Consider this: new hobbyists want to see progress and soft corals are easy, forgiving, and grow quickly. Those with experience in the hobby have a list of corals they would NEVER put in their next tank because they were too invasive. This includes many of the common ones we started with: mushrooms, xenia, star polyps, leathers, and so on.
I've heard that some of the soft corals can actually become pests in a reef tank. Is this true or is it just the opinion of someone who doesn't really know what they are talking about?
How much flow is it in? They like low flow.
Post pics and tank parameters. Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, Phosphates, pH, and Alk. Also how large your tank is, the lighting over it and how deep it is in the tank (for instance, 8 inches down in a 18 inch tank).
Im sorry for no pictures my camera is currently broken
pictures would help greatly though.
My toadstool is the weirdest coral in my tank. Every day it goes from happy with it's polyps out, to polyps retraced and al scrunchd up looking irritated 2 or 3 times. And I can't find anything in the tank that's picking on it.
Yeah toadstools shed and get ticked off when they get handled and moved for LFS to their new home.
Ok i only have clowns and damsels
My Powder Blue Tang chewed off the polyps daily. After a couple of years, that fish died. The coral began to open up and turned into that gorgeous showpiece in my 280g reef.
What types of fish would nip at it
It's too early to worry. If it starts melting, appears to be sloughing tons of furry stuff, or collapses, then it's something to deal with. You may have it under too much light, in too much flow, or a fish that is constantly nipping at it. Give it a few days for sure, but keep an eye on it and let us know what you see.
ok thanks for all the help
yea, toadstools are weird. Mine will close up for a day or so every other month and then pop back out the next day like nothing happened
ok thanks that takes a load off
Mine took a few days to open up when I first popped it in. It still "shuts down" for a day or two from time to time.
I acclimated it by a small hose and a 5 gallon bucket and im currently testing the parameters.
Help us out and post some water parameters. Let us know how you acclimated it to the tank. What kind of toadstool is it?
I would recommend Zoanthids, as a beginner myself. Some are not as resistant as others, but, most are resistant enough to survive the mistakes we beginners make. And they are colorful, so...
thanks for the advice