What is This

[grizwalt333]

I got these the other day. At the store they were much bigger laid out and flat. When I got them home they were curled up. I tried placing them on various rocks but they don't want to uncurl and keep getting swept to the sand bed whenever the pumps come on. I can leave the pumps off for a few days to let them settle I suppose. But after all the commotion of trying to place them I noticed they are secreting a fairly bright green film/stuff from their center. Did I hurt them? Will they make it? Anything will help ID is the most important right now.

 

[KarlBob]

They sound and look like mushroom corals (aka mushroom anenomes, corallimorphs or corallimorpharians). The bright green stuff from their center is digestive filaments that they are ejecting. It's a sign that they're not happy, but it's usually not fatal.

Please don't turn off the pumps. Corals need water movement to bring food and oxygen to them, and to carry CO2 away.

There are a few different ways to get mushrooms attached to rocks. One method is to use a needle and thread (or very thin fishing line) to tie the mushroom to the rock. Just don't tie the mushroom too tightly, or you'll end up with two mushrooms (This is actually a common way to frag mushrooms).

Another method is to wrap a rock in netting (usually bridal veil material) with the mushroom inside. After a few days, you can take the veil piece off of the rock.