Mushroom problems 5/3/04 I have a big problem, my mushrooms keep falling of the rocks (looks like their melting of the rock) and some are dying- just becoming grey slime.  Its mostly the red and green mushrooms.  All leather corals, polyps, fish and hairy mushrooms are fine. But I am losing my green/red mushrooms more and more each week. <Yikes!  This definitely sounds like a water quality issue.> Ever since this started about 4 weeks ago, I also lost 5 shrimp and every time I add new shrimp they disappear?? <This could be an acclimation issue.  Shrimp are very sensitive to changes in salinity and pH and must be acclimates slowly.> So I thought no iodine - So I bought a Salifert iodine test kit - it shows zero. So I started supplementing with iodine. <Kudos on testing before adding!  Many disasters would be averted if more folks followed this simple rule!  I would advise that you do not try to supplement all the way to normal levels, rather dose very conservatively, testing shortly after doses to be sure that you NEVER exceed natural sea water levels of iodine.> I have had this tank for years and never supplemented with it before so why would they need it now?? <Aha!  Good question.  Most tanks get all of the iodine they need through fish food and water changes.  The exception (maybe) is tanks with algal filters.> I noticed a few bristleworms and a lot of red thin tiny worms in the gravel however never see them on a live mushroom. <No worries, they are harmless.  True predatory worms are very rare, and the damage they inflict is distinctive and obvious.> I change water and VHO lights all the time and ammo/trite/trate show zero. salinity 1.023-4 and ph 8.4. <I am in favor of 1.025-1.026 salinity for inverts.  Also, what about alkalinity?  Alk is very important to test for and maintain.> All I add is stress coat during water changes and coral vital 3x a week and occ. Coralife trace elements. Can you suggest adding anything else that would help. <As a rule, adding things (other than calcium and alkalinity supplements) often does more harm than good.  Slime coat should not be necessary, and any product that does not indicate it's purpose and ingredients clearly should be avoided.> Would a U.V. take any good stuff out of water?  I know the protein skimmer takes out the iodine. Need advice.  Thanks, Dirk <UV cannot remove anything, but it can encourage chemical reactions that may change the form of some things.  Skimming will remove Iodine, but not much.  Best Regards.  Adam>

Tonga mushrooms 3/17/04 Your website is invaluable, thanks for all your hard work. <thanks kindly... do tell a friend> I love the purple Tonga Bullseye mushrooms but have not been able to keep even one alive. All other mushrooms do fine as well as a small trumpet & open brain. I have tried many different light levels, target feeding & anything else I could think of. <have you tried quarantine new specimens first to stabilize them and target feed them so that they get a good start later? Please do read more in the WWM archives about how critical it is to QT all new animals (fishes, corals, everything)> They eventually seem to open their mouths so you can see rock thru them & just disintegrate from the middle until there is just a ring of flesh which eventually also goes away without even getting gooey & ugly as I've seen in LFS. Is there something special that they require? It's a very frustrating mystery & I don't want to get any more just to kill them. Thanks much <please do QT all new creatures without exception. Sand, live rock, snails, etc... 4 weeks minimum for peace of mind from parasites, predators, pests and disease... and simply to give them a good solid acclimation/adjustment period without competition. Anthony>

Dead Shroom Emergency 3/25/03 Dear Crew and Anthony. <cheers, Connie> I was given another Shroom frag two weeks ago, I don't know species but when closed they are green, when they are open they are a spectacular red.  Yesterday I noticed part of one had turned black.  When I touched that part, a powdery substance was emitted.  This a.m. it is completely shriveled and black.  I have three questions:  1- will this foul the tank or spread to the others? <could be infectious... do remove to a QT tank and be sure to run all new livestock through QT for 3-4 weeks before even putting in the display> 2-could one of my snails have done this or is this a disease which might spread, <not form the snail at all... perhaps simply irritated, but could be necrotic (is it dissolving and slimy?)> 3-do I remove it out of the water so nothing spreads into the water? <Hmmm... its hard to say without more info or seeing it. QT is best move here> I am concerned for the others on the same frag. PS:  It is about 8 inches from another mushroom frag, similar species only smaller. <no worries> Any info you can give to help me with my first Shroom crisis will really be appreciated. Thanks for all your help. Connie <best regards, Anthony>
Re: 'Shroom emergency 3/27/03 Dear Anthony  {and crew): <Cheers> Thanks for responding so quickly.  I removed the mushrooms from main to quarantine, but this mushroom was black and slimy so I scraped it off with a sharp dental tool.  This a.m. I checked and an adjacent very small mushroom is starting to turn really dark.  Should I remove it so whatever it is doesn't spread? <if it definitely seems to be necrotic, yes> There are five others on this rock. BTW, I checked water parameters in main tank and all is well.  Thanks so much for your help, and have a ball at the meeting referred to in today's Q&A. <thanks kindly :) > Sorry about large type, can't correct it, something not working. <no trouble at all, my friend> Promise to fix B4 writing again. My very best to you all, this website is my daily guide! Connie <best regards, Anthony>

My mushroom shriveled up Hello, 2 weeks ago I purchased a what the LFS store calls a super mushroom. <"What's in a name?"> In the store it was nice and big and all opened up. After several days in my tank, I noticed that it has all shriveled up and white stringy tentacle are oozing out of its stomach. <Ooops> I have never seen this shroom bloom like I have seen it in the LFS. One night I noticed my camel back shrimp picking on it so I went ahead and removed all of my camel back shrimp and return them to my LFS. I hoped that now that my shrimps are gone my shroom will not be stressed as much and will start to open up. I also have my shroom on the top level on my rocks. I also have a small mushroom that shriveled up and turned purple on me. What could be wrong? My ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are what they are supposed to be. Here are my params:  46G Bowfront 2 - 97 W. PC lighting Rena XP 2 Filter Fluval 404 Filter Remora Skimmer Temp - 79 -- 80 I read that Iodine is essential for shroom.. I used the Reef Solution once a week and feed my corals Marine Snow once a week. <The last is worthless> Should I be adding more Iodine?  <How much do your tests show is present?> Please help <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm.  Scroll down to the "Corallimorpharian" area... Identify this animal, read re its systems, feeding, disease... Bob Fenner>  

Mushrooms scrunching up Hi Bob, I just read the page on mushrooms, trying to figure out what is going on with mine. What is the difference in appearance between a mushroom "cupping up" from too much light, and a "folding in of the body with tentacles everted" from stressed out animals? <One's "in" the other description finds the animals folded "out"> I have some Fiji Red mushrooms from FFE that I got about 2 months ago. At first they were great--expanded, open wide and appeared to be growing new ones for the first couple of weeks. Then at some point they got sort of scrunched and have not opened up since, into their normal wide flat circular appearance. I moved them up closer to the light and they may be slightly improving. <Sounds like they're either "settling in", displaying a lack of nutrient (possibly alkalinity and/or biomineral) or negatively reacting to some other stinging-celled life in the system> I have 3 fluorescent tubes (30 watt) 1 actinic, 1 Trichromatic, and 1 10,000k. They initially were about 15" from the light (I have green striped mushrooms thriving at that height) and I moved them about 2 weeks ago to about 9 or 10 inches from the light. (all water parameters are good) thanks for any suggestions you have. Katherine Steichen Rosing <Try checking the above parameters, possibly augmenting them and a dose of iodide/iodine weekly. Do run activated carbon in your filter flow path once a month. Keep your mushroom colonies distinctly isolated (on their own rocks) from other sessile invertebrates. Do feed them twice a week... Bob Fenner>
Re: mushrooms scrunching up--feeding Thanks Bob, You mentioned feeding the mushrooms twice weekly. I had thought they would feed themselves, what and how do you recommend feeding them? <Ah! http://wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm > One of the things I have tried since the mushrooms seemed to go into a decline is feeding Phytoplex -- just adding to tank water daily. Is this enough? (I do add 1 drop iodine almost once per week) <Please do try the "macro" feeding mentioned on the WWM site. Bob Fenner>