Is my coral sick?

[WABlonde]

One of our two leather fingers hasn't been doing well for a week or more. Google and my reference books have only taken me so far. Any ideas what's going on? I know they can be toxic to other corals - should it be removed? It's currently shrunk up, a bright green-blue color and looked as though it was sapping or secreting a clear fluid which now looks as though it's crystalized.

Water perameters are all good (salinity, temp, ammonia, nitrates, nitrates and PH). That's all I can test for at home.

Fish are currently all in the QT tank (treating for ich from an addition we didn't QT properly...) and only a few hermits, snails, emerald crab and cleaner shrimp remain.

We have a few mushrooms which we noticed one was removed from it's base rock. Can it remove itself or is it possible the emerald tore it off (I've seen him pick at one before). The missing mushroom was found nearly touching the coral in question. Mushroom is still in good shape and is hanging out by itself in a containment tank within our display. Is it possible that the mushroom stung the coral?

Photos below. Thanks in advance.

This is one of our mushrooms. I've yet to identify it.

 

[Faciosity]

I don't know the exact term for it, and I'm not completely educated on it, but I know from experience that most leather corals actually shed off a layer of film when they are dirty or possibly just from the growing process. I've heard that they generally do this every several weeks to every couple months, but they definately do it more when they get dirty. My larger finger leathers, toadstool, and cabbage corals do it all the time, and can stay shrunken for several days. When it all comes off, it will be out bigger and brighter than before!

 

[Faciosity]

I kinda missed the last part, and yes mushrooms do come off on their own sometimes, and it's also possible that the crab, or a number of other things could have caused it to come off. It's also possible that the shroom could have stung the leather, but even if that was the case, it should still be fine.

And the shroom looks like a rhodactis! commonly called a hairy mushroom.

 

[Top Water]

Hard to kill a leather . Don't mess w/ it and it should be fine. They can close up for a long time and almost always come back fine.

 

[WABlonde]

Thanks. I'll just continue to let it be.

 

[WABlonde]

She's all better! Was concerned as people mostly say it'll be that way a few days and it had been over a week.

 

[Faciosity]

Glad to hear. Now you know not to be suprised if it happens again in the near future.