Toadstool Leather

Care at a glance

Overview

A sessile leather coral that competes chemically rather than by stinging. Its allelopathic terpene compounds can stunt or harm nearby corals, particularly SPS and other softies in a small system, so it earns an aggressive rating and should be given generous spacing plus good carbon filtration.

In the wild

Sarcophyton grows as a stalked cap shaped like a toadstool, with a wide polyp-covered crown on a thick trunk. It does well under moderate light, roughly 100 to 200 PAR, and likes brisk, somewhat chaotic flow while disliking a single hard direct jet. Place it low to mid on the rockwork with open space around it, since a mature cap gets large and the coral needs room away from sensitive neighbors.

Good to know

Sarcophyton is a leather coral in the family Alcyoniidae that periodically sheds a waxy surface film to slough off algae and detritus, going closed and dull for a day or two before reopening. It is well documented for allelopathy, releasing chemical compounds such as sarcophytoxide that irritate or suppress neighboring corals, especially when crowded. Running activated carbon and a skimmer helps keep these terpenoid toxins in check.

Did you know

When a toadstool closes up and looks slimy for a couple of days it is usually just shedding its waxy coating, a normal cleaning cycle that alarms new keepers who think the coral is dying.

Related species

• 

  Finger Leather

  Sinularia

  9.8 in (25 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Cabbage Leather Coral

  Sinularia dura

  11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Colt Coral

  Cladiella

  11.8 in (30 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Devil's Hand Leather Coral

  Lobophytum

  11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Flexible Finger Leather Coral

  Sinularia flexibilis

  11.8 in (30 cm)40 gal (150 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)
• Cauliflower Colt Coral

  Klyxum simplex

  9.8 in (25 cm)26 gal (100 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)