Toadstool Leather Size

[jsdratm]

I just bought a toadstool leather coral from saltwaterfish.com and it is 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Does anyone know how big these things get and how fast they grow? I only have a 75 gallon so the space is a bit limited.

 

[demeyer2]

I can't imagine it will grow more than 10 inches in diameter.

 

[xcreonx]

They can grow feet in diameter, but it takes many many years. There's a photo of a huge leather in Reef Aquarium Vol 2.

 

[1package]

Mine is over a foot in diameter, stalk is over 4" in diameter and it is about 18" tall.

I would suggest staying away from them.

I bought it about 3 years ago, it was only about 3" across.

They slime really, really bad when they are so large. I stuck it in the corner of my 210.

 

[alde]

Mine is about 16 inches tall but only 8 inches or so accross. It started from a little wedge cut off a huge one. I just stuck the wedge in a hole and it turned into a monster. It has new ones budding at the base too. I have thought about getting rid of it because I have SPS but it has caused no trouble in the 4 years I have had it.

BTW, it has grown to just a couple of inches under the water surface with 400 watt MH lights. I think the top has stayed smaller and it has just grown tall because of the lights. Under lower light they will grow larger in diameter to gather more light.

 

[1package]

Toad stool

Toad stool

Here it is a couple of years ago in my 125g, next to a stalk of xenia, under VHOs
.

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Here it is a few months ago in my 210g under 250w MHs. I crunched it in the corner, when out in the open it expands and blocks the sun.

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You can see that even crunched it could still hold more than a couple of my PBT and PT swimming below.

It really needs to go.

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[jsdratm]

How do you trim these things down if they get too big? Just cut off part of the top?