Purple Finger Leather

[Hillcd1]

Hello all, first post to this site. I've got a sarcophyton-type finger leather that can best be described as either "melting" or "drooping". It's a long time resident of the aquarium and nothing has notable has changed since this condition became apparent 2 weeks ago. Nitrates (<10 PPM and phosphates (0) are low and no new corals have been added that would be harassing it. Everything else in the tank is doing well. Originally I thought it may be splitting, but it looks so droopy that I now wonder if that is the case. Additionally, while it does perk up somewhat when the lights kick on, it appears to be shrinking in overall size.

Any thoughts? Is it splitting via fission or dying? Should I try to frag it and see if the frags will develop? Should I just get it out of the tank to prevent any release of toxins? I would attach some pictures of it but the system won't allow me to do so at the the moment. Any help is appreciated.

 

[cloak]

If the coral is just drooping & not melting, increasing the flow around the coral will usually help them to perk up. Also, these corals will shed a waxy layer from time to time. They'll usually shrink up for a few days and then bounce back to normal. It's just part of the growth process and nothing to be too concerned about. HTH.

 

[rhdc2itr]

maybe its molting

 

[sleeri]

Have you been dosing anything new?

 

[EllieSuz]

These corals do not "split", but mine does droop just before a growth spurt. I've recently had it slough off a sizeable piece that has now attached on a distant rock. Yours could just be preparing to grow.