Toadstool leather finger coal unhealthy...

[caseynewton]

Hello community, this is my first post.

Aquarium is lightly occupied by fish. Have a leather coral, bubble coral, mushrooms, chalice coral, and ricordea.

PH: 8.0
Nitrate: 15ppm
Phosphate: undetectable
Temp: 78°F
I us a reactor with GFO and Carbon.
The tank has been established for over 2 years.

I've had the leather coral for the same time frame I've had the tank starting with just a couple fingers wide size and grown much throughout the last years while shedding and growing happily. Currently it looks like to leather coral has bites taken out of it, they are white, not regular color, coral also doesn't extend polyps anymore. I've witnessed it for over a month. I was really seeing if anyone has any idea what I can do? Is this a disease that I'm not familiar with? Any help is much appreciated.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

Could we get ca,alk, and mg? Any new fish or corals introduced? Im thinking some sort of pest got to it.

Do you happen to have chamged lighting recently?

 

[caseynewton]

Could we get ca,alk, and mg? Any new fish or corals introduced? Im thinking some sort of pest got to it.

Do you happen to have chamged lighting recently?

Yes,
Ca: 340ppm
Alk: 9dKH
Mg: 1200ppm
SG: 1.025

Nothing new, everything is actually been around for couple years, I do put my hands in tank when doing water changes and feeding... lighting is a hydra 52. I've just recently changed it a week ago attempting to see if it didn't like the consistent lightning it has had over the last year.

Thanks for support and my apologies on posting in this section, not completely sure if I can change it to a more appropriate section .

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

Yes,
Ca: 340ppm
Alk: 9dKH
Mg: 1200ppm
SG: 1.025

Nothing new, everything is actually been around for couple years, I do put my hands in tank when doing water changes and feeding... lighting is a hydra 52. I've just recently changed it a week ago attempting to see if it didn't like the consistent lightning it has had over the last year.

Thanks for support and my apologies on posting in this section, not completely sure if I can change it to a more appropriate section .

Ca and mg are kinda low. Ca should be at least 400ppm while mg at 1250ppm. If the lighting change caused the issue the entire coral would be pale. I changed lights on e too and it did the same. It looks like a pest of some sort may be causing issues

 

[Tahoe61]

Reminds me of nudibranch bite marks. There is a little white nudibranch that specifically eats Sarcophyton, I would look at night hours after the lights have been off.

With that said make sure to dial down the % on the Hydra, I have the same light and Sarcophyton. It took my soft corals and lps awhile to acclimate to the intensity of the Hydra AI.

Welcome to R2R.

 

[A Toadstool Leather]

Reminds me of nudibranch bite marks. There is a little white nudibranch that specifically eats Sarcophyton, I would look at night hours after the lights have been off.

With that said make sure to dial down the % on the Hydra, I have the same light and Sarcophyton. It took my soft corals and lps awhile to acclimate to the intensity of the Hydra AI.

Welcome to R2R.

Do you know if ay nudis prey on leathers?

 

[Tahoe61]

Yes there is a specific nudibranch. It's white or cream colored, looks like the polyps of Sarcophytons. Many nudibranch look like what they eat and these look just like a polyp. One distinctive clue is that they leave behind a substance that looks like white dust on the coral where they have been eating but in higher flow systems you may not see that.

 

[caseynewton]

Thanks for the information.

I'll take a look tonight after lights out to see if I can find any little pest. I will also be doing water change tomorrow AM and should balance my slightly off ca and ma. The lights are not new so I can't imagine that being the cause but I lowered intensity last week as to not damage these weak bite marks.

Let's say I give it a bath in something do you think it can return to health?

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

50/50 peroxide tank water bath.