what kind of leather is this?

[srgetz]

what kind of leater? anything special I need to know about him for care besides the usual good lighting, etc.? the lfs guy said he was hardy & a good 1st coral, but he was not sure of the species; the lfs tank just stated "asst. leathers $39" so I grabbed him...

 

[reefrunner69]

It's a Lobophytum sp leather, leathers are very difficult to ID beyond genus. This leather will appreciate good flow (especially when it sheds, which it will do periodically) and med to high light. It is a very hardy coral, and I would consider a beginners coral, be warned, when keeping leathers some form of chemical filtration is a good idea, they release some pretty noxious chemicals as part of their defenses.

 

[srgetz]

Thanks Kevin for the quick response, I do have good flow and medium lighting (192w / 45g). I use gac in a large hob for 6hrs a day (timed). A skimmer is used as well. BTW, what would be a good next coral? I liked the guys that blow back and forth in the current (think they were xenias?), not sure if it would be good choice though.

 

[jamal-188]

You may be thinking of frogspawn, torch, or hammer corals. They all have decenlty long polyps that tend to sway with the movement of the water. They are not extremly difficult to keep but can be damaged easily if they fall over or something scapes against the soft fleshy part.

 

[WarOrks15]

but xenia also movie in the water. they also pump.

 

[srgetz]

jamal, I don't think it was one of them... I am going to return to that lfs and see if he still has them, I'll get an ID then...probably bring one home too!

If it is a sort of xenia would it be ok under moderate PC lighting?

 

[WarOrks15]

mine do really well under my PC. i only have 2x 96 watt pc on my 46 gal tank. they are growing really fast. i started with one grouping of them and now i am up to 12 in like 3 months.

 

[SquishyFish]

what kind of leater?

It looks like the rare Warty Elephant..highly prized for their soft leather.

 

[jackdp]

I would recommend running GAC 24/7 with leathers in the tank, especially if you plan on adding any LPS or SPS. I have a hammer coral in my tank with several other leathers and it will start to look pretty ragged after only 12 hours without GAC running. Just a thought.