Help! Did I kill my Toadstool?

[jennytheleopardgrouper]

My huge toadstool was growing algae on the side that faced the light. Like I'd done once before, a few days ago I gently scrubbed off the algae with a brush. Stupid? (I don't know..) This time however, I accidently poked a small hole with the brush and a bit of liquid came spurting out. Well, I thought everything was fine, but I got home from work today and it's curled up into a ball, and on closer inspection, the bottom has all but disintegrated, and there's a 2 inch chunk missing like someone took a huge bite! The "poke site" seems unaffected, but the one tendril on the bottom that has been there for years has disintegrated into a pile of "dust" and is laying on the bottom of the tank. Is there anything I can do to help it? Thanks in advance for any help!

[TheReefGeek]

Poking it like that would not kill it. But something is wrong in your tank for this toadstool to become like this. Have you tested all your water parameters, including salinity and temperature? How is everything else in the tank doing?

Depending on how far gone it is, you might want to frag off any good pieces so they might re-grow healthy.

[Mike Olson]

Hi Jenny. I have a toadstool that is approx. 14-16 inches diameter and at least twelve inches tall under 250w halides...I think the algae was a result of the problem, not the brushing off. I read in Coral magazine that you can cut out an infected area and the toad will recover...that being said, I amnot sure of the stalk being cut out. I have heard of parasitic snails getting inside a toad and eating their way out. IMO I would watch for more deterioration, if there is, cut it out...if it persists, frag the good side. Whatever you do, make sure you are running carbon to help remove the toxins that the toad expells. good luck!

[jennytheleopardgrouper]

Thanks for the help. Everything else in the tank is healthy. All my other coral are fully extended. The mushrooms are possibly the nicest I've seen them.

I added several fish about 2 weeks ago. I tested a few days ago and the ammonia and nitrite were not quite at zero so I did a 10 gallon water change. (Levels are always good, but with the new fish...)
Salinity is good, temp is good. Nitrates say they're at zero. (I may need a new test, they've never been above zero.)
Just changed the charcoal now, it was about due (thanks for the reminder). I did find a few parasitic snails in the other end of the tank a few weeks ago but removed them and haven't seen any since. I think they go for the zoos first and all my zoos are fine. As for the deterioration, it's only in the stalk and I don't think I can cut that away, anyone? My tank is very low on algae, so does anyone know why the coral was growing it? Thanks,

[i have crabs]

by chance have you added any type of phosphate remover/sponge latley?

[TheReefGeek]

You registered ammonia when you added a few fish into 150g total water volume?

Couple things that might help:

1. You say 100+lbs of live rock, I would have 150lbs min. in your setup.
2. Your seaclone skimmer is probably not good enough for 150g of water
3. I would swap out your crushed coral substrate for 1" of oolitic aragonite sand, or 3-4" of mixed grades, whatever you like the most.

[jennytheleopardgrouper]

No phosphate remover added lately...

I added all 5 fish at the same time. (Happy 1st trip to J&L) I assume that this accounts for the small spike. (And it was a very small spike...)
I would estimate that I've got about 120lbs of live rock in there, and I've got a Prism skimmer which I'm going to stick on right away.

Update- The toadstool still looks absolutely dreadful, but seems to be standing slightly more erect than yesterday. I did another water change.

[Mike Olson]

I did a search on google for fragging toadstools...I did find a few articles dealing with cutting the stalk....the general consensus was that it is ok as long as you leave a couple of inches of stalk on the host. I fastened mine to a rock by piercing the stalk with a wood skewer and rubber bands...it took approx.two weeks for it to attach firmly....Im not saying to do it but I would definitely get as much info from the net and your LFS to be proactive since it sounds like the problem is isolated to the toad

[TheReefGeek]

A prizm skimmer is not good enough for 150g of water.

[jennytheleopardgrouper]

A prism backpack skimmer and the seaclone? Shouldn't that be enough? I've also got an aquaclear 500 filter running on it. This is the first time I've had levels above 0 since my tank cycled...

My toad seems to have perked up a tiny bit today. He's not completely rolled into a ball now. Funny thing-my Royal Gramma started hosting it tonight, as soon as it started to open up a bit. Do they usually do that? It's pretty cute.

[TheReefGeek]

IMO, no those two skimmers are too weak, even combined, for 150g of water. But I am a fan of high skimming, so take that into consideration. I am also not a fan of those two particular skimmers, some of the worst on the market IMO.

It is possible to maintain a tank that size with those skimmers though, just not that easy. It depends on your bioload, frequency of water changes, and whether you run a macro algae fuge or not as well.

Adding 5 fish into 150g of water should not spike your ammonia and nitrite levels if your have a cycled tank with sufficient filtration. (rock, sand, skimmer)

I just added 9 fish to my 180 at once with no spike.