what's current thinking on how to move shrooms?

[Sk8r]

I have an embarrassment of riches, and pretty as they are, they're taking the tank and multiplying exponentially. I could trade the whole rock they've taken, but I like the rock: they're crawling up the montiporas and generally making life difficult. They're all discosomas, greenstripe, purples, neglectas. If I could get them to turn loose, I'd happily remate them with rocks and trade them, but the rock they've attached to is 20lbs.

Ideas to make them turn loose?

 

[PRESTO2345]

I chisel mine off just under the foot and super glue it to rubble.

 

[Tallinu]

Take a new razor blade, the kind they use in drywall knives or carpet knives. Rinse it in hot water to get the light oil they use for packing purposes off and then pat it dry wipe it clean. Gently probe and lift with the flat of the point or the back of the point of the blade after you sneak it under. Slowly work it around. The object here is not to cut anything although some knicks to the tissue may occur. It makes a great tool for this kind of purpose and can help move zoo's as well. Take your time. Be careful the blade is incredibly sharp when new. I think a pack of them sells for three dollars at the most. If I remember right they were a buck eighty nine.

Tallinu

 

[Sk8r]

Thank you both. Last time I did this we used ice cubes and blasts from a maxijet, and that annoyed them way too much for the comfort of creatures around them. I must have 50 of these things. This is going to be a long slow job. And the neglectas will be a real joy to try to reach, but I have 5 I have to move. You encourage me to believe I can rescue my structural rock.

 

[dippin61]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8441453#post8441453 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tallinu
Take a new razor blade, the kind they use in drywall knives or carpet knives. Rinse it in hot water to get the light oil they use for packing purposes off and then pat it dry wipe it clean. Gently probe and lift with the flat of the point or the back of the point of the blade after you sneak it under. Slowly work it around. The object here is not to cut anything although some knicks to the tissue may occur. It makes a great tool for this kind of purpose and can help move zoo's as well. Take your time. Be careful the blade is incredibly sharp when new. I think a pack of them sells for three dollars at the most. If I remember right they were a buck eighty nine.

Tallinu

underwater or out of it?

 

[Tallinu]

Either or. Your limited only by your imagination. You can leave it in the tank if the rock is to big or hard to move. Perhaps the rock has sensitive species on it was well like Xenia. As long as you can reach and work. You can move it to the tank frame and work there, dipping it in occasionally if it takes to long. Best bet if you have alot of work to do is to get a shallow container that you can fill with just enough tank water and work there. That way you can get good seating and light arranged. Anything that is safe for you and the corals will do. Once again the blades are like surgical steel when new. I handle the blade directly and do not use the drywall knife. You could easily substitue with anything similar but I do not recommend an xacto blade. Even the blunt backside of the blade is too fine and would probably cut way more than pry. And an xacto does not have enough flat surface area to pry with without tearing.

If you use any blades please remember that when you pick it up, to keep track of where it is and how your holding it at all times. If your taking your time you can remove your mushroom or mats of zoos for sale or trade without hurting yourself and tiny damage to the edge of the coral.

Also these blades are mostly useless after a session, as the salt water pretty much corrodes them to a blunt piece of iron oxide in hours.

Tallinu

 

[bitis316]

That's exactly what i was going to say...Great advice Tallinu..

 

[DJChesnutRabbit]

Hi all first post (of many) here !


I have to say after reading this thred, I decided to give one of my rocks a 'cleaning' of a few 'shrooms. I follwed the advice, except decided to use a pair if 6" scientific type tweezers and pry their feet up. I was amazed at how easy it was. I put the shrooms on some rubble and coverd with mesh and a rubber band and put them on the bottom of the tank.
Really good advice everyone !

 

[bobt2]

except every time you cut one off a rock, if you leave the tinyist piece a new one will grow back!

 

[chrisstie]

Is that true for the ricordia types as well?

Its funny this thread is posted because I have one that came attached to a small twig (an actual piece of a tree branch that sunk) and it doesn't really have anywhere to go to grow.

I was wanting to move mine onto a rock.. maybe I should take the whole branch up and just break the longer pieces off where it isn't attached for less stress on the ric...

I have just separated a patch of zoos and it was hairy for a while until I realized it was easier to sort of just agitate and separate their mat by hand (it was half on two rocks with space between.. wanted to split down the middle where they werent growing)..

Definitely following along on this one !

 

[kiknchikn]

You can do the same exact thing for ricordeas. If I were you I'd try my best to leave a sizeable chunk of foot behind when you cut it off so you'll get two rics out of the deal

Like tallinu said, use a sharp razor though and make a quick clean cut to minimize the trauma to the tissue, which will lead to faster healing.

You can get a 5-pack of razors for exacto knives for 99¢ at home depot, I just bought some a week or so ago.

 

[chrisstie]

I actually have an exacto knife from a model kit thats turned into "the aquarium knife" .. I was reading how some people literally frag theres by removing it by the foot.. then splicing it down the middle.. Don't think I could do that yet! I'd rather just try to coax it off of its branch!!!

Is it best to disturb the guy (he's about the size of a silver dollar nice and big) so he curls up so I can see his base clearly? I'd imagine i'd wnat to cut as close to the base as possible so it would be as if he kept his stump .. I will keep my fingers crossed for the leftover to grow back...

I just want him on a rock so he'll (maybe i should say she'll) sprout babies so i don't have to go cutting them up.. but he doesn't have room to do that where he is.. kind of an awkward upright position witht he branch.

 

[Tallinu]

I've got a new way to remove them. Localize a powerhead stream specifically onto the ricordea in question and it should let loose within a couple of days. It goes without saying that you want a good current and not a hurricane that rips the polyp apart =). Eventually the polyp will be annoyed enough to let go. Once again use a current thats enough to irriate without tearing or harming the polyp.

Tallinu