The ease of multiplying mushrooms. How to.

sammystingray

Active Member
Hey guys, This post is mostly for those new to the hobby who want to spread mushrooms and get into the world of coral propogation, but are afraid to actually cut a coral. Mushrooms are actually just about the easiest thing to multiply, and it is VERY easy to do. Since I decided to spread some red around, I thught I would share the whole thing here for folks new to the hobby. Here's a pic of the group of red shrooms.....I basically picked the largest one, went in with a regular pair of sharp scissors, and simply "cut his head off.:) Seen here.....
 

sammystingray

Active Member
Here you can see the "guts" and if I have learned anything from past experience, I am hoping this mess will become several shrooms, but even if it doesn't, I have taken the top part, and shoved it elsewhere in the tank where it will regrow, plant itself, and multiply elsewhere. Very easy, and I will keep posting pics as it regrows so new folks can see how easy it actually is to spread shrooms. I am planning on taking pics until this mess becomes a full shroom again....
 

phil1964

Member
This post comes at the perfect time! I have a single mushroom I got 6 months ago. It is about 3" in dia and brown, don't know what kind. When I got it it was attached to a marble sized piece of rock and still is. Doubled its size but lately looks more like a hat, high in the center not spread out flat. I was thinking of experimenting with a cut. Where do I gut? cut the head off at the stem? Cut the big round part in 2 or 3 peices?
 

azeritis

Member
Do they multiply by themselves? I found these fellows on nearby rocks... And how long does it take for them to spread alone, and under what conditions?
 

sammystingray

Active Member
Yeah, they do reproduce on their own, and they can move like an anemone.....they will often leave behind a little piece when they move, and this forms a new one in the spot they were at. I just cut their heads off and cram them in a hole because glue never worked that great for me with shrooms. You don't want to go too crazy because then you'll be asking later "what will eat shrooms?":D I think shrooms, star polyps, etc make nice filler for in between things. You can seriously pretty much mangle a shroom, and it will be OK. Here is mine only 17 hours later, and he is already collecting his guts.:D :D DON'T ANYONE DO THIS, and don't blame me if you do, but honestly, I could probably take my car keys from my pocket, rip this mess in half, and make sure it comes out as two.:D Not something to do, but I just wanted to make a point of how tough these guys are, and that new folks don't have to worry about taking a knife to them. I never really came up with a fool proof way of attaching the heads...they reproduce so easily that I just stick them in holes and don't worry if they float off......there's more, but I guess a little net type deal would work, maybe tie one down with fishing line and remove it later when he attaches.......I went for the largest, because they will shrink up a LOT, and the smaller ones will shrink to so small that they are hard to work with. Anyway, here's the "stump" healing up after only 17 hours....
 

sammystingray

Active Member
I've heard a blender too.....and I have no idea. Basically I wouldn't want ten thousand of them in my tank anyway...seems a little much.:D :D I was really wanting to put up my tripod, and never move the camera...take a pic maybe twice a day at set times.....make a little time lapse movie of a shroom growing out of the mess in the picture....just was too much in the way.:( I like fragging shrooms because I can't screw it up.:D I never really kept track of how fast they grow back, but I'll keep track this time...
 

scotts

Active Member
Sammy,
Thanks. I have seen some 'shrooms in the lfs. Sometimes they have loose 'shrooms. I think I will make them an offer on the loose ones and in a year start to sell them back to them.:cool:
Scott
 

c_bell

Member
I've read that you can cut off the head of a shroom and then cut the head into 4 peices, kinda like a pizza or a pie. Then place it on a peice of LR with some type of netting and the mushroom frag will attach to the LR and in time start to regrow. Never tried it but i think I'm going to make that my new project. :D
 

sammystingray

Active Member
Sorry, been busy....I do plan on following this until it becomes a full shroom. You can pretty much tell he has decided where his new mouth will go. Looks like that scrap that was leftover from the top will sort of "melt" into the new top......I didn't mean to leave that, and it doesn't matter if you remove the whole thing. Thought I'd mention I didn't leave that for a reason other than missing it with my scissor snip.:)
 

sammystingray

Active Member
hairy and ricordia work the same way.....never tried it though. I know that mostly from others experiences. I have a brown ricordia, since I won't try on my more colorful first:D , and a green hairy shroom that I may try just to have first hand knowledge. I think on the hairy shroom.....I will cut off a little piece, and see how it does, instead of just cutting it in half....no reason other than I want it big, and don't want to half it's size.:)
 

sammystingray

Active Member
I meant...cut it as close to where the base connects to the rock as possible. Then you can either cut the top disc into quarters or just move it whole to somewhere it will stay put. They generally reproduce well on their own in my experience.....I mostly cut mine to move them farther away in the tank, not so much to make more.......they do that themselves, but they get crowded and stay in one place. ....this time, I wanted to spread some red around.....a color I lack in most areas of my tank. Here's some irony..I cut a few green ones at the same time, and I took them out of the tank because they are way too crowded....wouldn't you know they are both forming two shrooms from each base. :rolleyes: I wanted the red I am documenting to do that, but it still might.:rolleyes: :) I think my best bet is the piece that is at the bottom.....if it doesn't move into the rest.....it may go solo and form a seperate one......have to wait and see.
 

entice59

Active Member
thats really neat, when i cut the top, i just put it some where else and it wil spread that way or do i take some of its guts also?
 

sammystingray

Active Member
Just the top......you could even cut the top into pieces if you want. The hardest part is keeping them down so they don't float around to the back of the tank.
 

trebor126

Member
Great thread Sammy! :)
I just cut 2 blue shrooms three days ago and placed them in some holes in the LR. The heads of the shrooms are very blue and seem to be doing well.
The parts that were left on the rock are regenerating quickly, like in your pics. :)
This seems so easy. I hope it works. Thanks again for the info :D
 
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