Cutting mushrooms without fragging

[schiavonir]

I posted this question in the mushroom forum, but haven't gottena response yet. Thought I would try here.

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I have never had much success fragging mushrooms. I've tried cutting them into 4 pieces and the mesh in a low flow area, etc. and all I end up doing is destroying a perfectly good mushroom.

So I'm wondering, if I take some mushrooms that are doing well in my tank and just cut one side with scissors, what is the likelihood that this will encourage a split? I know in some cases, if you cut them like this, the cut just heals.

Or maybe I would have more success just by cutting the foot with a razor blade. Again, I wouldn't seperate anything or move the mushrooms, just put a single cut into it.

 

[Oblivionis]

I don't know why you're losing mushrooms after cutting one up. I just did one a couple months ago and now I have 5 of them growing. They take about two weeks to attach to something.

 

[BradL.]

If you just cut cut the head off ,a new one will grow in its place. So no worry about losing it. When you cut the head up make sure each piece has part of the center.

 

[schiavonir]

So what do you guys do with them after fragging? I've tried the Tupperware dish full of LR rubble with the mesh over the top in a low-flow area. Instead of attaching, they usually just shrivel up and die. I've tried rubberbands too, with no luck.

 

[icenine2005]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7164344#post7164344 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BradL.
If you just cut cut the head off ,a new one will grow in its place. So no worry about losing it. When you cut the head up make sure each piece has part of the center.

I was going to post the same thing. I cut it iff the foot rather than in half, leaving the foot behind. About a week later... new shroom growing....the old head in a shot glass for a week gets enough substrate to glue someplace else IME.

 

[schiavonir]

icenine, do you cover the shot glass?

 

[jeemann99]

Instead of cutting won't the shrooms just multiply or spread on their own? Are you just talking about regular colored mushrooms?

 

[schiavonir]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7164873#post7164873 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeemann99
Instead of cutting won't the shrooms just multiply or spread on their own? Are you just talking about regular colored mushrooms?

Yeah, they should. Just trying to speed up the process, if possible.

 

[jeemann99]

Is it like cutting xenia?

 

[guzz64]

You dont want to speed it up....once they get going they grow like crazy. I had 5, now over 100.

 

[jeemann99]

I mave had 2 red ones and 1 purple one for about 2mos. and they still have not split. My xenia is growing crazy though, my SPS seems to be doing fine, toadstool growing like crazy, but my shrooms have not yet split...

 

[schiavonir]

Yeah, that's kinda what happens to me. Xenia, leathers, anthelia, kenya, all growing like crazy. No sign of any of my mushrooms or rics splitting. In my other tank, I have two green fuzzy mushrooms that took about a year for one of them to split into two.

 

[adamjr]

I'm with Guzz. once I had about 10 mushrooms in my tank. I fragged 2 of them ONCE. Now I can't count them. When I actually do my tank upgrade/location change only a couple are making the move. You'll see a post from me at that time selling shrooms really cheap.

Adam

 

[Oblivionis]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7164648#post7164648 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by schiavonir
So what do you guys do with them after fragging? I've tried the Tupperware dish full of LR rubble with the mesh over the top in a low-flow area. Instead of attaching, they usually just shrivel up and die. I've tried rubberbands too, with no luck.

Yes, that is what I did. I put a dish covered with a layer of gauze in a spot close to where the original mushroom was growing. I did not loose a single piece of that mushroom.
Just make sure you change the gauze every few days.

 

[schiavonir]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7170868#post7170868 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Oblivionis
Yes, that is what I did. I put a dish covered with a layer of gauze in a spot close to where the original mushroom was growing. I did not loose a single piece of that mushroom.
Just make sure you change the gauze every few days.

Ah, maybe that's my problem. For the sake of not wanting to disturb them, I leave it alone and the mesh eventually gets covered in crap, and no light gets through.

It looks like one of my mushrooms has bridged the gap between two pieces of rock. So this is probably the perfect opportunity to slice it right between the rocks and take a piece of it home to my other tank.