Placement of toadstool?

[AndtheBonus]

I got my toadstool a few weeks ago and it has been doing pretty good. I recently added 6 more blue leg hermits about 2 weeks ago (now I have about 15 turbos and 15 blue legs). Now about once a day I see a blue leg sitting on top of my toadstool. The toadstool will be out and about looking happy as can be and then boom an hour later a hermit is sitting right on top and it is pouting again. Now for the second time the toadstool has secreted its slime, I guess for protection. As of right now the toadstool is in the sand attached to a very small piece of live rock which came on it when I bought it. Should I move it to a different part of the tank? Maybe like halfway up somewhere on my rocks? or keep it in the sand?

Oh and how about flow? The LFS told me it should have flow going right about it and not directly in it. Is that right or is there a better setup?

I also have a MH light so I don't know if that will effect anything about the height of the toadstool and where it should be.

Oh and because of the slime being secreted I have been running carbon for almost a week now and plan to run carbon 24/7 now. Is that the right way to go?

Thanks for all the help in Advance!!

 

[mantid]

In my experience, toadstools can adjust themselves to just about any lighting. I would definitively move it up off the sand bed. I'm sure you wont have the problem of crabs crawling all over it then plus your toadstool will grow onto surrounding rocks to stabilize itself and usually likes being surrounded by rock anyway. Toadstools don't normally live in the sand.

And, although the slime is toxic, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your tank will be fine.

 

[Heliux]

Dont worry to much about the hermit crabs because they are just doing their jobs by eating the debris on the toady. As far as placement they just need a little light and a little flow, not to much flow. I keep mine on the sand bed and usually he is doing great! This coral loves to pout when things bump it or what not. And dont worry about the slimmystuff, it just means its shedding its skin, thus meaning its growing, and also getting algae off their body. hope this helps

 

[Aquadelight]

I doubt if placement in the tank will make any difference on whether hermit crabs sit on it or not. I have kept them in all areas of my tank, and only had problems with bottom placement when sand sifting gobys kept covering them up. If you do move it up, do it slowly (not from bottom to top in one move). The MH lights should not bother it if you go slow.

I agree with the advvice you received on flow.

I believe you can overdo carbon. I have a big tank with a relatively high bio load. I almost always run carbon, but I replace it on every 2 - 3 weeks. I have an opinion that many soft corals (including toadstools) like their water a little dirty. There is such a thing as too clean for these animals. Use the carbon, but don't overdo it.

Just my opinions.

 

[AndtheBonus]

Alright very good. So here is what I did. I took the toadstool and moved him about 2 and a 1/2 inches off the sand bed and into the rocks. Well sitting right on top of the rocks. That area had less flow because before I think I was hitting it too much. I guess we shall see if this helps!

 

[naperenterprise]

Photo?

 

[AndtheBonus]

Ooo0 good idea, I like! Photoshoot! Well with the iPhone the good camera is film so those pictures will be up on Sunday hopefully!

 

[AndtheBonus]

Its with the iPhone. I have more pics but they have to be scanned, messed with, then posted. Here is one for now.

 

[arizonagrace]

My toadstool sits on the sand in my 24 aquapod. He lives happily there and is doing great. Every day, the cleaner shrimp plays a game. He will poke the toad once. Wait, poke again. Almost like a loving caress. The toad immediately pouts and the cleaner does his job of cleaning him up for the day. Then, he goes off to another "victim" and the toad immediately opens up again. This has been going on since I introduced my cleaner shrimp in the tank, and I believe they both love the cleaning. The toad has never slimed him yet. Only twice have I seen a crab on the toad, and it didn't appear to like it, but came right back when they left.

I have even seen the feather duster allow him to check him out, although he gets nervous and pulls in after a few seconds. The colt doesn't care much for it, and he usually leaves that and the xenia alone. It is really cool watching how careful he is. The fish aren't interested in his "baths".

 

[Phyxius]

I have a few leathers in my tank and they all had their run ins with hermits, snails and aggressive fish over time and they all made it fine. They usually adjust and then it wont bother them at all sometimes.
My little neon green leathers have been bulldozed through the sand, grazed over by turbo snails and the like when they were babies dropped off by the bigger one in the pic. The small portion of the tan one you see in the picture is about the size of a basketball at night and nothing bothers it anymore.LOL

Just give it time to adjust to your tank and its inhabitants and it should be fine. Shedding off its skin is something it will do once in awhile so dont panic. I know I did the first few times.

Mine are also under MH anywhere from the top with the big one to the middle with the smaller ones....

Here is my little farm that's starting all on its own. The big one keeps dropping off the little babies from the corners. Its a bad pic but its a glowing green Tyree Neon Green Toadstool. Another one dropped down in the cracks in the rock and wont come out