Shroom Help

[Rx79394]

Hello all,

I'm currently at school and trying very hard not to study and I have been meaning to ask you all a few questions.

Not too long ago (1.5 Months ago) I purchased my first mushroom from a LFS. An orange Rhodactus (I think), it was very pretty and about an inch in diameter.

Since then I have put it in my tank. About 2-3 weeks ago, it has been going down-hill. It has been shrinking quite rapidly, and hasn't fully expanded in this time. The LFS said that he doesn't like to have too much light, and so I have kept him at a lower part of the tank, with less light. I have gone as far as move him into the shadow of a nearby Monti.

While I know that without a picture, you won't be able to help too much (I will post some later when I get home)... I do have a couple of questions and thoughts.

As this is my first mushroom, I treated him like most of my other corals. I super-glued him down to a piece of ruble. As I read some posts around here, they make it seem that a mushroom is more like an anemone in which they can detach themselves and float? Was this a critical error in supergluing this specimen?

Furthermore, I know my salinity was a bit on the higher side. 1.027, I have been in the process of lowering it back down. How much of a potential impact does this have on the mushroom? Same goes with both my CA and ALK, as they have been towards the higher side.

It has been about a week since I had my water tested (by the LFS), and the water was about 450 CA and 9 ALK. I know, I know, I need my own kits!

Furthermore, about two weeks ago I purchased a Ricordia Florida from the LFS and just kind of threw him in the tank, and he appears to be doing extremely well. However, that was also how the Rhodactus was doing--- hehe.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

 

[lifeoffaith]

I've had mushrooms up high in the tank and down at the bottom. My tank is lighted by power compacts though, so not a ton of high output light. The mushrooms at the top are doing just as well as those at the bottom. All of them do get light, some just get less. Most of the corals I've kept can adapt pretty well to different light, but mushrooms seem to be the best at adapting IMO.

 

[Rx79394]

So I'm not able to determine how to edit my earlier post, so here are the pictures.

I moved the mushroom a little bit so I was able to take a closer picture. However, this is where he was originally when we first brought him home from the LFS. Since, then he has been residing under either the monti or where he is at in the picture.

I have also included a picture zoomed out so you can get an idea of the flow and the lighting.

Furthermore, I have also included an image of what it looked like when he was happy! Picture didn't really do it justice, when the lights were blue he was an electric orange, similar to Bam Bam Zoas.

<a href="http://imgur.com/rHunAQa"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/rHunAQal.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<a href="http://imgur.com/Svb8rTV"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/Svb8rTVl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>
<a href="http://imgur.com/O0OUoah"><img src="http://i.imgur.com/O0OUoahl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>

 

[organism]

Did you physically superglue the flesh of it to a rock? That will stress them out real quick, looks like it might've gotten too much light at first too which takes them a while to recover from.

 

[Rx79394]

Did you physically superglue the flesh of it to a rock? That will stress them out real quick, looks like it might've gotten too much light at first too which takes them a while to recover from.

I cannot honestly recall... I do remember that there appeared to be almost two small pieces of ruble that seemed to be attached quite well and I am speculating I probably glued that.

I'm wondering about the light. Like I mentioned it was in that spot for about a 1 - 1.5 months and was looking decent, opening and closing, etc. Then all of the sudden it was not opening at all.

Would you recommend keeping him in that lower light area or in the shadow of the monti?

 

[organism]

I'd recommend putting it in the shade and then narrowing down what's causing it. You said your salinity was high which can irritate mushrooms, but how are you measuring it?

 

[Rx79394]

I'd recommend putting it in the shade and then narrowing down what's causing it. You said your salinity was high which can irritate mushrooms, but how are you measuring it?

When it was slightly higher it was measured at the fish store using a refractometer. The clerk allowed me to take a look at it just to verify, and we came to the conclusion it was right on the border of .026-.027.

It should be lower now, but I can only test with an instant ocean hydrometer.