Leather Toadstool – Long Polyps

Description

Leather Toadstool – Long Polyps

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🪸 Leather Toadstool Coral (Sarcophyton latum) Care Guide

Quick Stats:

• Common Name: Leather Toadstool Coral (Long Polyp)

• Scientific Name: Sarcophyton latum

• Type: Soft Coral

• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

• Temperament: Peaceful

• Growth Rate: Fast

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🧪 Water Parameters:

• Temperature: 76–80°F (24–27°C)

• pH: 8.1–8.4

• Salinity: 1.023–1.025 (SG)

• Alkalinity: 8–12 dKH

• Calcium: 400–450 ppm

• Magnesium: 1250–1350 ppm

• Nitrates: <10 ppm

• Phosphates: <0.03 ppm

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☀️ Lighting:

• Lighting Needs: Moderate to High

• Notes:

  • Toadstools are very adaptable.

  • Long polyp varieties love good light for maximum polyp extension, but they can tolerate medium PAR (100–250).

  • Under higher lighting, they might retract at first but will adjust.

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🌊 Water Flow:

• Flow Needs: Moderate to Strong

• Notes:

  • Flow is super important for Sarcophyton latum.

  • Helps them shed mucus layers (which they periodically do to clean themselves).

  • Flow should be random or indirect; too strong direct blast can damage tissue.

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🍽️ Feeding:

• Diet: Mostly photosynthetic (zooxanthellae inside them do the work).

• Supplemental Feeding: Optional but beneficial.

  • Tiny particle foods like reef roids, marine snow, or phytoplankton.

  • Feed once or twice a week if you want extra fast growth.

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📈 Placement:

• Where to Put It:

  • Middle to upper regions of the tank.

  • Needs room to grow and spread.

  • Keep away from aggressive stinging corals (like torches, hammers, frogspawn).

  • Their size can double or triple over time.

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🛠️ Special Notes:

• Mucus Shedding: Every so often, Leather Corals slough off a waxy layer to remove algae or debris.

  • They’ll look sad for a few days — this is NORMAL.

  • Just make sure flow is good to help the process.

• Chemical Warfare: Like other leathers, Sarcophyton latum can release allelopathic (chemical) compounds to compete with other corals.

  • Running activated carbon and doing regular water changes helps.

• Fragging: Very easy! You can cut a piece off with a sharp blade and attach it to a frag plug or rock using rubber bands, mesh, or reef glue.

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🧽 Maintenance Tips:

• Regular water changes (10–20% per month).

• Keep an eye on nutrient levels.

• Make sure powerheads or wave makers keep detritus off the coral.

• Inspect for pests like nudibranchs if you notice damage (rare but possible).

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Fun Fact:
The longer polyps of Sarcophyton latum often sway beautifully in the current and give your tank a “mini underwater forest” vibe. 😍