Can you cut Umbrella Leathers?

[thefedz]

I have an umbrella leather, that is about 5 inches when it is open. Had it for 2 years. A couple of months ago when i was cleaning my tank, I accidently knocked it over and it landed right in a green carpet anemone. I believe the anemone stung it quite badly because the area of the leather that touched the anemone had turned a very pale white. Within a few days, there was a sizable hole in the umbrella leather.

Ever since then, it has never really recovered. The surrounding tissue no longer has the pale white appearance, but it never really. The leather kinda slops on the rock and very rarely extends its polyps. When natural sunlight shines on the tank, sometimes the leather will extend its polyps and somewhat regain its rigidity. When I turn on my 20k halides it starts to shrivel up again.


Does anyone know what I should do?

I was thinking of cutting off the part of the leather that had the hole in it. Perhaps the leather has a problem "inflating" itself with a hole in it??

Is it possible that it doesn't do well in 20k lights? I change my bulbs to 20k bulbs fairly soon after the leather got stung by the anemone.

 

[danmhippo]

Yes, you can cut umbrella leather any way you want. They are that easy to propagate.

 

[Len]

Yep, cut it any way you deem fit. As Jimmy says, these things don't care how they're cut. Just make sure the scissors/blade is clean and do the cut cleanly. I've cut off nercrotic parts of leathers to save the rest of the colony.