Some thing is eating this leather

Last night I treated for phosphates for the first time, so I was all eager when I got home this evening to check out the tank. This is the first thing I saw:



Closer view:



more:



This is what it used to look like:



Any ideas what could suddenly attach a coral?

 

what all do you have in the tank

 

Only recent additions are some Scarlet reef hermit crabs, and I gave them all a good look -over to make sure they were scarlets... Not all cooperated, and showed their pretty faces, but I was fairly certain they were all the same.
The toadstool looks more like a worm attacked it, like a hole was being burrowed into it.

 

leathers suck away, sorry.

 

There are worms and snails that are known parasites that will eat leather corals. Unfortunately, they've been known to eat the coral from the inside out so it may not be possible for you to see whatever it is that's eating the coral.

 

Best thought I have is get out exacto knife and cut away all the damaged parts...may be some kind disease...:-/

Some kinds of nudi's will chew up leathers...

Use flashlight and watch for at night...


Good luck!

 

See just posted: Updated article links by charlesr1958

Coral links have great description of diseases and parasites...


Coral Diseases and Parasites


(Link definitely worth bookmarking!!!)

(If you like, pass on some karma for all the work chuck and linda have put into this...)

8)

 

This is a wonderful comment that I'm sure helped a lot.

Oh BTW that was sarcasm

J

 

Probably the single most impressive coral I've seen in a home aquarium was a leather that had to be just shy of three foot tall.
I literally gasped when I saw it.
"Majestic" would be a better discription than "sucks".

 

right, leathers, are you serious? They are the easiest and most ugly colar EVER, JMO. Who cares about a three foot leather. How about a three foot SPS now thats impressive.

I would cut away the dead stuff, far past the the infection. Hope its not something eating it. Good luck.