Balding Toadstool

[sketh]

My Long Polyp Leather Toadstool seems to be “balding”, any ideas why?

The front seems to be fine but the back has a lot of closed polyps. There is not extra flow towards the back or more light.

I’m thinking it has to do something with Ammonia which I just added to the tank.

Parameters:
8.0pH
0.0ppm Nitrite
5.0ppm Nitrate
0.25ppm Phosphate
78° F
0.01ppm Ammonia

Any suggestions on how I can amend this situation?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Why add ammonia to a tank that has livestock? That shouldn't ever be done.

It probably needs to shed, corals will close up sometimes to shed their outer mucus layer. Ensure it has enough flow on it to clean itself. It likes flow and its adaptable to most lighting.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

What kind of lights and flow are you getting in your tank?

 

[Northern Flicker]

Why add ammonia to a tank that has livestock? That shouldn't ever be done.

It probably needs to shed, corals will close up sometimes to shed their outer mucus layer. Ensure it has enough flow on it to clean itself. It likes flow and its adaptable to most lighting.

Ammonia dosing is a thing.

@sketh this appears to be SDQS - Softie Drama Queen Syndrome. They can go like this for a while, and as Mojo says above, it's often preparing to grow or adjusting to something annoying it.

If you see polyp extension, you are good. Mine went "bald" for almost 2 weeks when I first got it, shed it's outer layer, then extended nearly twice as large after.

 

[sketh]

What kind of lights and flow are you getting in your tank?

Fluval Sea Marine 3.0 LED 46W
~10 hours of light daily with an hour of small blue light period at the end.

Jebao Wavemaker (SOW-4)
No flow is direct to the toadstool- it is placed towards the bottom of the tank.

 

[Northern Flicker]

Fluval Sea Marine 3.0 LED 46W
~10 hours of light daily with an hour of small blue light period at the end.

Jebao Wavemaker (SOW-4)
No flow is direct to the toadstool- it is placed towards the bottom of the tank.

Toads love flow, don't be afraid to get it in some flow.

 

[sketh]

Why add ammonia to a tank that has livestock? That shouldn't ever be done.

It probably needs to shed, corals will close up sometimes to shed their outer mucus layer. Ensure it has enough flow on it to clean itself. It likes flow and its adaptable to most lighting.

There is no livestock in this tank other than corals. Ammonia actually has a positive effect on corals (at least soft corals AFAIK) and can be consumed directly. My zoanthids seem to be doing better than ever after I added the ammonia. The ammonia level should be around ~0.00862ppm which is essentially harmless to my softies.
Discussion #1
Discussion #2

I'll try using a turkey baster to help push off that mucus layer though- thank you for your advice!

 

[sketh]

Update on the balding Toadstool.

The back polyps seem to be coming back very very slowly. They’re much brighter and more fluorescent than the front polyps.

 

[JoJosReef]

Definitely SDQS, as @Northern Flicker said!