Leathers and other "not necessarily related,
but similar-appearing soft corals"
are corals without an exoskeleton.
They are extremely varied in shape and form,
as well as color. Most commonly, they are shades
of browns and grays, but there are also many brightly
colored types of greens and yellows.
Carnation (Dendronephthea)
The colors are sometimes a result
of the symbiotic zooanthellae (algae) that live
within the animal, just like hard corals.
Some, such as the "carnations,"
are brightly colored, but not from zooanthellae.
As with hard corals, the sugary byproducts
of the algae's photosynthesis is a valuable food
source for the animal.
In general, leathers are another of the easy "starter"
corals for folks who are not expert, long-time
reefkeepers. Most of the hardcore reefkeepers,
however, have some prized leather corals in their
tanks and collections.
They are the perfect visual contrast to the hard corals.
Their names tell much about them: Finger Leather,
Yellow or Green Leather, Toadstool, Mushroom
or Umbrella Leather, Stubby Finger Leather,
Hairy Leather, Rose Leather, Cabbage or Flower
Leather, Devil's Hand or Finger, and so on.
Get the idea?
"Toadstool" or "Umbrella" Sarcophyton
and Flower or Cabbage Leather
"Stubby" Finger Leather
There are ones with short stalks and long polyps,
short polyps with long stalks, and others without stalks.
Some have polyps that are colored in contrast with the
main body of the animal. They have an amazing
diversity of growth forms.
While their polyps are retracted they appear
smooth, but when they are distended, they
often appear nearly fuzzy.
It really is neat to see them all
smooth when the lights come on in the morning,
and watch as they extend their polyps
for a day of feeding. They often react quite
quickly and extend polyps and maximize size
when I feed them my "free invert food."
(See article link at bottom of page.)
Like mushrooms and polyp rocks, most types do
very well under less than halide lighting ...
a big "plus" in my view.
Any of the various reef-type fluorescent
lighting will usually be sufficient for
keeping and growing them. They often are
abundant in lagoons, which are areas of
higher turbidity and poorer water
quality than the outer reef.
Yellow Leather with Blue Mushrooms
Another neat thing about leathers is that
some will be accepted as a host for Clown
(anemone) fish (genus Amphiprion) when a
suitable anemone is not present. This has been
recorded in the wild, not just in captivity
in aquaria. Clownfish have spawned in captivity
with a leather coral for a host as well! The soft
frilly Sarcophytons would seem to be the best
candidates for this.
Lobophyton "Special Finger Leather"
The most common leathers we see are in the
genera Sarcophyton (Toadstool, Mushroom or Umbrella
Leathers), Lobophyton (Ridge, Rose, and other
wrinkled types), and Sinularia (finger types).
Sarcophyton (Kupang)
Sarcophyton
Sarcophyton
Speckled Leather
Lobophyton
Ridge Leather
I once had a conversation with a leather researcher who said
that Sarcophyton should actually be split into three genera, so the ones that we
all know as "Sarcos" would no longer be classified as such due to the
rules of taxonomic nomenclature. So that change will not happen.
Flower or Cabbage Leathers
Some very similar looking corals
are often sold as leathers, particularly fingery
things, such as Cladiella, Xenia, Lithophyton, Capnella,
Dendronepthea, Nepthea, Lemnalia, and others which
are "soft corals," but not actually leathers.
Capnella
Xenia
Another amazing aspect of leathers is that many
can be cultivated by cutting them! Many people
do this by slicing them with a single-edged
razor blade, in half, or quarters right down the
middle, and each piece will often grow into a
new leather, when done properly. WOW!, eh?
Leathers practice chemical warfare, since stinging
polyps (aggressive defense) or a hard skeleton
(passive defense) are not available options.
They emit chemicals toxic to potential threats,
mostly such as other corals trying to horn in on their
turf, so it is important to not let them touch,
or even be too near other corals. Of course hard corals
like Euphyllia or Galaxea are trying to sting them with
nettling polyps at the same time. Usually this is why
with all corals, a few inches on either side of the fully
extended opened up animal is proper spacing.
Some of these chemicals are believed to have
or hold potential for being anti-carcinogens -
that is they might be cures for cancer.
Research is currently underway into
this possibility.
Don't be fooled if they appear to shrink in
size, which they sometimes do ... appearing
to be dying off. They then often shed an
outer layer of "skin," followed
by a growth period after which they are larger
than before, when you thought it was dying.
During shipping they also contract amazingly
and on arrival will be small and shriveled.
They often blow up, then deflate, obviously flushing,
and then re-inflate and stay that way.
Besides size, costs are generally based on color.
Bright yellow is more expensive than dull yellow.
The Tonga Yellow Leathers which everyone wants
when they see them, ship incredibly poorly.
Those that do well with them, keep them
in bright light, often near the surface, with
super high water quality and flow.
In stores, most leathers run from $30 (small
brown or gray ones), to $60 (large brown or
gray or small-med. colored types). More costly
are the fancy, large, or rare types and
colors, which may be $100 or more. You must
keep in mind the large and colorful types
require lots of water for shipping, and at
8.6 lbs. per U.S. gallon and that gets expensive!
Hopefully the photos on this page will
help you sort out the types of leathers and
maybe help you decide which types you
would like to have in your tanks. I heard of a
guy in St. Louis that grew a Sarcophyton Mushroom
or Umbrella Leather to three feet across in a 400 gallon.
Love Your Leathers!
birdfish
(Dull) Yellow Sarcophyton Leather, with Polyps Extended
Capnella
Lemnalia (Neospongoides)
Maroon Carnation
Red Carnation
Green Finger Leather
Green Finger Leather
Devil's Finger Leather
"Stubby" Finger Leather
Lemnalia - Neospongoides
Ordering Information:
Related articles ...
Our Toll-free Phone:
(866) 874-7639
(855) 225-8086
Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Central Time)
(If you have trouble with the first number, please use the second one.)