Sick finger leather.. Help.

[rkelman]

I got this leather about 1 1/2 years ago. It was a frag and has since grown quite nicely as you can see the pic from a couple months ago. Now it looks like the second pic and really nothing has changed as far as the tank goes. A piece seems to have rotted and fell off see the circle in the second pic. The zoas are encroaching a bit it... Params are as follows. I don't know KH to be honest I have a new test kit on the way. Any idea's / suggestions are welcome.

Temp 81
PH 8.2
Calcium 450
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20

Nitrates are a bit high but not too bad.


2 Months ago

Tonight

 

[rkelman]

anyone?

 

[TitansFan]

How long has it been like that? What is going on in the circle?
I know my softies go through "phases".
The nitrates are abit high but no big deal especially for softies.
Have you changed the flow pattern in your tank at all?

 

[reefD]

leathers do this! but also they die in nitrate tanks while in this phase. do water changes nitrates must be zero'ed!!!!!!

 

[cd77]

My finger leather just started this on Monday -- polyps completely retracted for about 60 hours while it forms and expels its mucus. I've never experienced pieces falling off though.

Here is an article I have bookmarked regarding leathers. Other things it mentions include lighting, flow, and proximity to other corals.

 

[rkelman]

This has been going on for 3 weeks. I circled the spot that has basically rotted and the piece fell off. The polyps are retracted and have been almost entirely for 3 weeks. Its not expelling mucus as I have seen it do before. I agree the nitrates need to be dealt with but I really don't think they are high enough to do this. Thanks for the link. No one seems to be worried about the Zoas touching it? If anything I guess it may be getting less flow. I had noticed a few weeks ago it was getting blown on hard by my return. So I moved it. It hasn't always gotten alot of flow so I don't think that's it. It may be a contributing factor. Maybe I'll try and up the flow a bit? I know it needs enough to get rid of the mucus or it will die.

 

[Tpareefer]

I have had a finger leather do that before and sorry to say it did not make it. Leathers do do wierd things and do shed their mucus layers but its the 3 weeks that concerns me. reefD is right, continue to do regular water changes and IMO carefully cut back those zoo's. I would also make sure the leather is getting plenty of flow and if possible, have the current flowing from leather to zoos and not zoos to leather.

I was never able to offically 'prove' it but when my finger leather died and started to drop chunks and melt, I also had zoo's touching / close to the leather. Coral and chemical warfare is happening all the time in our tanks and I have found through the years of trial and error that the softies have some of the most powerful toxins / chemicals.

Worth a try IMO, whats a few water changes a week and a few zoos.

Please let us know how it goes and good luck...she a nice piece!

 

[Gdevine]

I've had my finger leather for close to a year and it's grown 3x in size during that time period and it never looked like that...ever. But that's not to say it may not happen in the future.

If all water param's are in line and nothing else has changed like new lighting, filtering systems, introduction of chems, fish or inverts that are bothering it...then my guess is that there is warfare going on with the Zoes and the leather is reacting and possibly losing the war.