Finger leather blackspots

Hi,

I have a small finger leather in my 7 gal nanoreef. Its positioned very
high in the tank near the water surface. He's always done very well,
opens and closes on about a 4 day cycle, looks very healthy. As the
water evaporates, he typically just shrinks/bends down to stay
submerged. That has worked fine for him for over a year. But lately,
he's been developing these unsightly black spots at the tips of his
fingers where he touches the surface/air. It looks horrible and cant be
good.

Anyone know what this is? The organism still seems to be behaving
healthy. Ofcourse, I'd like to put him lower in the tank, but if you've
ever tried to arrange a nanoreef, options are limited. This is the one
spot he's out of current that is too strong, in good light, and out of
the reach of my agressive torch coral who is taking over the whole tank.

TIA
Phil

It might be time to prune it back just a little. Do the spots look
shinny or do they look dull and fluffy. If they are fluffy in
appearance it could be fungal. I would need a photo to better diagnose
this condition. Does sound if it is a little to close to the surface.
In the wild almost all the soft corals I have seen diving have been
found well below the surface.
Chris Carney
www.exotic-aquatics.com

Phil O'Connor wrote:
Hi,

I have a small finger leather in my 7 gal nanoreef. Its positioned very
high in the tank near the water surface. He's always done very well,
opens and closes on about a 4 day cycle, looks very healthy. As the
water evaporates, he typically just shrinks/bends down to stay
submerged. That has worked fine for him for over a year. But lately,
he's been developing these unsightly black spots at the tips of his
fingers where he touches the surface/air. It looks horrible and cant be
good.

Anyone know what this is? The organism still seems to be behaving
healthy. Ofcourse, I'd like to put him lower in the tank, but if you've
ever tried to arrange a nanoreef, options are limited. This is the one
spot he's out of current that is too strong, in good light, and out of
the reach of my agressive torch coral who is taking over the whole tank.

TIA
Phil