Devils hands all closed up

[mossdog]

I have a 35 gallon display connected to a 35 gallon sump, skimmer and 35 gallon fuge. Display tank is lit by a 250watt halides.
For the last week my two devils hand corals have been closed up, but all the other corals are fine. I have hairy mushrooms, large toadstool, 1 x purple acro, zoas and hammer coral which all seem fine.
water tests are coming out good although I do only have a cheap test kit. I know these corals can do this from time to time but they have been like it for a week now, but everything else seems fine and nothing has recently changed in the system either....
Any ideas?

[Uncle Salty 05]

You have more than one 250 watt MH on a 35 gallon tank?
How long has this coral been in your tank?

[jwoyshnar]

That is alot of light for a tank that small when it comes to softies.

[mossdog]

No just the one 250watt about 12 inchs above the waters surface.
I have two devils hands, both closed up around the same time. I have had them about 2 years, so they are used to the lighting. Strange thing is everything else is fine.

[Uncle Salty 05]

That is odd. The only time my devils hands close up is when I snip a frag from one of them and then they only close for a few minutes.
Have you checked all of your parameters?
If you are not running carbon I would start until this passes. A big water change might be in order as well.

[glparr]

Did you change the flow in some way or has some other coral grown to the point where it's blocking/changing flow? Usually when leathers close for a long time, it's lack of flow or something in the water and fresh carbon will usually solve that.

Gary

[n8ball2013]

is it possibly shedding its outer skin?

[mossdog]

You guys are all thinking along the same lines as me. I am going to start some fresh carbon tonight and make preparations for a 25% water change. I have read that they can close up like this for long periods when they are getting ready to shed, but its too much of a coincidence for two separate colonies to do that at exactly the same time.
Thanks for the advice and I will keep you posted.

[BennyFrank]

If it is closing up to shed, blasting it with a powerhead will help a bunch.

[mossdog]

Finally this weekend they both shed and are now fully open with polyps out and looking good. I guess it was just a extra long shed session.......LOL

[Michael]

Usually when soft corals behave this way running some carbon can be a very useful method, chem warfare maybe a reason at times, they like a good fight now and again.