Mushroom looking really limp

[pammy]

Hey all. My tank has been up and running for 4 months. The first coral I added was mushrooms (4 green mushrooms on one rock). They have been doing great the whole time and have even sprouted two new mushrooms on the rock. The mushrooms started looking really limp and only opening to about half their normal size a couple weeks ago. Color of the mushrooms look good. Mushrooms are at the bottom of the tank, under a little ledge, and have not been moved since I put them there a couple months ago. No other corals near the mushroom. All parameters look good. Calcium is low, 340, but has been at that level all along (only softies and LPS in my tank right now). I plan on switching salts when I run out, changing from Tropic Marin to Reef Crystals to see if I can bring up the Calcium without getting into dosing.

My Parameters have been very consistent for the past couple months. They are:

SG: 1.025
Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates are all 0.
Phosphates .1
Calcium 330-340
PH ranging between 8.1 and 8.2 with lights off / on.
Alk 2.9
Temp 82 to 83.6 (heats up to 83.6 when the MH comes on)

I first noticed the problem when my central AC died a couple weeks ago. Tank heated up to 86. Brought the temp down with ice bottles in the sump, and got the AC running within 48 hours.

Another thing that changed, is I added a second powerhead. I have the mushrooms between two rock structures, and they don't appear to be getting blasted with current. I have a 53g tank with about 25x flow now (was about 12x). Have a MJ1200 and added a Tunze6025. Also have a Eheim 1260 for a return pump.

There's only one other softie that's not doing well all of a sudden, and that's a yellow colony polyp. When I bought it from another reefer, it was brownish and "fringe" for lack of a better word, on each polyp were long, and the dots in the middle of each polyp, were bright yellow. They have since changed to completely bright yellow, and the fringe is really short. I suspect these changes are because I have stronger lighting than the reefer I bought them from had. This coral seems a bit limp to me too.

I have a Aussie Duncan which is doing awesome. Bought one head, and it has sprouted 3 new heads. Have a zoo that is doing great and spreading. Leather looks great. Hammer looks great. Any ideas on the mushroom? Could it be the temperature spike from when my AC died and it just takes a more than a couple weeks for the mushroom to recover? Nothing except for the mushrooms seemed to be affected when the AC died. Should I be feeding this mushroom? I've tried putting a little frozen cyclopese or enriched brine near it, but have never seen it take any food. I haven't been adding any phyto or anything, but tried adding a capful of Kent Phyto last night and left the return pump off for about 45 minutes. Don't know if that will help.

Thanks!
Pam

 

[Jamokie01]

Shrooms are pretty tough, Id say just let it be. I did read that you added some more flow, which could very easily be the culprit. Just give it time and see what happens, if they shrink or start to melt then you have a problem.

 

[pammy]

Thanks Jamokie. I don't know why, but I thought Mushrooms were supposed to be a good beginner coral. They did beautifully for 3 months. One thing I thought of..... I've never tested or added Iodine. I called my LFS today to see if they had a test kit for Iodine, but they didn't. I'll have to order one online and add Iodine if necessary. Maybe it's something like that, that the coral needs that all of a sudden is catching up with it? They are definitely way smaller than they were....but I don't think because they are shrinking..... I think it's because they just aren't opening fully. Color does look just a good as always. They look like a mushroom would look, when the lights have only been on for a short while before fully opened. I don't know what they look like when they melt, but they don't seem to be melting.

Thanks.
Pam

 

[Jamokie01]

Dont dose iodine, there is no proof that the corals use it and it is deadly to your livestock if overdosed. Not to mention iodine tests are very inaccurate. Just ride it out, theyll be fine.

 

[pammy]

Bob Fenner said that my mushrooms were doing poorly because of "Cnidarian Allelopathy". He suggested that I use Carbon. I did two things this weekend.... I added Carbon as he suggested, and I moved the Leather (Saracophyn) away from the mushrooms, to a far corner. I don't know if the carbon did it, or moving the leather, or a combination, but my Mushrooms have totally perked up within 48 hours !!

Pam