Moving mushrooms from one rock to another

[Embowe]

I purchased a piece of LR over the weekend that has both mushrooms and zoa's on it...the mushrooms seem to be taking over the zoa...my question is how would I go about relocating the mushrooms onto a different piece of LR that I already have?
I understand that I have to cut them off of the LR that they are on now...but what would be the best way to attach them to the new piece? Superglue Gel?

 

[drummereef]

If you can slice under the foot of the shroom into the rock then you can superglue them to the new rock. Sometimes if you only get the foot, they can be too slimy to superglue. Just depends.

 

[kiknchikn]

If you're trying to keep them from taking over the zoos then cutting them off the rock is a bad idea, as another one will grow back in the same place if you leave any part of the foot.

If you can't cut under it like drummer suggested I'd try to peel it off the rock if possible and then scrub the area afterwards to try and make sure no pieces were left. Maybe if you cut it you can try to scrub off whatever is left, but it will probably be more difficult.

To attach them try putting them in a shallow glass jar filled with rubble until they attach.

 

[RyanCD]

So it is possible to try to peel them off by hand? If the mushrooms feel as if they have a good grip on LR is it a thing where you just pull harder or can you actually end up hurting them that way? Sorry I am in a similar situation and don't feel comfortable cutting them off.

 

[kiknchikn]

Peeling was kind of the wrong word. I meant more like getting a knife or something under the foot and kind of prying it off the rock. They're a little too slimey to pull off with your hands I would think. Actually, I've pulled a mushroom off accidentally before, but that may have been because it was somewhat unhappy in it's current location (too much flow) and was in the process of moving itself I think.

If they're regular discosoma mushrooms I'd say just cut them -- they'll heal just fine. The trick is making sure you can get off all the pieces left behind or you may end up with more than you started with lol

 

[mistermikev]

Here's an idea... try pointing a powerhead at the darn thing... they hate that. it may loosen it's grip enough that you can get it off. I wouldn't do this for too long as it may kill the mushroom and dmg the zoos if you do it for say 4 or 5 days. But I would think it would be worth a try for just a day or two. Just my thoughts. Hope it helps.

 

[KeepOnReefin]

I and another had a similar situation. We both did this and it worked great. Get out the surgery tools. Sharp and clean knives/scissors are really worth it. Medical Grade ! Cut the mushroom at the lowest possible point. Take your sharp tool and scrape the remaining mushroom off. You can even make sure it is off by scraping a little of the substrate.

SuperGlue never works. Too slimy and they hate. They remove themselves from it and attach where they want to. Best luck I had was to attach them where you want to with a screen (net) or slightly under a shell or rock to keep stable. It also helps to put them under lower light and current.

 

[dustin323]

Here is what I did when I wanted to move a muchroom off a rock to another.

I took a credit card & took the rock with the mushroom out of the water. I got underneath the foot & lifted it off the rock. Simple! Then I stuck the mushroom in a small crevice in a rock. Now with in a week it has attached & is growing out of the crevice.

I've also have attached another mushroom that was loose when I got him, by having one of those plastice breeder traps & laying down a piece of smalllive rock in there. I sat the mushroom on top of there & within 3 days it was attached. I think most people don't use glue on mushrooms due the slime.

 

[RyanCD]

Oh this sounds like a perfect technique for me to try (really don't want to use a knife). Thank you!

 

[ChemE]

Flip the rock upside down so that the mushrooms are between the substrate and the rock and leave it for a few days. They REALLY hate this and will totally let go of the rock. Use bridal veil to attach them to their new home, no cutting or gluing required.

 

[1swtlx]

Depending on the type of rock its attached to and the hardness of this rock; you may take a razor blade and cut a sliver of the rockwork where the mushroom is attached.

Ive done this with great success on fiji and marshall Live rock so this is an alternative if you wish. The credit card /plastic scraper also works well. Take you time with either one