Can someone help explain something?

Give it some time... If it is sheading it will do so for a couple of days.... mine is currently on his thrid day. Where in the tank is he???

Marc.

 

The leather is at the bottom of the tank closer to a powerhead because I read that they like flow and moderate lighting.

 

Leathers do like flow but a direct blast from a powerhead is considered heavy flow. Also, you do not have much lighting over your tank so although it does prefer "moderate" lighting, it's probably not getting enough where it's sitting. Move it closer to your lights and away from the powerhead and see how it does.

 

I was about to say the same thing. ;D

Marc.

 

Jinx!

 

Soft corals are 99.% water. And will take several days to a week or more with some species to evacuate and flush their old water and up take the new systems water .. Leathers are notorious for this .. as are shrooms and again most all softs and many LPS and even sps's need adjustment time to adjust to water changes.

But with leathers are like a reptile in that they will invert and slough off dead tissue and reopen in a few days to a week or more . And they love water flow but as was mentioned never blast them with a strong current just enough to make their tentacles sway a bit that also helps them trough the shedding and deflating process.
Just don't get in a panic and start moving it here and there and then reading about additives and tossing in iodine and what ever the latest books Aurthur/experts says is needed. Just keep all parameters steady it will open .

Lights determine where in the tank its located it may have been mentioned ? I just missed it myself..My bad if it was. But under VHO's and or C/P's and T/5's mid way to upper portions of the tank M/H's depending on the tanks depth mid way to bottom. they can sunburn until taned up

 

actually, funny thing, I got home last night and voila it was fully opened and looking glorious. I guess u were all correct, it was just getting used to it's new home. Actually I should have mentioned, it's near a powerhead but it is a lower gph PH and the flow is not directly towards it just enough that it slightly sways. My cleaner shrimp loves the leather. He sits on it all the time and doesn't even spend his time cleaning it. I love the interaction between species in SW. You don't get that with FW. Is it normal for a shrimp to molt twice in 2 1/2 wks? I have been supplementing CA so maybe he's soaking it up, I don't know but he looks real bright and pretty.

 

Again I have found that if you just set a coral in the tank and leave it alone it will in its own time acclimate to the new conditions. The single most often mistake people make is to move their corals to death.. Second is they want to feed the corals and then the tank to death as well once they see them responding to the change in water chemistry and tank parameters.

I hate to even put my hands into a tank I put the corals in and thats where they stay for at least a month. Moving any coral several times in a few days is bad for them..

Best thing anyone can do is find the coral for the chosen spot in the tank not the other way around . Look at the area and then decide what coral would do well in that area . Its all about Balance and Patience the latter being the most often needed and least often added.