speckled leather dying?

[jc]

I got this leather coral about a week ago. The other coral I got with it seem to be doing fine. At first I thought it was splitting because it looked like it was moving apart. I have not seen any fish pick on it. When I moved it around it looked like bits of it were falling off the base. Also smaller pieces from the tips have fallen off. Is it dying? I can't really tell.
http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/8498/picture012gc9.jpg
http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/6896/picture013pw4.jpg

[Ed]

It isn't looking the best, but it is still partially polyped out. I have a huge one like it. Try moving it up in the tank. Mine is right at the top and loves high light. If it continues to 'melt' at the base, might try fragging the decaying flesh and making two or three smaller corals. It usually takes mine a few weeks to attach when I frag it.
HTH.

Ed

[jc]

Well my speckled leather bit the dust. I noticed a faint smell on my way to school but I figured I just had to clean the skimmer. When I got home later the smell was noticably worse. The leather turned to mush when I tried to pick it up with some forceps. I took out as much as I could but some stayed on the bottom. The protein skimmer was overflowing from the gunk so I clean it out. Hopefully my LR with deal with the added waste by tomorrow. If it still stinks tomorrow I may have to suck up the muck and do a water change. Bleh!