HELP! Leather and brown (single stalk) polyps

[kraka40]

Hi reefers,

Got a question about placement. I have a slew of old brown Polyps, not sure exactly what they are but they are of the single stalk zoo variety [ not very attractive ]. They are beginning to crowd around the base of my Toadstool Leather. Is this anything I need to be concerned about? My leather has been acting strange lately, some scaring along its stalk, greenish red hair like substance coming out of its head (looks like from one of the retracted polyps), moving around a bit, etc. The polyps are for the most part usually extracted and look healthy. Occasionally they turn dark brown. But on the whole from what I've read .. its "a leather being a leather".

Tank conditions are within normal ranges; though I'll be doing another slew of tests later tonight.

I'm concerned those polyps are bothering the leather. Is this something I need to be concerned with?

Thank you!

 

[Anonymous]

I would be concerned about the polyps bothering the leather as well.

Leathers can be fussy in appearance, expanding and deflating when brushed up against, or for no known reason at all, but I would expect one to be bothered by brown polyps growing up against it.

If you choose to remove some of the polyps, do take care as many varieties can be toxic to humans. So if you have to remove them from the rock wear gloves and wash your hands.

 

[Len]

I'd remove it if possible, or frag the leather just in case. I've had mushrooms and polyps choke out the base of my leathers until they disentegrated 8O

 

[kraka40]

Thanks for the advice .. Luckily the majority of the polyps are on a rock fragment that I can move to another section of the tank. As to the polyps that have migrated over near the leather .. what is the best way to remove them?