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melev

The Toadstool Leather is dying

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I hate to share bad news, but...

The Toadstool Leather that was moved out of my reef is in terrible shape. It was moved into a trashcan with live rock on July 4th. I knew it would slime heavily, and it did. I changed the water twice that week, doing 50% water changes in the barrel.

While I was out of town over the weekend, my tank sitter texted me that the house smelled terrible and that it was certainly the leather. As soon as I got home, I drained out 50% of the water again and replaced it with new saltwater.

I tested Nitrite and Ammonia. Nitrite was fine. Ammonia was terrible. I added Prime to the water to help lock up the ammonia.




I did another water change that night, but it didn't help. The coral continues to shed or melt off tissue. Overnight, I collected another 55g of RO/DI water and mixed it up with salt. When we put the coral in the barrel, it filled it completely. I pulled it out today, and it fit into a 5g bucket and smelled horribly. I pulled the trashcan outside, and pulled out all of the live rock. All the clean pieces were set aside, and any that were slimed were blasted with the garden hose. The trashcan was rinsed out repeatedly, the rock put back in, and new saltwater added.

I added saltwater to the bucket with the leather in it, and added some ReVive. Wearing surgical gloves, I dunked the coral a few times and wiped away what I could. The coral was then put in the trashcan with the live rock and plugged in the two Tunze pumps. It looked a little better, and when I tested for ammonia, it read .5ppm instead of 8ppm. I added more prime. The smell has gotten worse again, and I do have more saltwater for another water change tomorrow.

I'm not really sure what else I can do, nor what I could have done differently. My original plan was for it to settle down, and then I'd plumb it back into the system with all the other livestock. I'm glad I didn't or I would have surely lost everything at this stage of the game. The body of the coral still has some firmness to it - it hasn't turned into a lump of jelly.

Without trying to be too bleak, I can't help but think how the new tank will do without the leather. The toxicity of that coral had to have a serious impact on the other corals. I'd absolutely miss it, but it might be nice to get a different one with green polyps if this one doesn't make it.

If I had any idea that this was going to happen, I would have contacted the Dallas World Aquarium the day after I broke down the tank to see if they would like to accept it.

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Comments

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  1. Snakebyt's Avatar
    I am sad to hear about that coral, it will be sad to see it go if it does not make it. Hope it pulls thru for you, but it will never be the same
  2. UkSweeney's Avatar
    It is like a death in the family!! So, loved by all.
  3. DTM14's Avatar
    Remember I lost the base of mine when changing tanks. All that was left was the top and it grew fully back. These are tought, it will come back...

    Dan
  4. Hat39406's Avatar
    I'm sorry to hear that Marc! If it would help it Marc you would be welcome to put it in my tank. Maybe it needs a real tank, for some reason. I believe my perimeter are all good and when ya have ya new tank in place you can put it back in its home. Let me know, that might help it, maybe.
  5. cmador's Avatar
    Hope it turns around and makes it. Now I am having second thoughts about taking out my five year old toadstool that is on a piece of live rock along with a candy cane colony. I was planning on taking a chisel and hammer to the live rock to break them apart. Maybe, I'll just leave 'em together and let nature take its course.
    Updated 07-20-2010 at 01:19 PM by cmador
  6. melev's Avatar
    One thing I forgot to mention: Perhaps it spawned, which polluted the water or smothered the oxygen level. It smells worse today, even after that massive clean up last night. I'm testing ammonia and nitrite again.
  7. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    Very sorry to hear this, that coral has been sort of a mascot for me, something to point to and say "See, that's what's possible." If worst comes to worst Marc, mine is neon green with white polyps and I'd be happy to send you a frag.
  8. melev's Avatar
    This morning when I got up, I tested nitrite and ammonia.



    I performed another 100% water change, then tested the water for ammonia, twice. Is this color even legal? It doesn't match anything! Perhaps the Prime I added does something?



    I also tested the newly mixed saltwater just to get a comparison. It too is an odd color.



    So I tested the ammonia in the livestock tanks tied into the sump. At last I see a color I recognize.



    I'm not sure how to proceed, other than what I'm doing.
  9. dread240's Avatar
    The weird color is that it only converts ammonia into I believe ammonium or something else closely related but not as deadly....

    I really hope that coral makes it... its marvelous and better then any sps or lps I've ever seen imho.

    Do you have any locals with a large established qt system going?
  10. melev's Avatar
    I'm going to meet up with our club's president tonight - he wants to give it a chance to turn around.
  11. dread240's Avatar
    that's awesome to hear... I really don't want to see that one go
  12. maroun.c's Avatar
    Very Sad to hear. Hope things turn for the best and you can save at least a part of it...
  13. melev's Avatar
    I didn't want to take any pictures of it in its current condition since it had deteriorated so much, so it could be remembered in all its glory. However, Drew took this one with his iPhone, so I guess it doesn't count.

  14. maroun.c's Avatar
    Any new updates on the leather, other corals you got and the new tank?
  15. mro2you2's Avatar
    looks like a clam.
  16. dahenley's Avatar
    is there any possible positive updates on the leather........
  17. David W's Avatar
    Any updates on it?
  18. melev's Avatar
    I must have updated a totally different blog. It didn't make it. A few frags were cut off of it, just for the sake of doing so.
  19. dahenley's Avatar


    do you plan on getting one of those frags....
    Its just not the same tank without one...
  20. melev's Avatar
    This may be a new tank, then. I'm interested to see what kind of results I can get without a giant leather constantly affecting water quality.
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