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Toadstool Leather
Scientific Name
Sarcophyton
Common Names
Toadstool, Toadstool Mushroom, Toadstool Leather, Sarcophyton Coral, Trough Coral
Family: Alcyoniidae
Origin: South Pacific
Difficulty Level: Easy
Minimum Tank Size: 5 Gallons
Color: Light Brown with green, yellow, cream, or white polyps
Maximum Size: 3 feet in diameter
Lighting: Moderate
Flow: Medium (see General Information)
Aggressiveness: Low (see General Information)
Tank Parameters: 72°F to 82°F; SG 1.023-1.026; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Feeding: Primarily photosynthetic but benefits from supplemental feeding
Recommended Supplements: Iodine, Strontium, Misc. Trace Elements
General Information
This is a very hardy coral that is an excellent beginner coral providing good color to the beginner aquarium, as well as a interesting addition to the more experienced reef tank.
Its name is derived from its similar appearance to a toadstool mushroom when its polyps are retracted. With proper water flow its polyps will move in a wave like motion that is both calming and interesting to watch. It is also a very interesting coral to observe while it is feeding as its finger like polyps will grasp a piece of filter food and draw it to the base like an elephant's trunk.
This is a generally peaceful soft coral but can be toxic, as with most leather type corals, via a slime coat release to some species of LPS and SPS corals. This coral, like other leather and soft corals, will shed a waxy film like substance to rid itself of detritus, debris, and algae. Placement should be carefully considered so it is near a good filter mechanism with sufficient flow to filter out the slime coat.
It fulfills the majority of its nutritional needs via symbiotic zooxantellae but benefits from supplemental feedings of foods such as zoo/phytoplankton, oyster eggs, rotifiers, and other filter feeding foods for invertebrates. As with most leather type corals it will also benefit from supplementing with Iodine.
Due to its dependence on symbiotic photosynthetic zooxanthellae it should be placed accordingly, but it is tolerant of and can thrive in lower light conditions. If kept in lower light conditions it should receive regular supplemental feeding. Under PC lighting it should be in upper half of the tank and receive supplemental feeding regularly. Under T5 it can be placed anywhere in the tank depending on tank depth. If it is a deep tank then it should be in the upper half, in a shallow tank it can reside virtually anywhere, but will still benefit from occasional supplemental feeding. Under MH it can be placed as desired. If it is not receiving enough light it will not extend its polyps.
Toadstool leathers should be placed in a moderate to moderately high flow area. If it is not receiving enough flow it will not extend its polyps. A broken or changing flow is best for this coral. Use of a Hydor FLO Rotating Deflector or other wave type item is optimal for creating this type of flow.
Lack of polyp extension is not necessarily a sign of distress for this coral as it will go through short periods of no polyp extension. At night it will shrink down to a much smaller size. It is also a good barometer of water conditions as it will also shrink down to a small size and not extend its polyps if water parameters are not within tolerance.
Fragging of this coral is done by cutting off a portion of the crown and attaching the cut piece to live rock, or if lighting allows placing it in the substrate.
This coral suffers from predation by some parasites. These parasites will eat the coral from the inside out. Treatment is accomplished by removal of the parasite and removal of the damaged and/or necrotic tissue with a sharp knife.
01/11/2008
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