[lacybiker2000]

My tank is about a month and a half old I have one fist sized rock with shrooms on it that has been in the tank since I started. The shrooms were purply brown with green spots when I bought them, now they are mostly a lighter purply-brown only, although the LFS said they would be fine if I put them in the same day as starting the tank as long as I aclimated them. Yes I am new to the hobby and I know now to take their advise as a grain of salt. They have survived, amazingly. When the lights are on they open up and move a little, but still look a little stubby to me, I think they are rather small and young, there are 6 or 7 that are about a quarterto a little larger than a nickel in size when open and about that many or so that are smaller than a dime/eraser size. None of them are touching another on the rock usually except a few of the larger ones when fully open just brush edges. They look like a cap with a stalk and a tiny dimple in the middle. Which does not really look like most of the ones I have seen in pics on this site. My question is involving their behavior at night. They tend to kinda close up or cup up and shrink. Is this normal? Do they feed during the day/night? I've got some frozen rotifers and other type phytoplankton to feed them. Since my tank is little, I've been chipping off small pieces of the blocks defrosting, mixing in a little tank water, then eye dropping them near the shrooms and tiny feather dusters about twice a week. Sometimes they close more, sometimes they move the little mouth or center area like they are eating. The last time, I droppered the mix in front of the powerhead instead of getting close to the feathers as they close up when I got close and sometimes just when I open the lid. What are y'all's regimen on this?? Do they get bigger? Will they reproduce and how large do they have to be to do so? Any other advise on these animals would be appreciated. TIA

[rlcline76]

Yeah, LFS..
You should be OK with phytoplankton. Where is it positioned in the tank? Many mushrooms don't do as well under bright lights. Try putting it toward the bottom of the tank . They will reduce in size when the lights go out. That is normal.

[glampka]

Mushrooms typically shrivel up once the lights go out. They do react to the amount of light they are given. The less light, the more they open. Generally there is no real need to feed them since they get most of their food from the algae that grows within them. Mushrooms generally will get bigger depending on the variety that you have.
Typically, mushrooms use budding to propagate. A new mushroom will bud from the base of the parent and grow to a full sized polyp as it moves away from the shade of the parent.

[lacybiker2000]

I've got them at the bottom of the tank, semi-shaded. Looking online last night I finally found a pic of some that looked like mine, they were called speckled mushrooms. I've not seen any of them bud so far. Perhaps the tank just needs to be a bit older. Thanks for your advise.

[e_baer]

the shrooms you have may need more or less light. what type of light do you have? they also do not like tons of current, so keep that in mind as well. they get most of their nutrition from an algae that lives inside their tissue. the algae is called zooxanthallae. if this algae dies of goeas away, it is something called bleaching. if bvleaching occurs, the shrroms will lose their color. so if this happens, they will most likely die.

[lacybiker2000]

They have just faded a bit, I don't think they are bleaching. The lighting are two compact flourescent lamps: 1-18watt 10,000 white, and 1-18watt true actinic 03. One of the balasts has gone out and they are on backorder from the company. So, I've only got one bulb going, the actinic, ran the white only when the balast first went out, but now that bulb has gone out too.. So it may be a lighting issue too. These are what came in the biocube. I've noticed that the smaller ones tend to be darker than the large ones.

[cappy290]

Is is cool if your mushrooms move off a rock they were once on? I have a rock with like 10 or so purple mushrooms on it and 2 of them moved off to different rocks. They all seem to be doing well so i havent done anything with the ones that moved off. Sorry to just jump in on your thread lacybiker2000 I was just wondering b/c I have a biocube also.

[rlcline76]

I had 2 mushrooms jump ship and attached themselves to other rocks. They are doing well. Their rock was a little crowded.

[cappy290]

Hey Becky do you know if mushrooms will spread like star polyps? I have a green star that is on its way of covering a large rock it would be cool if the mushrooms would do the same thing...

[rlcline76]

I've had small mushrooms stem from the base of my larger mushrooms, I have also had a mushroom split down the center and form 2 mushrooms. In my experience it is a rather slow process, not like star polyps which can go crazy with the right conditions. You could also brush up on fragging your mushrooms to help aid the population. There is a video link in the How would you feel about some fraggin lessons thread in he Coral Propagation Forum.

[cappy290]

Thanks for the help I will look into that video and see if it helps me out..

[e_baer]

somewhere i gave pics and listed step by step they way i frag my shrooms. its on a thread somewhere.

[lacybiker2000]

Cappy290: No problems what so ever, we are all here to learn, and I enjoy reading other peoples issues/experiences too. Got the new ballast in and the mushrooms have either grown more or are just opening up more fully, what I assume are the adults are now about the size of a half dollar or larger. (weeeeee) They are my favorite things to watch in the tank...although yesterday I did get some Zoa frags in. They are already opening up. Or most of them anyway. LOL Thanks again for all the advice given on here.