mushroom polyp?

L

linz13

New member
hey guyssss... was lookin around at corals to put in my tank... i think im ready for some. i had a really small tank before so i didnt feel like i could get them but now i have a 55 gallon thats all cycled through and everythings in it and stuff...

i was looking at a mushroom polyp called ricordea green. does anyone out there have them? are they easy to take care of... like a good beginner? what kind of lighting do you have?

ive heard mushrooms are a good beginner coral to start with so i wanted to try it. any help would be great!

thanks!

lindsss:rollface:
 
I currently have T5 lighting but have had green ricordea under a 260W PC light fixture on my old 75G. They had no problem growing under those lights and were actually one of the first corals I had. Hope this helps.
 
for lighting i have a 40 watt flourescent light.. i was thinking about getting a light made by zoo med called coral sun. not sure if that will work or not.. i tried posting something earlier about it but no one seemed to know or read my entry.
water perameters.. everything is normal.. no nitrates or nitrites... ph is normal..
skimming... i dont have a protein skimmer... so i should probably invest in one of those before i get corals? or is it necessary.
not sure what you mean about substrate... there is about 60 pounds of live sand and around 50 pounds of live rock in there (ii think that may be what you meant)
waterflow.. i have an aquaclear 110 that filters 500 gallons per hour on one side of the tank and a wavemaker on the other side so id say i have a medium flow.
in the tank... there are 2 percula clowns, one byno goby ( a sandsifter), one purple pseudochromis, one coral beauty angel, three featherdusters, and your typical cleanup crew (about 20 snails, one cleaner shrimp, and two peppermints)
it hasnt been setup for very long... maybe like a couple months... but everythings doing well. my coral beauty just came down with ich. he's qt'ed and being treated and there was a brown algae outbreak on my sand but the goby and snails are taking care of that. ( i dont know if that will affect it at all but it's just an fyi :D)

i'll read up on them hopefully learn a little more and stuff... thanks for the website. ill definately take a look at it!
 
one red flag is the Coral Beauty - dwarf angels are notorious coral nippers. Some specimens do OK, others don't, and others do well and then start in. My CB was fine for months [8 or so] then started in nipping. Killed an open brain :( You'll want to upgrade the lighting. Do the reading and searching RC sponsors for a set up that fits your needs and budget. [Lighting is generally the most expensive single item for a reef tank.] I'd also recommend Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals as a terrific resource.

The aquaclear filter is not really necessary as your sand and rock [yes, that's the substrate] are taking care of filtration. the filter may contribute nitrates eventually. You'd do well to substitute a powerhead or a Koralia [#3 perhaps] for increased water movement. Are you testing for phosphates, and what's your source for water? You'll also need to keep a close eye on alkalinity and calcium levels, as even soft corals make use of calcium, as do your snails. Look at the link posted earlier for chemistry levels.

Sounds like you're ready to go. Start out with some easy stuff to get the hang of things, and I strongly suggest keeping a log of water test results and observations of animals. You learn lots, and begin to see connections which can help you anticipate problems before they really get going. Of course try to avoid mistakes, but don't be afraid of making them. It's all part of the process. In the beginning it's often two steps forward, one step back. Don't get discouraged - keep reading and keep asking.

I wish you well!
-rw
 
thanks reefworm! im definately going to wait a little bit.. do my reading and researching before i dive into things. ill fix the lighting and everything... and ill look into a powerhead or koralia for water movement... i havent tested for phosphates... and i originally used tapwater with some stuff to make sure there wasnt anything going to harm the fish. i do all my water changes with ro/di water so eventually most of it if not all will be ro/di water. i'll have to grab some tests for phosophates, alkalinity, and calcium. i think my calcium levels are pretty good though because i have some coralline algae growing and spreading all over my rocks. its really pretty to watch!

ill definately do my research about the easy things.. and ill get a notebook for water testing results. hopefully i get the hang of things quickly!

and as of right now... my coral beauty doesnt nip at any of the featherdusters (i was told it might) so thats a good sign. im sorry to hear about your brain :(

one question... this seems kind of a dumb question to me but i want to be sure... if a coral or other plant dies.. will it release any toxins that i will have to worry about with the other fish and inverts? i heard that somewhere (im not sure where... it may not have been a very reliable source) and i just want to make sure that before i jump into this i wont be putting my fish into any destruction paths.
 
Not a dumb question at all. In an established tank, a coral dying will likely be handled by the bacteria and cleanup crew you have in place. Bristleworms, in particular, are great for detecting dead/dying tissue before we're aware of it, and disposing of it before it toxifies the water. Also, the corals and clams will tend not to die all at once [there are some exceptions of rapid deterioration], so you can remove them to a hospital tank to avoid any undue contamination. soft corals release toxins as a matter of course - it's how they compete with neighboring corals for limited living space, a form of chemical warfare. That's why it's best not to handle them more than necessary as they'll tend to release toxins in response which may stress other corals in your tank.

spreading coraline algae is indeed a sign of healthy Ca++ levels, but also a sign that it's being used up and depleted ;) Look into kalkwasser dripping to maintain levels. Click on the link at the top of the "New to the hobby" forum for new to RC/just starting, and go to marine chemistry. Randy's articles are golden.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13010435#post13010435 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by linz13
my coral beauty just came down with ich. he's qt'ed and being treated and there was a brown algae outbreak on my sand but the goby and snails are taking care of that. ( i dont know if that will affect it at all but it's just an fyi :D)

i'll read up on them hopefully learn a little more and stuff... thanks for the website. ill definately take a look at it! [/B]
Click to expand...

Not to be a downer here--but was the Coral Beauty in the display tank when he came down with ich? If so, it is highly likely that you have ich in the DT, even though the other fish may not be showing signs of it. If the Coral Beauty was in the display, really all the fish should be in the QT for treatment, and the display should be left fallow (fish-free) for 6-8 weeks so that the ich will die in that tank. It does not affect, nor is it carred by, the inverts in that tank.
 
yeah i am qting them right now. i got a 20 gallon tub from home depot yesterday and theyre all in that. all my inverts and rocks and sand are still in there though. but the fish are out.. just doing some research and figured id ask about some corals before i get any
 
IMO I would upgrade your lighting. your using a NO bulb which is good for fish but IMO not for corals. I would at least look into PC's or a good quality T5HO.

you may get by with shrooms with that light but try to place them in the higher secteons of the tank.
 
Coral Beautys are well known for not being coral nippers. Most if not all Centropyge angels are well suited for reed tanks. Large angels, forget it.
My Coral Beauty was in my 55 and 90g reef displays and never nipped at one coral polyp. Use to eat the heck out of algae though, and Prime Reef.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13014762#post13014762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by linz13
yeah i am qting them right now. i got a 20 gallon tub from home depot yesterday and theyre all in that. all my inverts and rocks and sand are still in there though. but the fish are out.. just doing some research and figured id ask about some corals before i get any
Click to expand...

I would recommend doing daily testing of ammonia levels with multiple fish in your QT. It can rise fast. Plan on doing a water change several times a week. Make sure you always have some salt water made up. It is also helpful to have a bottle of Amquel or Ammo-lock on hand; it's not a substitute for water changes but it can help "lock up" the toxic ammonia until you can bring it down with water changes. Your inverts and sand will be fine in the display tank while your fish are in QT. Maybe throw a small pinch of food in the DT once or twice a week. Great that you are doing research before buying; that's the right approach!
 
agreed. ;) it's just that your post didn't sound 50/50, and I wanted any new folks to hear the caveat. I'm torn myself, as I love those fish, but it was a coral beauty that harassed my open brain to death. :(
 
i have been doing many many water changes... well.. plan on doing them anyways.. i have 3 five gallon water buckets right now all mixed up and ready to go for the next week or 2. obviously ill get more water... have the salt and everything (always carry an extra bag just in case!) i have ammonia kits that ive been doing because i know how high those levels can get so quickly. i have 4 fish in the qt tub (which stinks but its the biggest tub i could find... but theyre all fairly small fish.. the biggest being the byno goby...) and the angel is being treated in the 13 gallon. small tank i know.. i feel bad but i dont wanna go buy a bigger tank when i have one sitting at home not even being used!

as for the coral beauty... if he survives which hopefully he does and i caught the ich in time... (all the white spots are gone which is good but i will continue treatment just in case!) ill probably start off with a small coral or something to see if he nips at it.. something not expensive... no big loss.... which hopefully he wont nip at. and i feel bad saying that about the coral (it is alive too :rolleyes: ) but i guess you have to find out one way or another...
 
quick question about lighting... i recently was looking at these lights made by zoo med... they have names like coral sun, reef sun, etc etc... sold at petco... would the reef sun one be good for corals and other plants? it says it has more lighting in the bluer spectrum or something to promote growth of the photosynthetic part of some corals and anemonies and stuff...
 
Those ZooMed CoralSun bulbs are a waste, IMO. They might have some coloring advantages, but hardly any wattage or PAR to back it up for coral health, or growth, or dietary needs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Tank Update & Tentative Stocking Plan
Replies
2
Views
136
griss
griss
G
Back after 20 years - cycling advice
Replies
4
Views
167
Guygettnby
Guygettnby
T
Trying to identify what ate my Torch Coral
Replies
12
Views
266
Uncle99
Uncle99
B
Left Tank for a long time, now want to reboot
Replies
8
Views
378
SantaMonica
S
E
What's Old is New Again
Replies
2
Views
491
Uncle99
Uncle99
Back
Top