How to move coral from rock?

zeromus-x

Member
Hey, haven't posted in awhile... I've run into a problem with some mushroom (?) coral. Basically, there's two right next to each other, and they've gotten huge. They've outgrown the rock they were on and are literally pushing against each other for space. Usually one is at least halfway over the top of the other! I don't know exactly what they are, though. I took a picture with my cell camera:

It's the ones in front, that are really washed out. I can't take a good picture due to the PC lights I suppose, and the fact that it's just a little cellphone camera. From a quick search I *believe* they're Green Hairy Mushrooms.
Anyway, point is, they're too close together and it doesn't look like I can just pull them off. Any ideas here?
Also, in the back of the pic you'll see a green mushroom and an anemone. Some people here told me the anemone is a pest, but I figured I'd leave it and see what happens. It's getting bigger but not spreading. It can almost touch the green mushroom. Is this bad?
 

mudplayerx

Active Member
You can cut the mushrooms off the rock...just use scissors and cut the stalk as close to the rock as possible. You can then attach the cap you cut to rubble by putting it into a shallow dish with a net over it (keeping the dish inside the tank).
The shroom stalk left behind on the rock will more than likely grow into an extra shroom.
That anemone looks like an aptasia. I would get rid of it pronto. You can squirt it with boiling water, lemon juice, or commercial products like "Joe's Juice."
 

zeromus-x

Member
I don't think it's an aptasia. Aren't those just a plain brown color? This one is actually a pretty bright pink, with green dots at the end of the tentacles. I did a search and someone called it a Majano anemone in the last post I made. There's also a better picture of the corals in question:
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=175174
There's a link to the thread with the pictures from when I first got it. If you look in the pictures, you'll see the mushrooms cover probably 3/4 of the rock... it's only been about a month and a half and now each one is nearly the size of the rock by themselves.
So just ... cut it off? What's the risk I'm gonna do more damage this way than if I just leave it there? Seems like it'd be easy to screw up and kill it. :(
 

kdfrosty

Active Member
I have the same shrooms. See the first pic in this thread:
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=180936
They're Green Rhodactis (Rhodactis sp.). Colors vary depending on origin. I have some with green tips, and some that are completely neon green. It's ok if they are overgrowing eachother. If you're not happy with it, just cut them up. I know it sounds crazy, but if you just cut the disk into about 4 or 6 pieces you will have lots more shrooms eventually. I got mine from someone who has been propagating these shrooms for years, and hasa a whole tank covered in them.
When, and if, you cut them up you can let them free float throughout your tank and they will settle somewhere on their own. You can also put them in a small tupperware with some rubble and they will attach to the rubble. just make sure that you cut holes for flow in the tupperware, and place it in an area of low/med flow.
For Aptasia I usually just inject them with boiling water.
 
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