I have cabbage leathers growing everywhere, and not by choice.

 

[lancer99]

Toadstools do like iodide so make sure your water has that. I'm probably not the right person to ask how much, I'm more of a 'sight' dosing kind of guy.
Cheers

Urban reefkeeping myth....iodine/iodide are not needed by toadstools.

-R