Need some help with mushrooms

[joyfnp]

Hello reefers, I need some help with my mushrooms. First of all, the tank:
75 gal with 2 canister filters (fluval 305s), probably 100# live rock, a Remora C HOB skimmer, 4x65w compact fluro lights, 3 total power heads (300gph- altho one is for the skimmer). The power heads are all directed at the surface.
Occupants: Regal tang (small to medium), yellow tang, coral beauty, cleaner shrimp, a neon gobie, a sea hare, several (but not enough for the hair algae problem I've got) Mexican turbos, one sand sifter seastar (my other one disintergrated the other day and I took him out before it caused problems I think).
Parameters after a 20% water change this weekend:
Ph 8.3
Temp 78
Ammonia 0
Nitrates 0-5
Use RO water but still just changed the Phos-sorb in the filter.
My problem is with the inverts, polyps are staying closed, as are the mushrooms. I thought that lighting may be the problem, at least with the polyps, so since the bulbs are 7 months old, will be replacing them when the LFS gets my size in this week. But the mushrooms, I'm at a loss to explain their problem. I have moved them to the bottom of the tank from the top. Still no luck. Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[weberian]

How long have you had these mushroom? If recently obtained, what acclimation did you do? What type or types of mushrooms do you have?

 

[joyfnp]

Thanks for replying. I have had these mushrooms at least a month, and they never did well in my tank. They closed up within a few days of being put in. They've stayed that way.

 

[reefreak29]

what do u keep your sg at and do u have a refractometer

 

[ophiura]

What is your alk and calcium as well?
BTW..how long have you had the star? IMO, most sand sifter stars will die in this system either of acclimation issues or starvation. If you had it more than 6 months, it likely starved.

 

[joyfnp]

SP Gr is 1.022; forgot that in the parameters. I use a floating hydrometer, not swing arm type.

 

[ophiura]

Your specific gravity is a major concern. I would certainly slowly raise that, by topping off with saltwater. 1.026-1.026 is more normal for tanks with inverts.

 

[reefreak29]

yep i assumed your sg was low try to raise it slowly . when u add your top off water add salt to 1.020 or so till the sg is up to 1.025 or 1.026 also at least once a month soak the hydrometer in vinagar water then rinse really well with tap . u need to clean it or it will no longer be accurate.
1.026-1.026 is good to

 

[joyfnp]

Yes, I know about the specific gravity problem; when I did the 20% change yesterday, I used more salt than the recipe calls for. I will definitely top off with hypertonic saline to slowly raise the SG. The thing that puzzles me is that, even at 1.022, according to data elsewhere on the web, that should be okay for mushrooms; not optimal, but okay.
Ophiura, do sand stars eat copepods? if they can catch them? Cos, when I opened up the canisters yesterday to clean, out flopped several, so I know they're in my system.

 

[ophiura]

They eat worms and such in a sand bed. I would say it is not really going to help them to catch some out of the filter. They need very large surface area of sand, meaning not much live rock, in order to do well.

 

[rappa]

You might need some more flow as well. 300 gph isn't much for that tank. Plus I don't know how much the skimmer counts for flow? I have about 1500 gph in my 50 gallon. I noticed that my shrooms would close up and fall off the rocks when I turned my power heads off for a few days. Just my opinion though... Good luck

 

[joyfnp]

Originally Posted by Rappa
You might need some more flow as well. 300 gph isn't much for that tank. Plus I don't know how much the skimmer counts for flow? I have about 1500 gph in my 50 gallon. I noticed that my shrooms would close up and fall off the rocks when I turned my power heads off for a few days. Just my opinion though... Good luck

Hi Rappa,
sorry I wasn't clear; two maxijets at 600 gph plus the two fluvals 305s which put out 300 each. My total is 1200 gals per hour. I don't count the skimmer.

 

[rappa]

oh ok your good then... my bad

 

[reefkprz]

Originally Posted by reefreak29
1.026-1.026 is good to

not leaving much room for variation there are you...

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
not leaving much room for variation there are you...

i was pokeing fun at ophiura

 

[ophiura]

Originally Posted by reefkprZ
not leaving much room for variation there are you...

There is plenty of room if you go to 4 significant figures
1.0255
1.0256
1.0257
1.0258
1.0259
1.0260
1.0261
1.0262
1.0263
1.0264
Any of those would be fine

 

[joyfnp]

Hi again everyone,
I have done some more research on the relationship between temp and sp gr. so, if my calculations are correct (based on increasing or correcting the SG by 0.0024 if the water temp is 80), my specific gravity is really 1.0254.
So, the original question-what could be my 'shrooms problem? Could it be the old lights or the coral Beauty, as the LFS thinks? I must be the only woman in the known universe whose having trouble with mushrooms, they're supposedly so easy to Keep. I have a wonderful crop of xenia a LTA,and a nice clove coral. why can't I grow polyps?

 

[tiberius]

For years I have had my sg at 1.022-1.023. I had mushrooms everywhere. Now that I have gotten different corals I have raised the sg to 1.025. Mushrooms still out of control! I don't have a lot of flow in my tank. My lighting is simply the normal output fluorescent bulbs. I do run Actinics though. I have the white actinic and the actinic 03. I would just move them around to see if they like it different some where else.