[NAS]

ok I curently have 4 reef tanks running. 2-100 gallons and 2-nano's. All the tanks are maintained regularly and the same way. All of a sudden in one tank all the musroom went poof! within 3 days the all just vanished. They were healthy and happy for quite some time. The majority of them were over a year old in an established tank for 6 years. There are two suvivors remaining in full health. One elephant ear and a clster of green rich.

The tank: 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 15 ppm nitrates, 160 ppm kH, PH 8. Salinity is 1.0245 (refractometer). The lighting is 400w 20,000k mh, with 2x96w 50/50's. With my chiller the temperature is fixed at 80F with a 1F variance. I uses exclusively RO water. The fish are all great with no disease. I have not seen any of them eat or pick at the mushrooms. the only potential baddies are a 6 inch Majestic Angel and a 5 inch Regal Angel. Other then that im kinda stumped. When they all died I checked all the paramaters and they were the same.

Otherwise, Mostly leathers, with one pineapple brain, Kenya tree coral, naptha coral, Devils hands, muchroom leathers.


Any thoughts out there?

[carym]

Are you dosing calcium? I lost mine as soon as I started dosing liquid calcium, now I can't keep normal mushrooms. I can however keep the frilly mushrooms.

[NAS]

I forgot to add closing note to this thread. Old one but worth a note.

Found the cuase of loss for my mushrooms.... DOG FACE PUFFER developed an appitite for them.

[demonsquirt]

I didnt see him in the list.
Add 1 coral and you have a reef tank. In a reef tank its all about the coral and water quality . Think of fish as CUC for algea control and sand cleaning plus the fact you feed them also feeds the coral. Then MB 1 or 2 as eye candy.

You need to decide which tank is for coral and which tanks would be for fish.

You say 6 yrs but i hate to say this is a newbie , i want it all , mistake.

[NAS]

I can see hou you could come to that conclusion with out all the info. This is face is my "Fish" system. I have 6 different systems All with different setups that I "Decided" on long ago (so I can "Have it all").

The tank in question has only Leathers and mushrooms as back ground. The main focus is the fish, which include a Majestic, French, Emperor, Blue Face, and Grey pomacanthus (sp??) all to go in the big tank that is under construction. Algae goes in as "food", cause it does not live longenough to grow .

Now, the conclusion that I came to was in deed a "newbie" mistake. I simply a)forgot to mention the freakin puffer, and b) didn't realalize the dogface would eat the mushrooms. Every thing else in the tank leaves all the softies alone.

I have a stony/clam reef tank, and have no interest in having any other corals in my "Fish" tank.


Foot note: There is always some one out there that knows more then you. So you can always learn more, and make "Newbie mistakes" So in a way you are always a newbie to some extent. LOL

[demonsquirt]

This is a young hobby and theres much to be learned. But adding a puffer or any with caution fish with coral is novice material.

Its funny though. I see some you state to have a fish only tank but stock it with all reef type fish. Then others that stock fish only fish with coral. All i did was give great advice and its what you do with it that matters.GL..

[NAS]

LOL, Im easily confused tank to tank.

It's interesting you mention the corals/fish mixing or combinations. I really struggle with the concept that certian combinations of fish/coral are shunned. I get the main thought of compatibility, however a great many of these co-exist happily in the wild. Granted, its a vastly different senario, but still there should be a small common ground with the home aquarium.

For example, You are not supposed to keep tasseled file fish wiht triggers yet we do with success (granted this may be the odd case). However, we seem to experience alot of these "Odd occurances". We find these by trying the combos (avoiding the obvious no-no's).

My main fish tank is exactly that Fish focused. I have put in a lot of different corals over time. If the fish eat them and it helps accilmate them im ok with it. I just don't do that coral a secocnd time.

I always appritiate input and consider it. So, Keep it coming....