Toadstool in Baaad Shape

[foogoo]

Well my toadstool that has never been doing well is doing even worse (odd since all the other corals including toadstools in the 10 gallon 55watt smartlight nano is doing perfectly). The stump is completely deflated and growing algae (ouch!) and the head is down on the bottom but the polyps still extend. I've tried moving it around for lighting and water flow to no avail. What should I do? I was thinking of chopping the head off and fragging it but what about the stem?

 

[beth]

Can you get a pic?

 

[slowest is fastest]

A healthy coral can often survive in less than excellent water conditions(not saying yours are)
An unhealthy leather will rarely recover unless water IS excellent(not saying yours is not)
Algae growth on the "stump" usually indicates high nitrates and/or low flow.
The polyps are extending from the cap ...are they opening?
Is the base of the leather securely attached to a rock?
A "stump" that is deflated, hard and has a woody feel(feels like an old tree branch) and whose polyps barely entend or do not fully entend throughout the cap is a sign that it needs help or will most certainly be on its way out.
Without more info it is tough to say what is going on for sure. To help a little I would suggest (providing it is attached securely to a good base) cleaning all the algae off, moving it to the highest flow area in the tank(not directly in front of a powerhead ) and simply leaving it alone for several weeks. As long as it does not show signs of melting I would not frag it. Try to keep the salinity of the tank as stable as possible and water quality as good as you can (not that it isn't already). It only takes a few days(or less) for a leather to decline in health but can take weeks or months for it to recover. With a little patients yours will problably recover in time but these changes do not happen quicky ...especially if you started with a less than healthy piece.
SiF

 

[foogoo]

Sorry no digital camera. The polyps are extending but don't appear to be opened or are just too small. It is attached to a small piece of LR (not the best base). The thing that concerns me is that I have a good number of other corals including many corals that are all fully opened and looking good. I guess I'll see how this one does.

 

[slick]

I had the same problem with mine. I had to move it higher in the tank and now all is well. What kind of lighting are you running?

 

[beth]

How long have you had this coral? Is it sheading? Or has it done this at all?

 

[foogoo]

55 watt smartlight pc. I moved it up because I thought maybe it wasn't getting enough light. I squirted it with a turkey baster and most of the algae came off with the slime layer. I've had this one for about two months now.