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FAQs about Corallimorph Health/Disease/Pests 2
Related Articles: Corallimorpharians, Cnidarians,
Water Flow, How Much is Enough,
Related FAQs:
Mushroom Disease 1, Cnidarian Disease,
Corallimorphs, Mushrooms 2,
Mushrooms 3, Mushrooms 4,
Mushroom Identification, Mushroom
Behavior, Mushroom Compatibility,
Mushroom Selection, Mushroom Systems,
Mushroom Feeding, Mushroom
Reproduction,
Stinging-celled Animals, | 
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Shrooms. They are just not growing - 10/06/2009
Crew:
<Hey Thomas! JustinN here!>
I have read and read over the site... over and over again. I love it! I
looked through all your articles and FAQ on Mushrooms, Corallimorphs and
Cnidarians. Good info...
BUT! I can't figure out what's going on with my Shrooms. They are just
not growing.
I have had them in the tank for almost 2 years. I currently have them
placed up high, down low, in shade, in full light trying to figure out
what they like best. None of them seem to be responding super well.
<Are you/have you tried target feeding them? All the Corallimorphs I've
had in my care over the years liked something nice and meaty fed to them
periodically -- one of my mushrooms has even decided it likes New Life
Spectrum pellets!>
My question is could there possibly be a nitrogen
deficiency/over-competition?
<Deficiency? Your goal is to eliminate the components of the Nitrogen
cycle, so not likely.>
My nitrates always test undetectable.
<This is a good thing>
I can't seem to figure out why the "easiest" inverts are giving me the
most trouble. Here's the scoop on my set-up:
The tank has been running over five years, and has been a "reef tank"
for over two. I have always used RO/DI water and Seachem Reef Salt.
<A quality product>
The corals:
Pulsing xenia - doing so well that I almost regret adding it
<They are a bit like a mesmerizing weed, aren't they! :)>
Green star polyps - doing super well
Halimeda - just popped up one day, now it's growing everywhere
<And this is why I love live rock ;)>
Assorted Zoas - doing okay for being under PC's
Red, green striped, green spotted and blue mushrooms
Hammer coral - not growing much, but looks good
The fish:
One Royal Gramma
Two Ocellaris clowns
Two Yellowtail damsels
One Firefish
One Mandarin
One hermit crab
<Sustainability of the Mandarin is questionable -- these consummate 'pod
consumers will clean your tank out in no time.>
The set-up:
70 gallon show tank, 60"x22"x12"
100 lbs Fiji and Caribbean live rock
80 lbs live sand
322 watt PC's with half actinic (420nm) and half daylight (10,000k),
replace bulbs annually
<Sounds good to here>
BioWheel 350 with carbon in usually in use
Proquatics 300gph HOT filter filled with coarse foam (great for pods)
Three 150 GPH powerheads
Prizm pro Delux skimmer
<Your BioWheels may be creating/generating more nitrates/nitrites than
you know, as this is part of their design -- they're not typically
optimal in a reef setup. The skimmer is definitely undersized -- Prizm's
are really only 'effective' for about a 40 gallon or so total volume --
and even then, their efficacy is questionable.>
The parameters:
SG 1.025
PH 8.3
Calcium 450ppm
Alk 8-9 dKH
Mag 1350ppm
temp 79 degrees F
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Ammonia 0ppm
Phosphate 0ppm
<Sounds like it should be -- are you certain of these nitrate/nitrite
readings? What brand test kits are you using?>
The routine:
12 gallon (18%) water change every 2 weeks
Top off with RO/DI water, with Seachem reef builder/calcium (on separate
days) as needed.
<Is the Reef Builder/calc just added arbitrarily, or based off of a
system that involves measurements?>
Is something standing out to you here? It seems normal to me... but then
again I'm not the pro...
Thanks for your help!
Sincerely,
Thomas Brown
<For the most part, I would agree, this sounds very normal
configuration-wise -- my main thoughts are your bio-media filtration
(BioWheel, filter floss in your Proquatics HOT), and a lack of direct
feeding. Try giving the mushrooms a nice blast of Mysis shrimp with a
small pipette, this may be the missing key here. Good luck! -JustinN>
Re: Corallimorph Growth - 10/06/2009 <I remembered, Bob!
;)>>Yay! RMF<
<Hey again Thomas! JustinN again! I cleaned up your responses a bit
here, to conform to the standards.. I hope you don't mind!>
I use Phytoplex, coral excel, and Zooplex, each individually about twice
a week
<All decent products, but not what your Corallimorphs are after. Move to
some mysis and/or a copepod-based food, such as Cyclop-Eeze. These are
going to benefit your mushrooms greatly, you should notice a difference
quickly.>
He's (the mandarin) been in there almost two years, he's always nice 'n
fat too...
<Well, this is excellent -- definitely not the typical end result. Good
hands on your part :)>
Should I upgrade to a Remora w/ a MJ1200?
<Would be a worthy upgrade -- definitely far more effective than the
Prism.. Do keep in mind, I wouldn't call this essential, since your tank
is clearly quite stable -- a 2 year run for a Mandarin is not typical.>
I'm using Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test kits
<I would recommend trying some of the higher quality brands, such as
Salifert -- might get differing results from current.>
I measure to maintain calc @450ppm, KH @8-9dKH which typically maintains
my pH @8.3
<Sounds good here -- I've just known too many people who come up with
some arbitrary number, and add this arbitrary number blindly on a timed
basis...
not always a good plan :)>
I'll try feeding mysis... (keeping the fish from getting them will be
the trick!)
<The fish will definitely be getting some -- my usual technique is to
feed the fish sporadically while I feed the corals. A small pipette
helps immensely with this, allows you to slowly provide the meaty food
to the
mushroom. After a few feedings, they'll get more used to it, and will
typically start wrapping up a bit as soon as you bring the pipette near
-- it gets easier with time. Good luck! -JustinN>
Yuma/Ricordea Yuma/Health 9/30/09
Hi WWM,
<Hello Kai>
Need some advice. Is there such a thing as a white Ricordea Yuma? I saw
one at my LFS this afternoon and it is white with some grey on it. Does
not look bleached and is expanding very well.
<I've been around a long time, in fact, longer than I'm going to stay,
but I have never saw a Ricordea Yuma that was white or gray. Poor water
quality and lack of proper lighting may be a factor here if this is
indeed
a R. yuma. Ricordea Yuma is a highly sought after Corallimorph because
of it's gorgeous coloration, and does command a good price for just one
head.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Kai
Re Yuma/Ricordea Yuma/Health 9/30/09
Hi,
<Hello Kai, and you're welcome.>
thanks for the reply. Yes this is a R. Yuma. We get a lot of them here
in Singapore. The price ranges from $5 SGD (x1.6 USD), to around $SGD 20
for the pink ones. I guess it's all to do with the colour and form. R.
floridas are more uncommon though. I appreciate your reply. Have a good
day :)
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Zoanthid and mushroom failure in nano tank 11/25/08
Please
Help!!!
I have a 24g nano tank that has been running since May 08.
Several large pieces of cured live rock with 2" sand bed. I added 1
small powerhead for additional water movement. I ordered a small nano
polyp/mushroom pack from DrFoster&Smith online after my tank thoroughly
cycled. polyps and mushrooms were doing very well for about 3 months,
opening expanding etc, then one day they started staying consistently
closed and started dying.
Water Parameters.
I have tested, double
tested, triple tested, had LFS test and all my water parameters and all
are pretty much spot on. Water changes done weekly of 5g using Instant
Ocean Reef Crystals aerated for 24 hrs before adding to tank. Lights are
on for about 12 hours. Lights are new with aquarium bought in May, but
as a safety measure bought new lamps a month ago. Add B-Ionic and
Iodine. Again double, triple checked I was dosing correctly.
Livestock (Nitrates 0)
1 percula clown 2inches
1 blue damsel 1
inch
1 blood red shrimp
1 bi-color Pseudochromis 2 inches
6 red
legged hermit crabs and 2 turbo snails as a cleanup crew
Here is the
catch, I also have a 90 gallon FOWLR tank that I'm converting to a reef
tank. Once I got the fish sold to LFS and the Nitrates down I started
adding polyps/mushrooms. The water parameters of my 90g match that of my
24g...but my nano is failing. So as a drastic measure I took
polyp/mushroom frags from my 24g and placed in my 90g and they are doing
just fine and in fact opened within a day!!! I'm at a complete loss of
what the problem is with 24g tank.
My only theory
My 24g tank is
at my office. The building is pretty old and I'm using tap water to mix
my salt. Is it possible that copper or some other metal/crud from the
old pipes could be affecting the outcome of my 24g nano? My 90 gallon
resides at my condo that is actually a brand new hi-rise in downtown
Chicago...all new pipes etc. One other small issue, I seem to have a
little extra algae growth in my 24g nano than my 90g....phosphates of
both sources are 0. I just attribute the extra bright green algae growth
to a shallower tank with good lighting. Oh, and one last thing, there
was a 8-9 hour power outage around the same time that these
polyps/mushrooms in the 24g stop opening. I just figured several months
later should be more than enough time if they were shocked to
re-open....but it took moving them to my 90g to get them to open again.
Well hopefully this is enough info...if you need specific numbers on my
water parameters I can email a pdf of a ongoing chart I keep of all
water parameters.
<Obviously, there may be something going on with
your nano although the setup of your nano sounds good. I would cut back
the time the lights are on to 8-10 hours. That's probably the reason for
the algae growth. You mentioned you are using city water. Are you
putting in any water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramines?
Secondly, you mentioned the possibility of copper in your water coming
from the olds pipes in your office. I would highly suggest you getting
an RO/DI unit to eliminate any possibility of this. You can use it for
your home and office tanks, the best way to solve water quality issues
are to start with good �clean� water. Of course you saved the best for
last, a power outage!!! These are terrible events for an aquarium. Your
polyps could have been shocked from the lack of circulation when this
outage occurred, its a normal sign of stress and usually they will be
back to normal within a few days. How long was it before you transferred
your corals from the 24 to the 90? What kind of test kits are you using?
Have placed anything in the 24 since?
Also remember that as live
animals, corals go through stages just like every other living creature,
there are going to be times when they just don't feel like opening. If
you stay on top of your system, watch it every day, you'll get a feel
for the tank and be able to recognize these stages. You'll be able to
immediately tell when something is wrong and you need to take action, or
if its just a normal thing that your corals are going through.>
Thanks,
Brian
<You're welcome and good luck!!! -- BrianG>
Help! Emergency Mushroom Question 11/23/08
Hello. Thanks for
being here! I've been out of town for a few days and my mother in law
"watches" my tank for me. I came home today to find two of my Hairy
Mushrooms stretched(about 2 1/2" long) and stuck to each other,
back
to back, hanging off their main rock. Apparently, when I bought them a
few months ago, they were all (6 total) attached to two rocks, put
together. One of the rocks fell of(or was pulled by something), and is
suspended with the mushroom's bottom half's (if that makes any sense).
These two have stretched so much, all you see of the mushroom is pink.
I'm assuming it's the mouths. I moved them to a different place in my
tank, as to stabilize them and put them all on one "shelf". In order to
place them in a different location, I had to pull them out of the water
for a few seconds. The had a funky smell. Not like an anemone that's
died, just a very strong ocean scent. Are they dying?
<Mmm, likely
warring>
Should I cut those two off the rock they are on?
<Only as
a semi-last resort... best to keep genotypes (the same species but not
identical genetically) separated here... by doing as you state,
distancing the rock/hard substrate they're attached to. Bob Fenner>
Linda Mysterious Ric
"BUG" -08/12/08
OK got a good one here. Bob, thanks again for
speaking for FRAG here in PHX it was a blast...
Check out this
thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=13137549#post13137549
<Interesting and strange... thanks for sharing this.>
I have bought a
large number of Ricordeas totaling at about $2000 in my days and
honestly they are my favorite of all the corals. I have lost the last 2
batches of 20-30 I bought and whats odd is that people who received
Ric's from the same batches are fine. I did have a few people who lost
their Ricordeas however most were completely unaffected. I was turned
onto that post by a member of FRAG (who knows my heartache with my Ric
losses) about some "BUGS" similar to red bugs that prey on Ricordeas and
create these holes in them, taking on the color of the Ric and eating it
away... UGH just what this hobby needs another "BUG" to be on the
lookout for.
<Hmm.. how odd. Do you have any more/better pictures of
these things? Do you have any friends with a camera mounted microscope
you could borrow?>
The symptoms in my experience go as follows. The
Rics look GREAT for about a month or 2, full extension, very nice color,
acting normal and even creating new mouths. I would notice suddenly they
are smaller... next day they even less extension, and the following day
they are starting to show signs, fuzziness at the foot/attachment site,
large holes carved out of them and the mouths falling completely out.
The Ricordea would almost look like a spiral apple skin shaving. Within
about 2-3 days they are all completely gone. Even more odd is that they
do not melt, or get slimy, just disintegrate. All corals around
including Zoanthids, other Mushrooms, SPS, LPS are completely
unaffected. On my last "D-Day" as I call it I even had a few Ricordea
survive the initial hit, but a month later the 3 that survived had the
same ending as the rest.
<huh>
Any clue on what these can be?
<Sounds like a pest/coral predator. However, unfortunately, without
pictures it's difficult to speculate.>
Is this just a simple
environmental issue? IE Water chemistry? Possibly too close the light
(mine are about a 20'' from a 150 halide)?
<Hmm, I do suspect, as
one possibility here, that you might have some allelopathic (chemical
warfare) problems. There is a limit to how many Ricordea you can keep in
one tank (and it's up to them, not "you"/us). It may simply be that
you've reached that limit.>
I of course test EVERYTHING including
Oxygen, very anal about it all... but everything always checks out and
is backed up by LFS test kits. Any help would be GREAT and Bob if you
don't mind I would like to post what you have to say in that thread.
Thanks again for everything!!!
<Sorry, not Bob here, but maybe he'll
add his comments when this is posted. We just need more info
(principally more images, accounts)... to have a better idea of what
might (or might not) be going on here.>
Adrian
<Best,
Sara
M.> <Mmm, nothing to add. RMF>
Re: Mysterious Ric "BUG" -08/13/08
Right, thank you. As far as
the pictures go my Ricordeas are long gone
<Oh, sorry to hear that.>
and I have not be masochistic enough to get any more lol. I am working
on trying to get someone to ship me an infected Ricordea so I can at get
it to a near by lab for some pictures and microscope viewing.
<Good
idea! And I thank you for sharing with us! I do hope you can get some
photos and more information on this apparent "mystery" pest/disease.>
I just wanted to throw this out there to see if the WWM crew had ever
experienced this before.
<Not that I know of
(fortunately/unfortunately), but I am very interested to see/hear more
about it.>
Thanks again wand ill talk soon.
Adrian
<Thank you
and good luck,
Sara M.>
How can I tell if my Rhodactis is dead? He's only mostly dead! 7/29/08
I still see the bright green but they (I have 2) have gotten very small
– about 2 inches in diameter. When fully open they are a good 6”
diameter.
<Wasting away...>
I see the white mouths look like they
are open quite a bit.
<Stress>
I have searched the web and am not
sure how to tell for sure because if they're dead I obviously want to
remove them from the tank before I hurt anything else.
<Usually don't
'die' per se, but waste away to nothingness. If dead, cnidarians tend to
turn to goo pretty quickly and blatantly>
I introduced a Condy
Anemone and screwed everything up in an otherwise great tank – I am now
recovering.
<This is likely either allelopathic or related to water
quality. Removing these corallimorphs to a safer, cleaner system should
help them perk up, or adding a bit of carbon and frequent water changes
on their current system...do read re allelopathy on wetwebmedia.com>
Thanks!
<No trouble! Benjamin>
Giant Cup Mushroom Losing Flesh 2/27/08
Hi Crew,
<Hi Mohamed>
I am asking this question for a friend.
She has a giant cup for 4
years with on <going> problems. The water quality is within range, no
high levels of nitrate, nitrite, etc. but she unsure of
iodine levels
and water changes are done regularly.
<Wouldn't worry too much about
iodine levels, regular water changes with a good reef salt should
provide all that is necessary. I've supplemented with iodine (Lugo's
solution) in the past and have not seen any benefit in it's use.>
The
giant cup does not open up completely and if you wave your hand next to
the GC its flesh is peeling.
Could a low level of iodine cause this
or what could cause this, a disease?
<The Giant Cup Mushroom is a
meat eater and I'm wondering if it has been fed small pieces of shrimp
etc. A healthy specimen should close/wrap completely around the food. As
far as lighting, they do require medium intensity light to survive. You
did not mention lighting being used.>
Thanks,
<You're welcome.
James (Salty Dog)>
Mohamed
Ricordea Yuma question... hlth. -02/20/08
Hey
everyone at WWM... I hope all is well. It has been a pretty long
while since I have had a question that I had a hard time finding
answers to. I currently own a 34gal aquarium. A Current USA Solana
to be exact. I have a single 150W MH HQI Current USA bulb and
fixture that sits about 8" over the tank and is on for 8 hours a day
(although it was on for about 10 hours a few days this week because
I was doing some tank maintenance) The tank has a 1/15th HP chiller
and an auto top-off system so the temperature and salinity stay very
steady. My tank parameters are as follows: Ammonia: 0ppm, Nitrite: 0
ppm, Nitrate: 10ppm, pH: 8.3, Salinity: 1.025sg, Phosphate: 0ppm.
I do a 5 gallon water change weekly and the tank has a skimmer that
works well (surprisingly for an all-in-one setup). I am having an
odd problem with a single Ricordea Yuma that I have had for a very
long time under a wide range of lighting and tank conditions
(unfortunately some worse than this).
It is an extremely rare
4.5" Neon Pink Ricordea Yuma. I bought it from a guy about 2 years
ago who had it directly under a 250W MH about 4" from the surface of
their tank. I put the Yuma into a 6 gallon nano-cube with weak PC
lighting which it sat in for about 2 or 3 months before I put it in
the current tank set-up that I have. The Yuma has been fine for the
longest time and I slowly acclimated it to about mid-way up in the
tank (the tank is 20" deep... so about 10" from the surface)...
after staying at that point
for a few days it started to become
unhappy (shrinking and expelling its zooxanthellae (sp)).
<Mmm,
what other Cnidarians are in this system?>
So I moved it back
down to the bottom of the tank and I decided that it would be just
fine there and I wasn't going to try and move it anymore... It
opened back up fine for about a week and just today when I took my
lid off the tank to do some maintenance it became unhappy again and
started shrinking up and expelling its zooxanthellae (sp). Now I can
think of any number of things that it may be that is causing him to
react adversely but I would really be grateful of any input from you
guys (and gals). 1. I just changed out the bulb and it just finished
burning in over the past 2 days.
<Would be an influence for
sure>
2. Moving him may have just been too much trauma for him.
<To a smaller degree>
3. any other ideas?
<Allelopathy>
haha... I plan on cutting back the light cycle to 5 hours over the
next week and slowly increasing it. Does this sound sufficient?
<Mmm, no... I would have on a good 8-10 hours a day>
Any ideas?
Thanks and I look forward to your response.
--
Chris
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the
linked files above re Corallimorph and whatever other
stinging-celled life groups you have here's Compatibility. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Ricordea Yuma question... hlth, comp. 2/21/08
I
could understand that but the particular Ricordea in question is
surrounded by a lot of other Ricordea too...
<Ahh!>
there is
absolutely nothing wrong with any of them... All of my other
Cnidarians are fine...
<Heee! Sure, they're the winners... the
Yuma is losing...>
I do have a toadstool leather that I have had
for a long time that has recently begun to be eaten on by some sort
of parasite... It is the only leather in the tank. I can not remove
it because of its location in the rockwork... I know that these
leathers in particular can give off noxious chemicals that can
harm other inhabitants... could this possibly be the culprit?
<Possibly>
Thank you for the fast reply Bob, I know you are busy.
<Doing... this! Heeee! No worries... do look into the methods,
techniques outlined where I sent you... It may be expeditious to
move the one Corallimorph. BobF>
Re: Ricordea Yuma question... 2/21/08
Thank you very much...
you have always been a great help in the past... hopefully one day I
will have enough knowledge to not have to ask questions but to be
asked them.
<Oh yes! I too look forward to this time... your
joining us here on the WWM Crew. Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Re: Ricordea yuma question... 2/23/08
HAHA... I don't
know about all that. Just an update on the Ricordea yuma in
question: I moved it to a different spot in the tank (away from
the leather and in a little bit better flow... it as opened up
nicely and seems to be doing much better. Thank you for all the
help and advice.
I have attached a few pictures of my tank
set-up and the yuma in question.
<Ahh, very nice!
Congratulations and thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner> |  
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Corallimorpharians and Allelopathy – 01/08/07
Crew,
<<Hello
Scott>>
I have a 120 gallon, several year-old mostly fish and live
rock system which I was beginning to populate with some hardy species of
soft corals.
<<Okay>>
This included 2 pink mushroom corals that
were doing well for about 6 months and split to a number of about 12
total.
<<Corallimorpharians can be quite prolific, often to the point
of being problematic…overgrowing/killing more desirous organisms>>
I
added a couple of other propagated green mushrooms on the other side of
the tank from a friend's system that were doing well and splitting. I
also have about a 2" size toadstool and some "devil’s finger" leathers
that are also about 2-3". A few weeks back my mushrooms started to sag
and shrivel, the pink ones especially. Now the green ones are following
suit, and the devil’s fingers don't look so hot. I checked the water
parameters with zero ammonia and nitrite and 20ppm of nitrate which is
par for the tank.
<<Ah! A clue then… This Nitrate reading is too
high. 20ppm may well be at the upper limit for acceptable in a FO/FOWLR
system, but once you start trying to go “reef” you should bring this
down to 5ppm or less through increased filtration (biological/chemical),
or a reduced fish load. Installing/switching to a more efficient skimmer
can also help>>
To summarize, everything has been status quo or
better in terms of water quality/tank conditions, but with these Shrooms
shriveling up I can tell things just are off.
<<Indeed>>
I started
to think it was just a failed experiment into the world of corals until
I noticed my purple pseudo missing today (read: dead) and my Eibli angel
breathing a zillion X/min and on death's door.
<<Likely a result of
chemicals released by the stressed/dying soft corals…and compounded by
the high Nitrate level>>
At least one of my larger fish does not look
great either. Water parameters still checked out. I haven't targeted the
cause of the coral decline, but given the lack of changing conditions
and their previous health and proliferation, I suspect some kind of
allelopathy.
<<Maybe...but I’m more apt to blame the Nitrates at this
stage for the Corallimorph’s and soft coral’s decline>>
QUESTION:
Could the fish be affected by some type of soft coral chemical warfare
to this degree?
<<Indeed yes…dying and decaying organisms such as
these can/will give off a large amount of noxious chemicals. I hope you
have applied some extra chemical filtration to help deal with this?>>
Some of the tank inhabitants appear to be unaffected, including cleaner
inverts (snails and hermits), shrimps, and a Galaxea coral which I
acquired a year ago and appears well
<<Differing degrees of
tolerance>>
(I realize this is actually a pretty delicate stony
coral).
<<I’ve never considered Galaxea coral as particularly
delicate…though do be aware it is a very aggressive coral and will do
extensive damage to any neighbors within reach of its quite long sweeper
tentacles. Hmmm…you didn’t happen to place any of the new additions
within reach of this coral did you?...say about 10” or less?>>
I
figured some of these other organisms would be the canary for water
quality issues. In the meantime, on a friend's advice I have started to
run large amounts of carbon today in an effort to pull out any toxins
that may be in the water.
<<Ah, very good…and I would suggest use of
some type of chemical filtrant (carbon/Poly-Filter) become a “permanent”
aspect of your filtering methodology>>
Should I remove the remaining
mushrooms?
<<If they are declining/dying, yes…else, is up to you as
the carbon should help much with the removal of Allelopathic chemicals>>
Incidentally, the pink Shrooms were very close, and several actually
growing on the stalk, of the toadstool-they seemed to almost have an
"affinity" for it.
<<These noxious organisms can sense one
another/will be fighting for space even when separated…allowing them to
“touch” heightens the conflict and speeds the demise of one or both. I
would take steps to physically separate these>>
Any advice into this
dilemma is greatly appreciated.
-Scott
<<Happy to assist. EricR>>
Re: Corallimorpharians and Allelopathy – 01/08/07
Thanks for the
reply...
<<Quite welcome>>
Just one more thing, though.
<<Okay>>
I neglected to mention that the only other thing that has
changed in my tank recently is I put about 50 new self-harvested
Caribbean snails (USVI) which are alive and well in the tank.
<< You
don’t say what species…hopefully you identified beforehand that these
would be safe/compatible with your existing and future intended
livestock>>
These were placed about mid December and not quarantined.
<<I see>>
Could they be the culprit or vector for some malicious
parasite...i.e. gill flukes?
<<Sure… Parasites, bacterial/viral
infections, most anything>>
There is nothing visible on the fish that
I can identify whatsoever except for the respiratory distress and then
quick demise.
<<This is likely environmental…a water quality issue.
Have you performed any water changes? I very much suggest you do>>
Perhaps the invert/mushroom issue is only temporally related and not
directly related?
<<Yes…likely not the sole cause of your problems
here, but working in combination with other factors (high Nitrate,
etc.)>>
The fish have tolerated 20-35ppm of nitrate for quite some
time.
<<Indeed…and likely weakened by the long term exposure to same.
The chemical explosion from the deteriorating Corallimorphs may just be
the straw that broke the camel’s back…>>
Scott
<<Regards, EricR>>
Mushroom Life Span – 09/29/07
Cheers Crew.
<Hello again Andy,
Mich with you tonight.>
This may be a stupid question, but I can't
find an answer. I assume that mushrooms, like all living things, must
die?
<Yes. Generally all cells exhibit apoptosis, or programmed cell
death. The exception to this rule is cancer cells, which is why cancer
is so difficult to fight.>
Is there a known life span for these
and/or,
<Presumably, though I have never hear an actual number.>
like other living things, do they sometime just die early of natural
(genetic abnormalities, etc.) causes?
<Undoubtedly.>
The reason I
ask is that I have a beautiful mushroom rock with 8-10 hairy green
mushrooms--had it for about 5 months. Over the last three or so days,
one of the smaller shrooms tightened up, lost its neon green color and
appears to be slowly melting.
<Sounds like some sort of trauma
response to me.>
The rest of the shrooms look great, are open,
colorful, etc., as are my other shrooms, tree corals and BTA. My water
is good--SPG is 1.025, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all 0, temp 79*F, pH
is 8.2, phosphate is 0.05-.1 (this is new. Has previously always been 0.
<You'll want to get that down.>
I use RO/DI water, my TDS meter shows
0 ppm, I have 80lbs live rock, aggressive protein skimming, 30g fuge
with 4" DSB and Chaeto, and I feed quality foods (Formula One and frozen
Mysis and blood worms that I thaw and drain before feeding). I think the
reading may have been influenced by BGA that I had disturbed/cleaned
from my substrate about 1 hr before testing phosphates).
<Could be.>
Not sure if any of you experts might know about the life span of shrooms
. . . .
<A small mushroom would generally indicate a younger
mushroom, so I highly doubt this is a lifespan issue to begin with.>
Thanks!
<Welcome! Mich>
Andy
Need Help, Mushrooms looking limp and not opening all the way, Cnidarian
Allelopathy mostly 8/24/07
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.
<Yikes...>
Brought
the temp down with ice bottles in the sump, and got the AC running
within 48 hours.
<I'd leave the lights off on such hot days... turn
on more toward night>
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.
<Corallimorphs often are
found in quite stagnant settings>
There's only one other softie
that's not doing well all of a sudden, and that's a yellow colony polyp.
<... Here could be a major portion of the problem...>
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.
<Duncanopsammia? As in a Dendrophylliid I take it>
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?
<It's losing to more dominant
Cnidarians... the Sarcophyton, likely the Zoanthid...>
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?
<Could be a contributing
factor>
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 Cyclops 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
<Too much too soon... I would move the Mushrooms to another system,
spiff up your skimming, start the expensive ongoing use of carbon... And
read on WWM re Cnidarian Allelopathy... use the search tool here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
Bob
Fenner>
Re: Need Help, Mushrooms looking limp and not opening all the way
8/24/07
Ahh...the great Bob Fenner.
<...? Wait, (goes to
mirror... same ole non-hair combed petfish kind of guy... ego-deflated,
returns to the computer...>
Thank you so much for the response.
<Welcome>
I had never heard the term "Cnidarian Allelopathy", so at
least now I have something to read up on.
<Neat term eh?>
I will
take your advise on the carbon.
<Good... advice>
I don't have
another system to move any of these corals to. The mushrooms are one of
my favorites. Should I remove the Yellow Colonial Polyps, zoos, or the
Sarcophyton if I want to keep the mushrooms, or do you think Carbon
would handle what I guess you're saying is chemical warfare? (or is that
something completely different?)
<Is of a sort and more
encompassing... takes in "stingers", agglutinants... sweeper "tentacles"
and more...>
I thought of one other possibility. I have never tested
for, or dosed Iodine. Could lack of Iodine be a cause?
<Again...
perhaps a co-factor>
I checked my LFS but they didn't have a test
kit, and I don't want to dose without testing, but I will order a Iodine
test kit online just in case.
<Ah, good. Likely once-weekly
administration per dosage... would not overshoot...>
One last
question, do you think I'd be better without the two
powerheads, and
just go with one powerhead and the return pump like I had before I
started having this problem with the Mushrooms?
<Maybe... but what re
the rest of the life in the system? If there's room, I'd just move the
Mushrooms to a less-circulated area...>
I only had the MJ1200 and the
Eheim return pump for flow, and added a Tunze6025, but I thought I could
pull out the MJ1200 and just go with the Tunze now if that would be
better. (53G tank which is 31.5" x 19.5" x 19.5")
Corals I have so
far if it makes a difference on flow:
Sun Coral (just added two days
ago and doing well)
Waiving Hand Xenia (also just added two days ago
and doing well)
<... I'd be slowing down on these
non-ordered/directed additions here...>
Aussie Duncan (doing great)
Tan Sarcophyton with Green Polyps (doing great)
one orange centered
zoo (doing fine)
Bright Green Mushrooms (Doing poorly)
Thinking of
adding a Hawaiian Feather Duster.
Thanks so much Bob.
Pam
<Please do read re the Compatibility of each of these Pam... here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm
A very good idea
for all to understand the "order", propensity for one group of
animals... mainly Cnidarians in this case... to out-sting, out-grow,
overshadow, displace one another... and to formulate, adhere to a plan
of placing the less "winning" groups... of appropriate size... first...
spacing time and dimensionally subsequent additions... using techniques,
gear to limit the warfare that is/are these environments, including
their living complements. BobF>
Re: Need Help, Mushrooms looking limp and not opening all the way
8/27/08
Hi Bob. I took your advise and added activated carbon
this weekend. I also moved the Leather to a corner of the tank (it was
only a couple inches from the mushrooms).
<Yikes!>
I'm not sure
if it was the carbon, or moving the leather, or a combination of both,
but within two days, my mushrooms have totally perked up!!! Not
completely back to their full glory, but close!! I'll have to read more
on the compatibility of corals. Thanks for your help!
Pam
<Thank
you for this update Pam... and do keep reading. BobF>
Mushroom Meltdown 7/6/07
I have had a 120 for 10 years, and
during that time, had a mushroom rock (Green/blue striped) that has
literally become a massive colony. I'm talking on and under every rock
(200+ lbs of rock). Even many with no color since they got no light
(very cool), not to mention many over 6 inches across. The tank has been
very stable and the mushrooms open up beautifully. (I have pretty low
flow in that tank). Below are two links that show the tank. (they don't
do the mushrooms justice as they were taken just after the lights came
on before the mushrooms were open, but you get the point)
I say again
that this tank has been stable for 10 years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD_3i2ALjDo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvtAvnBbwWg
So, I went away for a
week, had someone watch my tank for me (Who I trust).
Fed the tank
(Frozen- 1 cube Mysis and 1 cube Mix A - Also, very small amt of arctic
pods) 2x over the course of the week (I was feeding the day I got home).
-
In the tank:
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
Unicorn Tank
Flame Angel
Brittle Star
4 Ricordea
a million of the
aforementioned mushrooms
1 yellow leather
3 frags of pumping
leather
yellow polyps
red Blastomussa
So, I walk in and 75%
of the mushrooms are gone. That's right. Vanished.
(Melted is more
like).
PH was 7.89 (Low). Temp was fine. Water was a little cloudy.
Fish and all other corals were fine.
Temp was fine (77 as always)
I did a 35 gallon water change the next day. The Mushrooms were 90% gone
and water was getting cloudier.
Next day - shrooms were 100% gone,
water was cloudier and all else, again, fine. Skimmer going crazy of
course. I did another 35 gallon water change since I'm sure my levels
must be spiking like crazy.
Today - all shrooms gone. I did a 45
gallon water change.
Nitrates are 20 Bad but not terrible. Ammonia
is through the roof. I took the leather (Which was finally looking
stressed, as well as the Ricordea and a Blastomussa, and pumping leather
and am putting them into my 180 (40 G sump and 75 gallon fuge) for safe
keeping.
<Good>
I am thinking that the 120 has a serious cycle to
go through for the near future.
<Perhaps...>
Questions:
1)What could have happened to dissolve every single mushroom and not the
other corals??? (Did she pour a ton of arctic pods in ((Says she
didn't))
<Mmm, some sort of "cascade event"... One thing leading
quickly and deadly to another... Some sort of pathogen perhaps... or
other trigger causing one Corallimorph to poison the system for its
genetic likes>
2)Should I get all fish out (into the 180) as well and
throw some damsels in there for the cycle?? (Buy some liquid quick cycle
(I forget the name)
<Mmmm, perhaps... if they appear stressed... too
much... And BioSpira is likely the product you refer to and want to use>
It's just amazing to me that after 10 years, they could all vanish
literally overnight! Could this have been a spawning event of some kind?
<Mmmm, not likely, no... This same sort of triggered response can come
from "something" lacking in the environment, allelopathy with other
Cnidarians... the Clavulariid, or Sarcophyton most likely from what you
list...>
Thank you very much!
Mitch
<These "things" do
happen... even in well-kept, long-term-stable settings... Periodically
upsetting the homeostasis (dynamic equilibrium... jumbo shrimp? Military
intelligence?) is suggested... Bob Fenner>
Mushroom Meltdown - one addition 7/6/07
I have to add: I just
realized that I forgot to mention something that could be important. My
protein skimmer had not been working for a few months (with no
detrimental effects) and I did take it apart and clean and fix it about
3 weeks ago. I wonder if this could have started the shift in water
chemistry. (IE cleaning the water of excess nutrients that the mushrooms
were thriving on, leading to the great mushroom crash.)
<Yes... this
definitely is a factor>
Again, it was overnight and only the
mushrooms, so I would still love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks again,
Mitch
<Bob Fenner>
Re: Mushroom Meltdown 7/7/07
Thanks for the response Bob!
ok- so a follow up. I am now seeing a white fungus on several rocks and
on the bottom of the tank. Could this be related to the cause of the
mushroom loss, or a growth after the fact based on the levels in the
tank going so crazy in the past week? Also, of course- what should I do
about it?
Thanks again,
Mitch
<Is very likely related to the
meltdown... are decomposition products... Need to monitor water quality,
utilize activated carbon in your filter flow path, keep your skimmer
cleaned (esp. the contact chamber), and carefully watch your other
livestock. BobF>
Mushroom Coral Problem. No data on sys.,
tankmates, maint., foods/feeding, water quality testing... 5/29/07
Hi Guys, I have recently noticed my Mushroom coral starting to go black
all over. A week ago it was fine and I have never had a problem with it.
Please could you tell me what you think it might be?
Cheers
Phil
<... What? Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm
and
the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Xeniid Help RESEND 4/12/07
Hi all! I am sending this again
via webmail to see if it makes it this time. No response first time
around (Those web gods!!)
<Thank you for this. Your first go
"kind of" made it... but "trayless"... the short expl.: we'd have to
re-send it through our system to respond...>
I am an avid reader
of your site and have been known to spend hours upon hours
researching for the answers to many of my questions, most of the
time with success; however, this one has me stumped. First the tank
specs:
TANK SPECS:
29 Gal BC with additional "baby
powerhead" and external skimmer
Salinity 1.26
pH Stable at
8.4 (taken consistently at 4:30 AM with pH monitor)
Temp 79.4
day / 78.6 night
Salifert test kit results:
Calcium 460
Alk 13 dKH
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate > 5
Phosphate 0
I am currently using a PolyFilter and Chemi-Pure in
case of chemical warfare
<Okay... though these are more useful
for inorganics...>
RESIDENTS:
2 cleaner shrimp
1 fire
shrimp
One 1.5 inch maroon clown and one 2 inch yellow tang
<Mmm...>
(until they are big enough not to be eaten by V lion in
the 240 gal)
Presumed mantis shrimp due to skinned/diced
Mandarin
<Also mis-placed in such a small volume>
(which was
trained to eat frozen as well as flake food and was FAT), another
story entirely¦
CORAL:
Open brain
Candy cane
Torch
Leather toadstool
Finger leather
Mushrooms
Xenia which
are at the top of the tank by water return and far away from any of
my LPS and softies (which are still thriving)
<A clue here>
PROBLEM:
My Xenia had been thriving for about four months now
growing from three stalks to approximately 20 in this same time
period; that is until five days ago, at which point they have been
only bulbs which are now slowly deteriorating. I have been doing
consistent 5 gal water changes every other day upon discovering this
until two days ago when I upped it to 5 gal every day. I have even
taken an 8 oz glass with tank water and added 1 drop Lugol's and
gently poured it on the Xenia with no success (only once). I am
wondering if there is some macroalgae growing within the Xenia
stalks which may be the culprit.
<Mmm, likely "after the
fact"... but... are you sure this is an algae? Might be a Hydroid
pictured here...>
I have enclosed a picture which I hope you
get. If not let me attempt to describe these things. They are long
rigid stalks with a feather tip only, dark green in color and
approximately 1 to 2 inches in length) They are very stubborn as I
tried to tweeze one out thinking it was a human hair entangled
within the Xenia and it did not break or budge!?!?!?!?
<Bingo>
I have no idea what these things are but if this is in fact
macroalgae then do I just tweeze these pieces, or cut them with
scissors?
<May take more drastic action here... the cleaving of
the Xeniid colony, scrubbing around the bases of the salvaged
polyps...>
Once again I have no idea what I am seeing or dealing
with or if it is even a problem and the real problem lies
elsewhere. Any insight would be greatly appreciated
<Is
something other than algae... a look through a microscope would help
here... I'd remove the colony, clean out these pests, try to restore
the pulsing corals health in isolation. Bob Fenner> |
Re: Xeniid Help RESEND, hydroid ID 4/13/07
Mr. Fenner,
<Kim!>
I am honored to have you reply to my email; thank
you.
<Welcome... Geez, I must be getting old/er...>
I
would have never even thought hydroid as I always associated
this with a very minute "thing with tentacles", but after doing
more research and comparing pictures with what I have, I am in
complete agreement. Looks a lot like Antennellopsis sp.
<Possibly>
I promptly removed the Xenia and scrubbed the
areas that I could and took needle nose pliers to those buggers
since the tweezers proved to be of no help. I managed to remove
all that I could see plus the dead and dying Xenia stalks and
now I will wait and see what happens.
<Good>
I feel bad
that I was thinking environmental cause (reason for overkill
with the PolyFilter, Chemi-pure, and extensive water changes)
and my poor Xenia were being stung the whole time (I visualize
myself being locked in a car with bees for a week). One more
lesson learned to lock away in my head.
<Mmm, not locked...
but shared, released to other possibilities>
As an aside, I
would never even think of keeping my clown and tang in an
environment this small for any extended length of time; however,
the last attempt to add juvenile fish with the lion proved to be
an expensive meal for the lion and a month to retrain him to eat
prepared food again. These two fish are still smaller than my
cleaner shrimp and I am sure would be consumed within one day by
the lion if given the chance (lion is a good 6-8 inches).
<Yikes>
I do have a spare 55 gallon lying around that I
could set up to "grow out these toddlers" if you feel this would
be more appropriate. I really respect your opinion and thank
you again for your keen insight.
Have a Great Day!
Kimberly
<Ah, from the tenor and apparent intelligence of
your writing, I fully suspect you are more than capable of
"making the call" here re the observable behavior of these two
and their need to be re-situated. Bob Fenner> |  
|
Re: Xeniid Help....HYDROIDS HAPPY UPDATE – 4/28/07
Hello to
all and thank you again for being there!! I have placed a copy of our
previous correspondence below for reference.
<Thank you for this>
I wanted to let you know that because of your (Mr. Fenner's) ability to
teach me something new my Xenia are back on track with new babies
everywhere!! I am certain they would have died without your 100%
accurate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations (which I
followed to the letter) as I was treating for everything BUT hydroids
and they kept going downhill. I have enclosed pictures of their
incredible recovery!! (It has only been two weeks since their near death
experience). Thank you again SO much for being there, you saved another
life! If there is anything I can do to help you out in return, it would
be my pleasure!!
Kimberly
<Thank you for sharing the news of
your success. Bob Fenner> |
|
Issues... Mushrooms dying, BGA showing up... 3/8/07
I
have two main concerns. I have a 4 month old system, 30 gallon with a
20 gallon refugium. By all accounts everything is doing well, my water
parameters are all great, lighting is above average, I have plenty of
water movement, everything is good. Anyway, One of the inhabitants was
a large Hairy mushroom polyp, probably about 3" when fully
expanded... It had asexually divided into three identical sized polyps
about 1 month after I acquired it.
<Often such activity resultant
from very good... or very stressful environment>
It was performing
beautifully. This past weekend though I noticed one started to
"change"...I unfortunately have no pictures to show so I will try to
describe. It looked like it was melting, quite simply... A slimy layer
was peeling off of it, it appeared as though it had shot it's
nematocysts and it had shrunk dramatically in size. I tried to siphon
some of the material off thinking it was completely dead for some
reason, and the main body appeared to still be intact, and attached to
the rock. But by the following day it was gone and the other two had
begun the same phenomena. There is NO evidence that they ever even
existed and it is baffling to me.
I also recently have developed
more of a red Cyano-bacteria issue... not sure if there is a
correlation, I doubt there is.
<Mmm, I do not doubt a
positive correlation here myself>
Any potential reason would be
appreciated. Thank you
Sean Uslabar
<Well... it reads like
"something" is amiss here... either directly or indirectly your
Corallimorphs are/were being poisoned, mal-affected... by the BGA? By
something else... the list of possibilities here is vast... Your
resultant actions, important... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/shroomhlthfaqs.htm
and the linked
files above... Re what might be at fault here... And further on WWM re
BGA... its causes, cures and controls. Bob Fenner> Flatworms
on my Corallimorpharia 1/5/07
First, happy new years to everyone
at WWM.
<And to you.>
My Corallimorpharians are covered in flat
worms similar to the pic in the article, "Flatworms, including
"Planaria" & Marine Aquariums" by Bob Fenner, on your website. In the
article Bob recommends leaving them alone or getting a predator. <I
actually prefer manual removal over getting a predator, most find
something better to eat in the tank than the flatworms.> They do not
appear to be harming the mushrooms however can I remove the rock the
Corallimorpharians are on and give it a fresh water dip? <Would
hurt/kill the corals.> If not, or also, what type of predator would you
recommend. <A siphon during water changes. Otherwise 6-line wrasse are
sometimes a good choice.>
I have a 100 gal tank with 1-yellow tang,
1-regal tang, 1-blenny, 2-maroon clowns and two-Banggai cardinals. The
tank is 6-months old and is doing well:
sg-1.026
kh-12
cal-420
nitrates-0
phos low
Thanks again.
One additional
thing I failed to mention, which may affect the choice of a predator, is
that I have 2-cleaner shrimp.
<A possible problem with the six-lined
wrasse, although often works out fine. My suggestion is to go with
manual removal during water changes. The worm's population will often
wax and wane over time..>
<Chris>
Snail comp., relating,
Mushroom malady? 12/6/06
Hi Crew,
<Hello, Mich
here.>
10 gallon with some fish and mushrooms plus
critters. Every once and a while I take a flashlight to see what's
going on when the lights are out and I always find it fascinating.
Usually I just see the threads of the spaghetti worm but last night it
was out in full view with a whole web of red strands spread out over the
rock.
<Cool!>
And I found some new snails (4 that I saw) that I
did not buy and I have not added much in the past few months except for
some small (2 inch ) rocks with mushrooms.
<Many snails are fine,
but be aware there are some snails that are not reef safe. Google WWM
if you have questions.>
The snails are small with the
largest about half the size of a dime. They are like a dime standing on
edge with a very visible spiral which is beautifully colored in bands of
red and black with white background. Each band has a repeating design in
it. It is amazing that something so small has such intricate designs.
<The world is a fascinating place. You just have to stop to notice it.>
One was on the glass and the others on the rock. I am surprised that I
have not seen them till now. I have another small snail that I got with
live sand. These are white and cerith shaped but were so small that it
would take 4 to equal on grain of rice. I have lots of them and they
are now about double in size but I do not see any smaller ones so I
guess they will not reproduce. They are over a year old and are on the
glass and rocks but only at night. I did have a strange episode in that
I lost about 8 small (smaller than a dime) mushrooms that were all
produced from the same parent. This happened over a two week period and
I was unable to determine the cause.
<As if often the
case.>
The parent is fine as well as other mushrooms in the tank
including some that are small. But this group which was spread out over
the tank just dissolved
except for two that bleached and are still
hanging in.
<Sorry for your loss.>
Keep up the good work.
<Thank you, we'll try!-Mich>
Re: Mushroom Anenome and Soft Coral Help - 12/04/06
Good
morning Justin,
<Hey Ben, hope you're well>
I'm very sorry about
the long delay, once again I have been out of the office.
<No
problems>
I thought I would keep you updated on the current affairs
in my tank.
<Sure! Always good to hear updates!>
Since moving my
leather toadstool it has look infinitely better and is increasing its
size rapidly however the feathery tips are still not extending.
<Good, I'd give the polyps some more time after the stress and moving,
but if its reinflating itself again, this is a good sign.>
I have
ordered two 18watt T5 bulbs one 10000k daylight and one actinic
(unfortunately I don't have the funds at present to get a 24watt
luminary to fit my tank). I hope that this will be sufficient for now
until the new year when I will be looking into a better lighting setup.
<Sounds good>
In regards to the unknown hitchhiker I tried to take a
picture of it but it was just too small to get a clear image of it. At
present it is not causing a problem to any of the tank inhabitants but I
will keep an eye on it and if it gets bigger I will send you a picture
of it.
<You are wise here.>
I have recently purchased a piccolo
(not sure of the spelling) protein skimmer which I have added to my tank
and this is running fine although I was told that because of the Seachem
Renew it may not make much of a difference. Would you agree here?
<Mmm, no, I would not. A protein skimmer will be a beneficial addition,
regardless of what chemical filtration you may employ. While they may
remove similar things, you will still see water quality improvement.>
Thanks very much for your advice over the past few weeks. Hopefully once
I have my T5 bulbs I will see an even greater improvement from my corals
I will keep you informed of any progress within my tank.
<Please
do!>
Thanks again and have a great Christmas and a happy new year if
I don't hear from you before.
Ben
<I wish the same for you and yours, Ben. Have a wonderful Christmas and
New Year as well, and do keep in contact! -JustinN>
Mushroom
infestation 11/30/06
Dear WWM Crew,
<Hi
Ashlie, Michelle here.> I have had a rock of mushrooms in my tank for
years. The shrooms have gradually been getting spots on them. They look
like what a water blister would look like if a mushroom coral could get
a water blister. (little pockets of air all over the individual
mushrooms) However, in the past day or two, the blisters have multiplied
greatly in numbers and now they are moving from place to place around
them. Is this threatening to my mushrooms or any other corals/ fish in
my tank. I'm really worried about this! Please help!!!!
I have
searched the web to try and find out what this is, but I can't seem to
figure it out! <It sounds like you may have flatworms. Please read
here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flatworms.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/flatwrmfaq2.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pestflatwrmanthony.htm>
Thanks so
much for anything you can tell me, <Welcome.>
Ashlie
Mushrooms sick, possible contamination - 10/22/06
Hi,
<Greetings.>
I have a 4 year old 90 gallon tank that in every other
way seems to be thriving. No nitrates, nitrite or ammonia. All others
levels are fine except some phosphates. I got a small rock
with handful of mushrooms when I started the tank. It took off and I
counted about 30 mushrooms a few weeks ago. A week ago my mushrooms
started getting those squiggly white lines coming out of them. Most
have shriveled up or disappeared. I am not sure what is going on. The
only thing that has changed is my light got a short in 2 of the bulbs a
few weeks ago so they had to live on about 200 watts for a week until my
new light came in ( roughly 600 watts), I acclimated them to the new
light and it is now on full force but they have not come back. I also
recently added a galaxy coral but it is nowhere near the mushrooms. Any
ideas what could be up?
< There is likely a water
quality issue at play. A few large water changes in addition to fresh
carbon and PolyFilter would be a good starting point. You may want to
check your source water for contamination as well as stuff around the
house (cleaning supplies etc) for a possible source. >
Leah
<
Best of luck - Emerson > Dyed Ricordea? -
06/20/06
Dear Crew,
<<Evening Narayan>>
I've read about
dyed soft corals, anemones and glass fish on WWM.
<<Indeed>>
But
just out of curiosity, have you heard of anyone dying Ricordea?
<<Can't say that I have>>
The reason I ask is that my LFS has a
bright florescent-green polyp that looks too bright and florescent to be
real.
<<Hmm...>>
I searched the Internet for pictures and
haven't found one that colorful.
<<Perhaps a true "find"...or
perhaps not...>>
I'm very tempted, but I want to make sure...
<<Is a possibility I suppose...I think you'll have to use your own good
judgment here>>
Thank you,
Narayan
<<Welcome, EricR>>
Re: Dyed Ricordea? - 06/21/06
Thanks! I'll let you know if it's
offspring are not as vibrant!
Narayan
<<Please do! EricR>>
- Mushrooms Fed and then Died 6/15/06 -
Sorry, I have never
posted before and I REALLY hope I am doing this correctly. <No worries.>
I bought a BEAUTIFUL rock of chromes some months ago. It was healthy
and happy, very open and thriving. It is in the tank next to a rock
heavy with green hairy mushrooms. They have both been doing fine,
actually the green ones are about a year old and have done really
well. A few days ago my husband felt the need to target feed them
because he was CONVINCED it was the right thing to do for them since I
have NEVER EVER fed them. I run a fuge and feed the fish everyday and
they always seem to catch a little of their food every once and a
while. They always looked happy so I figured, if it isn't broke DON'T
fix it. He is an engineer so he ALWAYS knows a better way... Anyway,
he fed them Cyclop-eeze mixed with tank water through a tube feeder
direct in the middle of each mushroom. They immediately closed up like
they were eating so he thought it was what they needed and did it again
the following day. They reacted the same way as the day before. Then
when wok up on morning three, both rocks inhabitants seemed to start
just melting away. Now one rock is completely empty and the green ones
are not far behind... Is this happening because he OVERFED them? <It
certainly sounds that way but it's difficult to know with absolute
certainty. That being said, it would be unusual for food alone to kill a
mushroom. Perhaps cross contamination from the feeder device.> If they
were doing fine with what I was doing, should I just continue to care
for mushrooms in this fashion??? <Mushrooms need little direct attention
and often do better with none at all... so, stick with your methodology
and tell your husband to keep his feeder to himself.>
Thanks
Danielle
<Cheers, J -- > White specks on mushroom
coral - 06/07/06
Hello there!! Quick question regarding
my mushroom corals. I was looking at the mushroom corals today and
noticed very tiny white dots attached to the mushrooms. They do not
move at all but when I poke them with a stick, they quickly dart around
the mushroom. They move sporadically. I happened to siphon one out
into a cup to observe it (they are like the size of a flea). They do
not look like amphipods or copepods that I see in my tank. Once in the
cup, I poke it with the stick. Since it has nothing to hold on to, it
would swim and dart around with no sense of direction (Similar to a fish
darting around when they have ich). I Googled mushroom coral
parasites/pest but nothing comes up. I have no idea what this is and is
it harmful to my mushrooms or any of my other corals such as colony
polyps and frogspawn coral.
<Mmm, from your description of
morphology, behavior these are likely some species of small
crustacean... and not likely of harm. I would tolerate them... and enjoy
them while you can, as it is highly likely they will "cycle out" on
their own. Bob Fenner>
Rhodactis mushroom 2/8/06
Hi guys,
Thanks so much for your help over the last year or so, you
guys have been a huge part in my tank doing so well. I recently made a
lot of additions to my 29 gallon tank to finally make it more of a
reef. I recently acquired some frags of pulsing xenias for free from a
fellow reefer in my area, and yesterday I added a small frag of zoo's
and a couple of (what I was told are) Rhodactis mushrooms.
<...
these groups of animals are hard to keep in such a small volume with
each other...>
Everything seems to being great, but one of my
Rhodactis mushrooms is showing mesenterial filaments and his mouth has
opened up to about the size of the end of a q-tip. I know that these
are a sign of defense, but there is nothing near him except the other,
smaller Rhodactis and he is doing just fine.
<Maybe damaged, perhaps
a weaker individual... likely allelopathogenic influence from the
Zoanthids, perhaps the Xeniids as well>
Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate
are all 0. pH is about 8.3. I dose Purple for Calcium and Iodine which
I know is
essential for mushrooms. I'm asking early so I can fix
whatever may be wrong. Thanks again for all your help.
<... Please
read here:
http://www.google.com/custom?q=mushroom%2C+allelopathy%2C+zoanthid&sitesearch=wetwebmedia.com
Bob Fenner> 
|
Ricordea Yuma Bleaching 10/18/05
Hello,
<Hey, Mike G
here.>
I have a brilliant, large rock covered with Ricordea yuma
and Discosoma. This piece has been in my tank for about a year now.
It has not been through any great changes to it's habitat, water
levels are perfect, salinity has not changed, lighting has not
changed and temperature has not changed.
<Okay.>
My problem:
For about a week now the Ricordea have not opened to their full
potential.
<Always a cause for concern.>
They are still
responsive as they close when the lunar lights are on and open when
the when the rest of the lights come on.
<Good.>
They only
open to about a 1/4 of their size though.
<Not so good.>
They
also seem to be changing color, from a deep reddish brown to an
almost white.
<Ah, they are bleaching. That is, all corals live
endosymbiotically with a photosynthetic dinoflagellate known as
zooxanthellae. The zooxanthellae thrive in the corals' tissues, and
provide them not only with their color, but also with their
respiratory wastes. The corals do the same, and, as each has
different needs in terms of respiration, both thrive. In fact,
zooxanthellae are credited with being the reason corals are able to
build such massive reef structures. In any case, under stress,
corals will expel their symbiotic zooxanthellae, and, in doing so,
effectively destroy their own ability to sustain themselves via
photosynthesis. Any coral turning white is a cause for alarm, as
this (known as bleaching) is the aforementioned expellation
(expulsion) of zooxanthellae. It is of paramount importance to
figure out why the Ricordea have decided to evict these (very
valuable) tenants.>
They also seem to be partially releasing
themselves from their host rock.
<Too weak to hold on? Trying to
catch a wave to a better place?>
The Discosoma have begun
shedding themselves from the rock and transplanting on other rocks.
This has only seemed to give the other Discosoma more room to open
larger.
<Sounds like everyone's trying to get away from that
rock. Likely a bad spot in regard to lighting, flow, etc.>
The
question: Are these issues natural or is there a problem that I need
to address?
<Natural? Yes, but not in the least a "good" kind of
natural.>
I have attached a picture of the tank for your viewing.
You can find the Ricordea located in the middle right of the
picture.
<Absolutely gorgeous system you have there! Can't tell
much from the pic in terms of the Ricordea, however. Going by your
description, I'm almost positive they're bleaching. Do try moving
them around a bit, try to get them to a spot they like.>
Thank
you in advance for your help,
<You're very welcome.>
Steve S
<Mike G> |
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