Mushroom Question

[nikkoli110]

I have had my 29 gallon tank up and running now since about for about 8 months, it was transfered from a 10 to a 29. The first coral I bought was a small rock covered in mushrooms. Since then, I have expanded and now have a pink tip anenome, xenia that has been spreading like crazy, a green lt plate, a slipper coral, and some button polyps that have been spreading like crazy also. Everything seems to be doing great, except for the mushrooms. I have been really confused, everything seems right but they dont seem happy. The current params are: salinity 1.023, temp constant 79, nitrate 10, tirte, ammonia is 0, ph 8.3, phosphate .2, calcium is above 500, and I have been adding a little bit of supplements, calcium to keep it high, stronium, iodine, and zooplex for food for some other corals. My lights are the 30" 130 watt aqualights. I run them for about 8 1/2 hrs a day. I recently added 20 lbs more rock, about a month ago, and made a little cave to put the mushroom under, hoping that less light would help them. Some that are under the rocks seem to be doing a little better, like moving up towards the light. But the others just seem to be doing crappy, they always look shriveled up, and never expand all the way out. Is there anything I am doing wrong, is there a better place to put them in my tank? Or anything else I can do? Thanks...

 

[bang guy]

Do you know what your Alkalinity is?
I'm guessing that you're not adding enough Bicarbonate and too much Calcium.

 

[nikkoli110]

The only test I have for alk (and it says Total Alkalinity (KH)) is on my quick dip test strips, and that comes up at 300, which it says is "ideal". Is this what it should be? Is this a test for a different parameter other than alk? I dont think I have ever added Bicarbonate, (actually I have to admit I dont know what that is!)

 

[bang guy]

Your ALK is fine. I think you might want to back off the Calcium a little but it's not a problem yet. If it get too high it could cause problems but you're not there yet.
Your water parameters look fine. Could one of your LPS corals be sending out sweeper tentacles at night & stinging them?

 

[nikkoli110]

Hmmm...The rock that they are on is close to both my slipper coral and my anenome. I guess I should move it further away from the two, (prob the anenome). The anenome was the most recent addition, and the place it chose to stay is right in the middle of my tank. It has gotten alot bigger than when I brought it home, so it does take up alot of room. For the mushroom placement, should it be on the bottom of my tank or would it be ok to place it up higher on some of the rocks, out of the reach of any corals and the anenome? Here is a pic to give you an idea where they are.

 

[nikkoli110]

Also, this is a closeup of the mushrooms when I first got them, they dont look anything like it anymore, They are shirveled up and sickly looking.

 

[bang guy]

Anemone are notorious for stinging other corals. I'd suggest moving the mushrooms away from it. Higher is fine.

 

[goinballde]

I tried a anemone for my clowns a while back...The anemone moved during the night and got close to one of my prize ricordia rocks..I moved the rock but it was too late...Within 2 days all the rics turned white and kinda bleached out..Within 5 days my rock that had 18 rics on it now had only 2..and they looked terrible. It has been about 5 months since the sting and those 2 rics still have not gotten their color back..they are now kind of a very soft green..So I am not a big fan of anemones but they are beautiful. All I can say is hopefully in time the shrooms will get better..Keep your shrooms away from those other corals and they should recover but it may take some time..I have not tried it yet cause I have not researched it enough..The owner of my LFS told me that if you put Lodide supplements in your tank that will help your bleached shrooms and shriveled up ones..Like I said I have not tried it yet.. I dont put any additives to my tank except quality ro/di water and Oceanic salt.. Bang is the lfs right about the lodide?

 

[nikkoli110]

Yea I guess I will move it up higher so hopefully that will work. About the iodine, I have heard people dipping their corals in an iodine supp., maybe that could help. I will wait to see what the answer is first, but also, I thought I heard that too much iodine could kill my shrimp? Not sure if that was correct, but I have 3 peppermint shrimp that I love, dont want anything to happen to them! Thanks alot for all the help Bang!

 

[bang guy]

Skip the dip in this case IMO.

 

[nikkoli110]

Thanks for all the help, I moved some things around in my tank, and ended up plucking off some algae ball things that were growing under some of the shrooms. Its on the other side of the tank, opposite of the anenome. They are looking fabulous!!! I think I am going to bring the anenome back for a credit tho. But just wanted to say thanks for helping my lil prob guys!!!

:happyfish