Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral

General information

In general, species from the Sarcophyton genus takes a mushroom form when they are still at the juvenile stage. However, as they grow bigger, their mushroom shape will no longer exist as folds are formed creating a larger flat colony. When the polyps are fully extended, you cannot see the flesh. Instead, it is covered with tentacles that usually has an average length of 1 centimeter.

For the Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral, they are predominantly colored red or cream with light blue polyps. This are the water parameters for cultivating Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral:

• Calcium: 420 – 440 ppm
• Alkalinity: 3.04 – 3.39 MEQ/L (8 – 9.5 dKH)
• Phosphates: > 0.10 mg/L
• Magnesium: 1260 – 1350
• Strontium: 8 -10 mg/L
• Temperature: 75° – 80° F (24° – 27° C)
• Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.024 – 1.026
• pH: 8.1 – 8.4

Nourishment of the Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral is attained through photosynthesis and chemosynthesis. Photosynthetic nourishment is done through the presence light, supplemented further with their symbiotic relationship with an algae called zooxanthellae living within them. Chemosynthetic nourishment is done through the absorption of nutrients in the water. With this, the addition of dissolved nutrients is very important. You can also do supplemental feeding with the use of mysis or brine shrimp.

A mature tank is highly recommended in propagating Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral. After acclimation, they should immediately be set on the middle part of the tank. Ideally, you will need a gel glue or putty to fasten them on an exposed rock.

The Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral requires moderate water flow and low to moderate lighting. This is the reason why you need to set them in the middle part of the tank.

Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral can be found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, particularly in Australia and Fiji. Their population in the wild is still abundant and is not considered a threatened or endangered species.

Do not be alarmed when the polyps of the Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral do extend for an extended period of time. Sometimes, their size may shrink and may shed some of their outer skin. Again, do not be alarmed as this is just a part of their natural process. Just be patient, wait for days and you will be surprised to see that it re-open in to a bigger colony. With this in mind, you need to provide them with ample space since they can create a shade thereby disrupting other corals located underneath.

Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral are purely marine species. Therefore, salinity must be entirely maintained from 1.024 to 1.026 specific gravity. But for best results, we recommend to maintain salinity at 1.025.