ID these shrooms for me???

[Skwilliams7]

New to the saltwater game, got these shrooms and I dont know what they are or pretty much anything about them, besides that they spread like wildfire. Started with 4 or 5 some odd months ago and they have spread to about 50 on the one rock, about 20 more in various locations of the tank. Are these guys a nuisance or...? I like them so I hope they arent something I dont want haha I just cant seem to find anything out about these guys. Anyways, Thanks in advance for any responses! PS. I apologize for the poor image quality, but hopefully someone can make out exactly what they are! Thanks

 

[Skwilliams7]

P.S. Should I be fragging these guys off so they arent so crowded? could this pose any problems?? Thanks! =)

 

[TampaSnooker]

rhodactis species

 

[Skwilliams7]

thanks!! other question....should I be fragging them or are they okay being all crowded like that??

 

[Skwilliams7]

Well I looked up that species-- doesn't seem to look anything like them besides for the bumpy texture. Is that the only thing that would qualify them as that species- does it have anything to do with color or anything like that? What would their name be in lamens terms lol

 

[AGYDAL]

They're fine like that, they can move if they're unhappy...sometimes I'll change the flow in my tank to get mine to spread around.

Colors can vary from tank to tank in the same animal, I tossed some purple mushrooms from my nano into my big tank, and in my big tank they turned blue.

When it comes to fancy names, I never pay attention (besides what the animal is so I can care for it properly)...IMO- your better off focusing on buying healthy animals and keeping them healthy than focusing on some silly name on a less than healthy animal just so you can say you have it.

 

[Skwilliams7]

Yeah I agree on that fact. They seem to be doing very well with where they are and the lighting I have (they've been in there like that for about the past 7 months or so) besides that, they've spread like crazy. Started with about 10 or less and now have about 60 or 70- So I'm pretty confident they are happy and healthy. Just wondering what they would be called so I could look it up online and find out what I'm dealing with- but I'm not sure if Rhodactis was accurate-which was why I was asking for clarification on what classifies a species as whatever it is. Is it JUST based off the texture? Anyways, Thanks!!

 

[TampaSnooker]

Rhodactis is the genus. There are several species within Rhodactis with different morphology. Color is absolutely irrelevant when IDing these and some species have tremendous variation in color even in the same tank as the parents. Riccordea have much more pronounced vessicles (the bumps) and Discosoma are typically smooth surfaced. There are a few textured Discosoma, but not anything like yours. Trust me - they're Rhodactis sp. - I have a large collection of their morphs.

As for fragging - no need - as tight as your colony is, you'll have volunteers pop off the rock and float free that you can reattach elsewhere.

 

[Skwilliams7]

Hey, thanks for the info! You seem to know what your talking about, so I won't further question it. I have these bluish purple ones also, only about 6 or 7 of these guys- would they be considered in that same genus you were talking about- just the smooth ones? Or are these guys completely different? They're much bigger in size and don't spread nearly as fast. For me, at least. In the picture, they're the two big ones on the top (well, duh I guess)

 

[TampaSnooker]

Those are a Discosoma species. Ironically, the discosomas like yours are my faster growers. I think grows boils down to dissolved nutrients vs tiny food particles in the water. The textured Rhodactis are better at catching food while the smoother Discosoma absorb a lot of theirs from the water.

 

[Skwilliams7]

Gotcha. Yeah my Discosoma are much larger but fewer- while my Rhodactis are smaller but more. Could that mean I need to be putting more food particles in the water or...? Are they fine how they are doing or should I do something differently, I guess is the question I'm asking.

 

[TampaSnooker]

They look good. Why change anything?

 

[Skwilliams7]

Just wondering if they should look better or be spreading more. Thanks for the info

 

[philosophile]

your shrooms look good.

Both discosma and rhodactis are largely photosynthetic, so most of their energy needs come from lighting. Their coloration will change because of the lighting, because different lighting setups will cause the symbiotic photosynthetic bacteria in them to change color.

Some people don't like the shrooms because they tend to multiply and get all over the place, and are difficult to remove. They're virtually indestructable. And easy way to make sure they don't get out of hand is to isolate them on a rock, but if you like them, and don't particularly care where they go, let them go wherever.

As for feeding them, you don't have to, since they're mostly photosynthetic. Any other nutritional needs will be met inevitably from dissolved organics in your water. But if you want faster growth, more splitting, or the shroom to get larger faster, supplemental feeding will help speed things along. Just make sure whatever you feed them is finely ground or chopped, just to help them actually get nutrition from the food. Large pieces of food often go undigested.

 

[Skwilliams7]

Right on, thanks for the info! Really appreciate it =)