Metallic Green Mushrooms 1/24/04
Saludos: First I want to thank you for the excellent information and service provided in your web site.
<Hello Jose!  It is our pleasure.>
A couple of days ago I purchased a rock containing about 20 mushrooms. In the LFS they looked perfect with a bright metallic green color in each one of them. Since I placed them in my tank they have lost their color and are now a greenish brown.  My tank is a 6 month old 20 gal long with 3"  aragonite sand bed and 20 pounds of life rock. Parameters are PH 8.2, ammonia 0.25, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, temp 80. Lights are 1 24" inch actinic a 1 24" inch daylight. Both are 18 watts. Other tank inhabitants are 1 small open brain, 1 small sun polyp colony and 1 small cabbage leather, 3 turbo snails and 4 bumble bee snails. I target feed everybody in the tank a slurry of Mysid shrimp prepared daily. There are no fish in the tank at this moment.  My 2 questions are: What caused the mushrooms to lose their green and color?  Will the mushrooms regain their color?
<The first thing to figure out is why they look different in your tank.  Do they just look different because of different lighting, or have they actually changed color.  Brighter light with a higher proportion of actinic will lead to more florescence.  Try viewing the mushrooms with just the actinic lamp on.  If they still appear brown, it is probably because your tank has relatively low light.  Increasing the light will restore the color.  If they look like they did in the store, replacing your daylight lamp with 50/50 or actinic will help.  As an aside, having any detectible ammonia is of great concern.  Please do verify this result with another test kit.  If the reading is accurate, please do track it carefully and find the cause.  Good luck!  Adam>  Best Regards;  José A. González

Mushroom Corals... and e-mail etiquette/considerations 1/20/04
Anthony, Thanks for the advice on the Mysid shrimp. My mushrooms are doing well.  
<very welcome... good to hear.>
I have read that it is controversial to feed them.
<Hmmm... no controversy here. Just perhaps the wrong hobby literature across your desk. Corallimorphs are clearly known not to be fully autotrophic. Some feed heavily organismally, others more so by absorption... but all will starve in time if not fed at all (they cannot be sustained by photosynthesis alone). Some aquarists escape target feeding if they have enough incidental matter (fish food/feces... other corals being fed, rotting/recycling nutrients from macroalgae, etc.) in the system. But have no doubt that they are feeding>
What is your advice?  Some say never feed them at all.  
<it depends on the species. Research the needs of each as you would any other coral. For example, Ricordea are unique in the group as weakly feeding organismally and needing, or at least tolerating, much brighter light than most other Corallimorphs. The general rule for the most 'Shrooms however is low to moderate light and moderate to heavy feeding (Discosoma, Rhodactis, etc)>
You will be happy to know I have one fish in a 38 gallon tank, lol. I bought a Twinspot Hogfish.  
<ahh, yes... a fine fish for small aquaria. 4" max at adulthood>
He is fantastic. Eats anything and is constantly cruising the tank and when I sit next to the tank he comes right up to me begging for food.  I also thought your email was very well worded and I was happy to read your, "thank you very kindly my friend......" at the end. Along those line, I wanted to bring to your attention a rude person, Marina, who answered my recent email and felt the need to insult my water quality and my fishkeeping ability.
<I have had a chance to read the communications between you two and really don't see the chide. I suspect instead that this is more of a case of the medium (e-mail) being limited and allowing an interpretation that was not there (whatever it is that inflamed you). Regardless, your use of an expletive was truly uncalled for. I'm hoping you imply were having a bad day/week and see things differently now. More importantly, I hope that you are in better spirits. This is, after all... just a hobby. A very pleasant and relaxing one at that. Nothing we do or say (not the least of which by the impersonal medium of e-mail) should get any of our panties in such a bunch. No worries>
All I did was ask if you or Bob if you knew of a pygmy angel that ate hair algae. I did not say I have a hair algae problem.  She felt the need to take my question and tell me my water quality was poor and I was overfeeding my fish.  Talk about leaping forward.  
<we really do need you to be more understanding and empathetic here. Marina is in fact one of our very hard-working crew... an entirely volunteer staff I must add. None of us are paid, and Bob has been hosting this site for years without any assurance that what little revenues we get from advertising will even cover the expenses for a server that can handle the tens of thousands of surfers trafficking our site each week. For the sheer (and sometimes staggering) amount of e-mail we get each week, we have to make some inferences when folks write in without giving much information. Nuisance algae is not only the biggest problem we hear about in marine tanks, it is perhaps the number one reason why frustrated marine aquarists get out of the hobby. Marina did/said exactly what any of the rest of us would/need to do in our (volunteer) efforts to serve the greater good>
If I told her my fish died she would have probably called the cops telling them I killed my wife! On top of that when I emailed
back she did not apologize, but continued to insult me.
<I have read the text and disagree here>
I know it is hard to find good help and I wanted to lodge a complaint against her.
<OK>
If she continues insulting people like she did to me I am sure you will have many more complaints. Thanks a bunch. Love your and Bob's books. Mark
<please do try to see the matter differently in hindsight, Mark. The time we spend on WetWebMedia is time spent away from work, families and other worthwhile endeavors. With all due respect, we owe you and our other friends/readers nothing more than an honest shared opinion. If you need more than that, I suggest you recall what you paid for our service ;) Chill brah... its a good hobby and we are good people. To better days. Anthony>

Mushroom Corals... Apology to Marina 1/22/04
Thanks for the response. You are right and your service is free so I have to look at it under that light. I do apologize for my use of profanity. It was unnecessary and uncouth.
<I'm grateful for your reconsideration. We all benefit>
Marina has a knack for getting on my nerves.  
<understood... and do consider she may feel the same... or that either one of you simply had a day of influences that led to the convergence. Other circumstances/better days... and all if differently. Rather pale with consideration of real life issues: hungry families, work shortages, ones health. Again... its just an aquarium. You two people... any two people can find common ground and even admiration for each other in another environment easily>
A friend of mine just had an ich breakout in a 300 gallon tank started by a Powder Blue Tang.  
<the tang didn't start the ich... the lack of proper quarantine did. That one is on your friend... not the fish ;) >
That was the thing that really made me angry about her comments.  She refused to acknowledge that Tangs are more susceptible to ich than other fish. In reference to a Power Blue Tang, Pocket Guide to Marine Fishes, Scott Michael, page 375, "It is very susceptible to ich, a weakness common in this family....."  I think Scott knows a little bit more about fish keeping than Marina! LOL.
(Great book! I will never buy a fish that Scott does not rank as a 4 or 5!)
<in many ways, we are all on common ground>
It made me really mad that she was giving people such bad advice by telling them that Tangs aren't susceptible to ich especially compared to Cardinals, Wrasses, Clowns, Triggers or Damsels, etc.
<hmmm... this was not what intended/said. Again, the difficulty of the medium to convey intent/emotion/passion>
All she needed to say when I said I had bad luck with Tangs getting ich was >yes, they are more susceptible to ich than other families of fish, but check your water quality (ammonia and nitrates) and especially watch for changes in temperature and PH and plenty of oxygenated water and you will go from good luck to
bad luck with Tangs >
<to play Devil's advocate, the link that everyone passes (literally have to scroll past) to click on the link to e-mail us emphasizes a self-help look in the archives. In this case, a look into the archives on ich and you/anyone would read what you wished/suggested many times over in the tang and ich FAQs if nowhere else on this enormous site. We are at risk at times of enabling aquarists by simply giving them the answer they want to hear fast/easy without guiding them to teach and help themselves>
Instead she assumed my water quality was terrible and had to repeat the word "luck" very sarcastically three times in her short answer. I am just saying her answers could have been more "tactful" and when I called her out on it she came back with the same insolent attitude. Wow, I would love to take her over my knee and give her a good spanking,
<I'm getting uncomfortable here...> 
but now that you told me she is a "volunteer" and answering a ton of e-mails from people killing all their fish I can understand her attitude a little better.
<much better if you were in our shoes, indeed>  
Convey my apologies to her for my use of profanity.
<will do so>
PS, my first foray into "corals" going well. I have gone from 3 mushrooms to 9 in just 2 months. I know they are EASY, but that is the way to go for now. I am very pro-reef and try to buy tank-raised and want to keep alive anything I buy and
specifically don't shop at a particular LFS because they always have dead fish in their tanks and young wet-behind-the-ears kids working there chewing bubblegum, lol. Luckily, we have 5 Marine fish stores local and several more within a 90 minute drive.  Thanks again, Mark
<thanks for taking the time to reply/clarify and apologize. To better days... Anthony>

Frilly Mushroom 1/13/04
Hi All,
<howdy>
I have just placed my first corals, one of which is a rock covered with about five green frilly mushrooms.
<a good and hardy choice... low to medium light and easy to feed (weekly minimum please here with finely minced meats of marine origin. small whole mysis shrimp instead would be great>
Having said that, are mushrooms Ricordea. Ricordea look awfully similar, same family?/ different species etc.?
<they are both Corallimorphs of differing genera. Note that Ricordea is to be handled unlike most mushrooms... they need brighter light and they do not feed organismally well at all. Rather, they depend on dissolved organics for nutrition not provides by symbiosis with Dinos>
Anyway, they are all open nice and wide except for one, that kind of curled. Any thoughts?
<simply needing time to acclimate... give this/al coral a week or two at least to adjust to the change in tank/light/water quality>
Also do Shrooms need to be or do they benefit from target feeding?
<yes... small but regular feedings here>
Thanks in advance
<best regards, Anthony>

Mushroom Discoloration
I have a few purplish/bluish colored mushrooms.  The largest of them is not shriveled up and has white patches on it.  I use B-Ionic Calcium supplement, and iodine.  
<tough to say without a good picture... could be bleaching, predation (flatworms) or simply poorly mixed supplements settled on it and causing stress/"burn">
Chemistry levels all good calcium at 430's and alkalinity at 9's. Coral has not contact with other corals.  
<yikes... easy on that calcium my friend. Your Alk is on the low end of a safe 8-12 dKH range because your Ca is so high (over 400ppm... don't listen to the sps nuts touting 450ppm targets). Regardless, your Ca/Alk is not being dosed in balance here. Are you shaking your two-part mix vigorously before every dose? If so, then you apparently began using the product on a system that was not in balance from go. Do a large water change to dilute all and then resume with well mixed 2-part supplementation>
Maroon clown calls it home. Any ideas of what is happening.
<mild irritation from the unnatural hosting of the clown is possible here too. Anthony>

Propagating Rhodactis 1/10/03
Thank You very much. Do You know if I can propagate the Rhodactis the same way as mushrooms? I would like to try since here we can't buy this stuff.  Bernd
<Yep!  Simple as pie.  Literally.  Just cut them into radial sections like a pie.  I probably wouldn't cut them more than into four pieces at once though.  Adam>

Mushroom Propagation 1/8/04
I have an 18" deep tank that I am interested in using for mushroom propagation overall dimensions are 4' by 2' by 18" I was curious what would you recommend for lighting, for coloration and growth. Thanks
<the lighting needed will depend on the species you intend to keep and how much you will/can feed. IF you were going to keep high light, weak (organismal) feeding Ricordea species... then low wattage halides (double ended HQIs would be great here... 100-watt) would be called for. But for deeper water and hungrier Rhodactis species, common 40 watt shop lights with good daylight lamps would actually work! Anthony>

Mushroom Madness! (Placing/Attaching Mushroom Corals)
Hey Crew- got a question for ya:
<Sure- I hope to have an answer for ya! Scott F. at your service!>
A couple days ago, one of my friends who has an established reef tank gave me a couple of small rocks that were covered with mushrooms.  He said that I could take the mushrooms and position them around my tank on various live rock surfaces and they would grow and reproduce.  My reef tank only houses a few small leathers and a couple polyp colonies so it is pretty empty.  The mushrooms are opened and doing well but I can tell they are cramped on the small rocks.  I would like to move the mushrooms but don't really know how to do it.
<Unfortunately, it's not too easy to do it. You really run the risk of damaging the animals if you attempt to "pry" them off the rocks. Better to either "coax" them towards an area that you want by placing some small rocks near the location of the mushrooms, which will begin to cover the rocks. Alternatively, you can carefully "chip" the rock around the mushrooms and epoxy the rock chips with the mushrooms to their new locations..>
In the middle of the day when all Power compacts are on they are extended  from the rock and I can see they are attached by a circular placement about the size of a dime. What is the easiest way to move these mushrooms and then how can I place them on the rock so they don't blow around the tank?
<As above... Prying them off and then attempting to use a glue or other compound to attach them is problematic, if not next to impossible...>
I have a wavemaker that makes a lot of current so they need a solid foundation.  I was thinking about the Holdfast Epoxy to hold them down, but maybe they could attach with more natural methods?
<Yep- the "rubble method" as outlined above. Also- try to keep them in a lower current area as well...>
I have about 100 pounds live rock in a 75 gallon reef and a lot of open  space for these guys. Any help would be appreciated.  I don't really know the specific mushroom species, but they are all mainly green and red and blue and purple, some with small little "fingers" sticking up on them. Thanks Jonathan
<Well, Jonathan-lot's of possible species matches here. You can get some great info. on Corallimorphs in Anthony's "Book of Coral Propagation" and Eric Borneman's "Aquarium Corals", and you can find more stuff right here on the WWM site by using the Google search feature. Hope this points you in the right direction! Regards, Scott F>

Re: Another Question (Corallimorph problem)
Thanks for the quick reply.  The 'room seems fine today as you predicted but if I read your answer correctly, something different is going on here.  I've seen the 'spaghetti' and found what it was in your FAQ sheets.
I resaved the picture in BMP format in case that works.  The mass being ejected this time was more like a mucus with small white specks in it.  The stuff was a pale green in color.  After I wrote, I checked and the slime had disconnected and stuck to the LR.  Today there's no sign of it.
Since it doesn't seem any worse for wear, I guess there's no rush but it would be nice to know what's going on if it happens again.
<I was able to open the re-saved pic.  Thanks!  It looks to me like this is ordinary mucous/slime that any coral will produce when disturbed.  The "stuff" stuck in it is probably just bits of sand and/or detritus that stuck after the mucous was expelled.  Definitely nothing to worry about!  Adam>
Troy

Mushroom Corallimorphs 12/16/03
Hi Bob,
<Anthony Calfo in his stead>
I have a small 40 gallon Marine tank that has been running for three months.  I have a Fluval 203 filled with Matrix and Bio-Rings and returning to the tank with a Bio-Wheel 30.  I also have a Maxi-Jet 600 and a 96W Cora-Life Power Compact.  I have about 10 pounds of dead rock as a base and 15 pounds of live rock with a gorgeous blue coralline algae that has developed since it has been in the tank. I have almost no diatom or bad algae since I added about 6 strands of grape Caulerpa growing well. I only have one fish, a small Blue Fin Damsel that I used to cycle the tank.   I also have two baby starfish I got from somewhere (I had a sand-sifter die), 10 Hermits, 5 Turbo Snails and a fantastic population of big copepods. I have 3 Red Mushroom Corals on a big flat rock with a forth budding, oh and I have two Cleaner Shrimp (one large one small) that hang out under the mushroom rock and come running to the front of the tank for food whenever they see me, lol.  I did not think shrimp were that smart!  I plan on making this a mushroom tank an adding more mushrooms and was thinking of Metallic Greens first and a couple of fish maybe a Flame Angel, Royal Gramma and a Banggai or a Flame and Bi-Color. I was also thinking of trying a Sebae and a couple of Perc's. I use Kent Essential Elements once a week and do water changes once a month. My questions are; What other supplements do I need for mushrooms (there are so many out there I am confused which are good for shrooms)?
<I favor water changes and specific compounds (iodine, calcium hydroxide, and carbonates basically). No care for dilute mixes of fancy supplements>
Do I need to feed them phytoplankton?
<not likely... your mushrooms are zooplankton feeders like most corals>
If so, which do you recommend (I was thinking of Kent Micro-Vert and Phytoplex)? Who is better, Coralife or Kent for Invertebrate Food?
<some folks would not take either for free. I'd recommend a refugium instead and occasional target feeding with whole prey like thawed frozen Mysid shrimp.>
Can I feed them Frozen Brine or Formula One?
<brine shrimp should rarely be fed (it is nutritively barren). There is much to learn here my friend. Please do read more into our wetwebmedia.com archives regarding feeding corals>
Where did my baby starfishes come from (how do starfish reproduce?)?  
<we cannot say, my friend... we do not know what species you have (no pic or description), We discuss various strategies of invertebrate reproduction (including starfish) in our Reef Invertebrates book ; live-bearing, fission, asexual and sexual reproduction.>
Do Pygmy Angel fish eat shrooms?  
<dwarf angels commonly predate on invertebrates>
Can I keep a Flame and Bi-Color in the same tank?
<with so many novice questions here mate, please let me guide you to our free archives to read FAQs and articles... and Bob Fenner's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist">
Is it to soon for me to add a Sebae?
<please do not mix anemones with corals>
Are they hardy?  
<if you can find a brown one (not yellow or white... also writ about on our website)>
Will it kill my shrooms?  Well, so far so good, but now is when amateurs tend to get in over their head, lol. I have a QT tank set up with a big sponge and tiny canister filter (I will take out the carbon if I have to treat the fish) and a Damsel in it nice and cycled for my new fish. Thanks, love the book. I just ordered the book on Coral Propagating. Mark
<thank you very kindly my friend... you are truly on the right track to read and educate yourself and then ask questions. More reading... more reading. Anthony>

Actinodiscus questions - 12/2/03
Two weeks ago I purchased some striped Actinodiscus. <Nice> Since I've put them in my tank they've "hugged" the rock, not curled up, but laid flat or even curled back. <Hmmmmm. Come to think of it, took mine a long time to adjust as well. Almost a full six months before full expansion> I've placed them on the bottom in a fairly quiet area. <Good> There is one other coral in the tank - a small tree coral. <No problem in my experience>  I've added one dose of iodine. <Forget about it. Unless you test for it then I wouldn't dose it> Any suggestions?
55 gal standard tank
80 lb live rock
3 yellowtail damsels, 1 royal Gramma, several snails
s.g. 1.024
Temp 75
Alk - high
pH 8.4
Cal 400
Nitrate - near zero
Lighting - 4X65w power compact - two Smartlamps (50% 10000K, 50% actinic), two 6700K
Circulation - 2 Maxijet 900's, Eheim Pro II canister
Remora Pro skimmer <Nice setup. Sounds great to me. >
Also, how can I tell where to place corals under my particular light? <if the corals need high lighting intensity, then place it as high as possible (as close to the light as possible) medium is somewhere around the middle levels of the tank, and low light is nearer the bottom if not the bottom>  After I learn what level of light a coral needs, how do I know in my particular system how far from the light to place the coral to achieve the correct lighting? <use the rule of thumb in my previous statement. Think about where the coral comes from in the wild, what type of lighting it is being kept under in captivity and where it is placed in the captive system as well. In any event, be sure to try and move the mushrooms as little as possible, keep them low in the tank where they get some light, and leave 'em be. Give them some time to adjust and get used to your water parameters, general husbandry habits, and lighting. Just some thoughts. Happy holidays. ~Paul>
Thanks,
Randy

Odd mushroom, reference to new book 12/3/03
Bob, Anthony, et al
<whassup buttercup?>
again, excellent work on the "Reef Inverts" book... loving every page of it so far.. and finally completed it front to back.
<much thanks... we're very glad to contribute>
found something very interesting on page 157 .. in the pic in lower right hand corner of 'Clathria' species sponge, there is a lime green (mushroom?) just to the left... I have something that looks very much like this but have never been able to
find a good id on it..
<actually... the pictured organism looks like a small Cynarina stony coral to me. But the Corallimorph is unmistakable if true>
mine have the fleshy nodes but each end in a point (sort of talon like) and a bright orange mouth in the center... seem to like light and do not take food directly like some shrooms I've had before...
<hmmm... do see yours retract and try to discover if there is not some stony corallum (look for the ridges of septa). If yours truly is a soft animal, then perhaps a better pic of yours is needed here>
(though I suppose most do not anyway)
<not correct... shrooms are generally very heavy organismal feeders... its the method of delivery that can be a challenge>
I have enclosed a pic to help in the identification .. (its not the best pic but should give some shape characteristics) flesh looks very similar to one in your pic referenced above..
<sorry Joe... the pic link is not working/clear to me. Can you resend as a attachment?>
any pointers or ideas u may have would be appreciated...
<be chatting soon :) Anthony>

Odd Cnidarian/mushroom/anemone 12/7/03
Anthony, thanks for the heads up.. I really like it and it has only reproduced  slowly..
<agreed... no harm in keeping/enjoying it for now>
I'm playing w/ various means of reproduction now and have separated one off to another friend to try in her tank too.. and I'll be sharing another one w/ another friend next wknd so it'll be avail in our area
<excellent to hear!>
doesn't seem to eat directly.. but does enjoy the light.. biggest one hasn't reached half dollar size yet..
<do experiment with different food... sometimes it is simply prey size/type that fails to elicit a response. Very very tiny plankton is likely needed here (minced meats are too large). Refugiums are of enormous benefit with such circumstances>
thanks, happy holidays to you all. Joe
Longest Running Aquarium Club in Oklahoma - Since 1949!
Oklahoma City Aquarium Association
<and to you in kind my friend. Anthony>

Mushroom Mix?
Dear Coral Guru,
<No "guru"...Just Scott F. at the keyboard tonight...>
Thanks so much for all the help, I hope you all are well.  I have one (well, another one) quick question.
<Sure...>
I understand that Mushroom corals in general are not very compatible with other species.  However how compatible are they with each other?
<It does vary among species...>
I mean can I keep say keep mushrooms from the Rhodactis Genus with say those of the Actinodiscus Genus in very close proximity like on the same piece of live rock?
<I would not put them on the same rock. Rhodactis tend to be quite aggressive, and may overtake the Actinodiscus...Besides, each is interesting in its own light, deserving a space of it's own in the tank...Place 'em widely apart for optimum results, IMO...>
Kind Regards, Jorell
<Glad to be of service! Regards, Scott F>

Microbubbles...Big Trouble!
Hello
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I recently added a downstream refugium to my sump for my 75 gal reef ready tank. I realize I need to remove the mechanical filter items like all of my sponges so that beneficial copepods & such can pass through to my display tank. I mainly used these sponges in the past to keep out the micro bubbles from entering my display tank. I also added 2 baffles and one bubbles trap which is about 2 inches off the bottom of my sump and 2 inches above the water level in my sump. This helped but I am still getting a ton of micro bubbles in the display.  What can I do correct this?
<A couple of thoughts here: First, I'd search your plumbing for the obvious...any loose seals or connections that are not 100% airtight. Even the smaller break in seal can admit air, which causes micro-bubbles. Another step that works is to employ large chunks of live rock (which is quite porous) to help "catch" some of the stray bubbles, or you can use a dense growth of prolific and beneficial macro algae, such as Chaetomorpha, which forms a dense, yet permeable matrix, allowing some micro fauna through, but perhaps trapping bubbles in the process.>
I have tried adjusting the PVC pipe where the water enters the sump so it is below the water level, above the water level and I even tried drilling a couple of holes in the PVC pipe to let out air before in dumps into the sump but I continue to get a lot of bubbles. I should mention , when the water comes from the display tank, it comes down & enters pool hose which links directly to some PVC pipe in my sump. The pool hose dips in the middle (from the wait of the water) where it suspended in the air and then rises about 4 inches because the hose needs to connect to the PVC connection on my sump. This pool hose is constantly shaky from the force of water flowing thru it but also it gurgles & hick-ups quite a bit. I think this is from to much air getting caught in it.
<Sounds like it...Exactly>
I am just not sure why this is happening. I hope I am explaining myself clearly.  Do you think this is the cause of my problem?
<A very good possibility>
Do I need to find a way level off the hose (eliminate the dip) to make the water not rise & essentially flow smoother? I am not sure if this will eliminate the gurgling/air in the hose or not.
<I think that this adjustment is certainly worth the experiment on your part...try it and see>
I also have a question about mushrooms. I recently purchased a mushroom rock that has about 10-15 mushrooms on it. How can I transfer these mushrooms to my main rock in the display tank. Is it best to break this rock into several small pieces & glue them to the rock in the display tank?
<If you don't want them all on one rock-yes>
I don't think I should pry them off the rock they are currently attached to.
<No, you shouldn't>
Is there better way to get them transferred/attached to the large piece of rock in my tank? Please let me know- thanks for your time -Anj
<I like the idea of carefully chipping off small pieces of rock on which the 'shrooms are attached, then carefully gluing the rock in place where you want them on your reefscape. Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Mushroom troubles (9-29-03)
Hey there wet web, <Howdy, sorry for the delayed reply.> I need some help! I have a umbrella mushroom that is not doing good for some reason. Its mouth is wide open and some kind of goo is coming out and some tentacle are also hanging out. It is partly shriveled up and not looking good. All other occupant in the tank are doing good except this one mushroom. This happened overnight because it was fully open and doing fine last evening and this morning it looked like this. I am including a pic of the mushroom in good health and in its current state. <I couldn’t get the pic to work but check your water quality first off as that is unusually the problem.  Other than making sure the water is good give it adequate light and water flow and see if he comes around.  Cody>Thanks

Sick Corallimorph? 9/25/03 Why is my mushroom's mouth wide open and clear jelly stuff and tentacles are coming out? <mesenterial filaments... a sign of aggression or stress> It also keeps opening and closing. All other creatures in the tank are doing well including spotted mushrooms, a swaying stick polyp, a Ricordea, and inverts and fish, except this umbrella mushroom. Can I send you a pic of what it looks like, if that will help I can send before and after pics. <if you like... but the behavior is clear... consider if there is another coral within 6" of it... 10"+ would be best> I tested water parameters and everything is good and hasn't changed from last night but the mushroom sure has. I am currently fighting a Cyanobacteria naturally with decreased feeding and water changes could this be a problem? <not decreased water changes, but increased, right? If so.. all's good. Likely a response to poor water flow or a neighboring Cnidarian. Best regards, Anthony>

Florida Ricordea
Hello,
       I am hoping you can answer my question or at least guide me in the right direction. I am looking for a wholesaler that sales Ricordea. I am looking to buy several polyps to start a propagation system solely for as many different colors of Ricordea I can possibly find. Any help in locating one will be greatly appreciated.
<I'd give Dick Perrin at Tropicorium, http://www.tropicorium.com/ a call/visit. Bob Fenner>

Mushrooms and bleached tissue? 9/13/03
I have 55 with a wet dry and a red sea Berlin skimmer.  The tank seems to be doing really well.  I have all mushrooms and a lone finger leather with the tank full of live rock.  Lots of coralline algae growth.  I have an icecap ballast with 3 48in VHO bulbs.
I add calcium, strontium and iodine and do water changes once a month.  I have two small clownfish. My problem is that some of my blue mushrooms(5 out of 30) have areas on them that are almost transparent....the mushrooms are still alive but don't expand like
all the others.  it seems that they are not dying off or getting worse...just staying like this.
<there are several possible reasons for this... but if you are not feeding these mushrooms weekly (a common error), the slow attrition/starvation is the likely cause here. Even under the best lights... corallimorphs (and most coral) can only get 60-80% of their daily food from photosynthesis... the rest has to come from feeding (adbsorbtion and/or organismal feeding)>
they do not appear to be getting stung by anything that I can tell and the hermits and snails seem to leave not bother anyone much.
all the other mushrooms and the leather look extremely healthy.
any ideas.
<bleaching tissue is the expulsion of zooxanthellae... not from aggression. And since mushrooms are hardier regarding water quality than most other corals (no symptoms stated here from your others), I strongly suspect that the mushrooms have gone weeks/months with little or no food. DO read through our archives at wetwebmedia.com for info regarding feeding corals. Anthony>

Follow Up (visit in Sing., looking for Ricordea floridae and tridacnids)
Hi Bob
<Edwin!>
Nice meeting you the other day.  I trust that you have by now rested from the trip.
<Yes... somewhat. Thank you again for taking the time to share with us re your business>
Anyway, below are my contact information, please forward these to the Ricordea culture and also if possible a clam jobber/wholesaler.
<Am going to first cc Barry Neigut (the gentleman I mentioned who owns, operates ClamsDirect(.com) for his input. He's coming over for lunch and chatting this very day>
  Been looking for real show grade stuff for quite some time already.  Can get at least 100 Ricos polyps or 200 clams at one go, if they are real show stuff.
<Amazing>
Name: Edwin Lam
Contact number: +65  98582018
Email: lamcy@i2r.a-star.edu.sg
Thanks for the help and do let me know if you are dropping by in the region again.
<Will do so. Hello to Perry. Bob Fenner>
Best Rgds
Edwin Lam

Mushroom Madness?
A quick question about my mushrooms, please.  The main mushroom that is about 3 inches across that has multiplied several times since I first got it has fled the scene.  Two days ago it reproduced one last time and then seemed to tear slowly from its foot.  Now it is in a corner of the tank under a piece of live rock in the dark.  Is it going to die?  I've heard of them floating off of rock and re-attaching in another place, but that
doesn't seem to be happening here.  Should I remove it to quarantine?
<If it were me, I'd try to place it in a quiet place (a separate tank or lighted sump is okay) with some bits of live rock "rubble" for it to attach to, and just give it time. I'll bet it can recover- I've seen that myself before...>
Should I throw it out?  How can I save it?  Thanks again so much for all your help.
<As stated above- I think that it's worth a try to see if it will re-attach and grow...Don't give up on it! Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

Re: Mushroom Id 7/15/03 Hey Anthony are you sure they are not Ricordea?  Because I thought Rhodactis at first but then I thought Ricordea <I'm as sure as any of us can be from a pic ID. Aquarists (myself included) have no place in making definitive IDs when we have no formal training in Ichthyology, Phylogeny, Taxonomy or basket weaving (er... at least a few of those things, that is). The best we can do is make an intelligent consensus based on our libraries of aquaristic and academic literature. I have a book shelf (like you perhaps/many others no doubt) of several hundred reliable references. On that I called your 'shroom Rhodactis <G>. Of course, I also think animals prints are fashionable, and that fur on one's dashboard is cool too. FWIW. Family and group names are good enough for most cnidarians... generalizations about genera are fair too. Species ID is ridiculous in most cases short of like-"typing". Anthony>

Mushrooms
Hello,
Would Mushroom corals do well in an 55g standard with an icecap 660 and 4X48 VHO URI tubes?
<Do look over this link regarding mushrooms  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm --IanB>
Thanks,
Rod

Question on coral propagation 6/23/03
Hi am gonna propagate some of my mushrooms tonight and I was wondering if they would die if I took the rock with all the mushrooms out of the water?
<no worries... they can stay out of water for many minutes if moist (spray lightly with saltwater). More than enough time to work on them>
the instructions said take out of water cut with Exacto knife as close to the base of the mushroom the take the head and cut into 4 pieces leaving a piece of stalk/mouth
<it can work... but is aggressive. Simply cutting in half is safer at first>
should I cut it when there retracted at night or opened during the day
<makes no difference>
also does this hurt them I don't want to hurt them thanks JM great site and great people
<with kind regards, Anthony>

Odd Mushroom Corallimorph behavior 6/13/03
Dear Anthony: Twice in the past couple of months I have witnesses a mushroom twisting and turning to get off the rock it resided on.  In both cases two different rocks) the mushroom succeeded and disappeared.  I feed them special coral food 2-3 times a week (powder form mixed in water).  What message should I get from all of this?
<tough to say... perhaps sensation of a neighboring competitor, perhaps water quality... indeed difficult to say with so many variables in a beautiful, but unnaturally stocked "garden reef display" (mixes of competitive soft and hard corals with mushrooms, zoanthids, hamsters and smurfs all in one tank <G>). Examine water quality and see where we can improve... carbon weekly instead of monthly, larger water changes... the addition of ozone, etc>
Thanks so much, Anthony.  Hopefully this kind of stuff will be in your forthcoming book. Your fan, Connie
<that would be volume 3 actually with the Cnidarians. Volume one covers all other non-stinging reef invertebrates. The next volume (2) will be the fishes... yay! Kind regards, Anthony>

Mushroom Mayhem?
Hi Crew, Thanks for your previous advise, wondered it you would mind answering a few more questions for me.
<Sure! Scott F. with you today!>
Have a mixed, fish & invert tank 36" x24"x 24 set up 7 months
External Filter, Trickle Filter, Skimmer, in the process of growing out a refugium 3 Hagen Life Glo flourecents,1 Marine Glo   fluorescent 12-14 hrs P.D.
Stats:
pH 8.4day - 8.2 night
Amonia:0
Nitite:0
Nitrate <5mg/l
Phos:0
Calcium:340
kh:10mg/l
20kg Live rock
Fish: (pyjama wrasse, blue damsel, fire goby, Maldives clown, scooter blenny)
Inverts: Mushroom coral, Polyp colony, Mushroom Anemone, Pulsing Xenia, White spot Xenia, Leather Coral
Flaming scallop, 3 turbo snail 1 red hermit,
Invert
All corals doing fine,. except mushroom: seems to be shrinking, and zooxanthellae becoming very intense green , and paler. (recently added more lighting (also moved  it a couple of times))
<Lighting changes can certainly be a factor in the shrinking mushrooms. Photo-shock is definitely a problem for many corals...Lighting changes must be made gradually>
When first started to add corals didn't research choices enough, and apron further reading I accept I should not  of made some of the choices I did. such as aggressiveness of the leather and anemone.
<That's another possibility...Allelopathy is a very real, and often overlooked problem in closed systems>
Do regular carbon changes, most weeks, good circulation and aggressive skimming, 3 - 4 cups per week. good space between all corals, any comments or compatibility issues I should be concerned about, or causes of the shrinking.
<Well, these animals are thought to appreciate additions of magnesium and iodine, but regular water changes will replenish these elements. Sometimes, sudden environmental changes (such as specific gravity and temperature) also have negative effects>  
Fish
Scooter Blenny, opinion please of keeping in this aquarium. Didn't realize they are closely related to dragonets, many books do not refer to them in this way, do they need just as much care as the mandarins. I have had him for two months now, he seems to be doing ok, there is a fairly large population of copepods etc, but they only come out at night, when he buries himself in the sand!. It just worries me that he does not get enough food, doesn't take frozen, can't catch the live!. Hopefully, I can set this refugium soon, also any idea of the life span of these excellent fishes!, do they fair better or worse than the mandarins.
<Well- all too short in most aquariums! I'm not certain as to their natural life span...The productive refugium is a key component to your success with these fishes, however!>
Water
Thought calcium was a little low, one your  good advise, decided to supplement with Kalkwasser additions. First though it would be a good Idea to raise calcium level slightly first, then test and then again after a few days, to work out the  requirements.
<Smart idea! "Test, then tweak", as John Tullock is fond of saying. Words to live by!>
I made up a one liter stock solution, slowly dripped in 250 ml  overnight, turned the lights on in the morning, there was a slight precipitate in the water! lasted for about an hour), had slightly raised Phos, presumed that was what it was. Now I am a bit wary of using the Kalkwasser, for fear of snowstorms. am going to purchase a digi pH meter soon), do you think I added to much too quickly, or made a too concentrated solution.
<Possibly...>
That's it!!, Thanks for taking the time, and any advise always greatly appreciated Have a good Day!
Rob
<Rob- thanks for the excellent description of your system and problem. I think that you're doing fine...Really, any deficiencies and errors in procedure that you have mentioned have been corrected by you...My advice is to just keep up the good husbandry practices, avoid excessive disturbance of the animals, and only move the corals if required...Good luck! Scott F>