Why won't my mushrooms survive??

Draco

Active Member
I've tried several different kinds of mushrooms. From Ricordeas to striped, to whatever.

They all die. I've had them low. I've had them high. I've had them out of the light.. they all die.
One mushroom I bought huge from a LFS has shrunk and I doubt it's going to survive either.
I have one of those neon-green mushrooms.. it's alive, but is not growing or moving. had it for 3 months without growth.

All my other corals are doing beautifully- my zoas, paly's, duncan, GSP and Frogspawn. beautiful and growing.

All my water parms are perfect. my Salinity is at .023.

Anything I am missing from keeping mushrooms? Any advice or little known fact that I missed? I want to keep mushrooms, they're beautiful!
 

Steve L

Member
I'm having the same problem. I started out with blues which shriveled up and died, then on to reddish browns which are still there but not really growing or multiplying. The only ones I'm having any luck with are the green hairy ones. They are on my sand bed with very little light and seem to be thriving. I also bought some of the bright green ones for my daughters tank, and for the first week they were open and big, then they shrunk down to nothing. I moved them to my reef tank with medium light and still no change. Like you, water params are all perfect and I'm not having trouble with any of my other corals. I don't get it, these are supposed to be about the easiest things in the world to raise.
 

Tru2nr

Well-Known Member
For a reef tank I would say your salinity is a little low, but mushrooms are pretty hardy. While you mentioned light what kind of flow have they been placed in and what are your exact perams and the test kits you are using. How are you acclimating them as well?

Sent from a magical tablet
 

Draco

Active Member
par38- 18W bulb
Low and medium-ish flow, tried both

I used Red Sea kits for Calcium and Alk and API Reef for ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, PH.

Will have to get the parm when I get home from work. I don't remember ontop of my head, but I do remember they were good. just the Salinity was a bit off
 

Ratpack

Active Member
I am in the same boat. I have acros growing and green fuzzy mushrooms, but my reds and blues are struggling.
 

Steve L

Member
I use LED's as the primary lighting with 2 T5's for a little extra color. My light loving corals on top are doing great as are the hairy mushrooms on the sand bed. I have a deep tank (32") so there aren't many things that will survive on the bottom without very high output lighting, but I thought just about all mushrooms would easily handle the low light.
 
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plasma327

Member
Hummm.... Would like to offer help but rarely have i herd of mushrooms not surviving.. Possible your water is to clean? They do like lots of nutrients. IDK? Just a guess.
I have to beat my mushrooms away.. Possibly a predator?
 

Draco

Active Member
thanks for the link, I will read up. Maybe I'll get ideas.

maybe the tank is too clean still.. I haven't done a water change in weeks though.. and it is almost 6 months old now
 

Draco

Active Member
I'm thinking since I have a nano tank, the light might be too strong for them, no matter where I place it. down low the light's still strong
 

Draco

Active Member
I can try to raise my light up more. It is pretty close to the tank. Maybe I can raise it up. I don't have much of over-hangs, except a little cave area. I will have to look again
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Just adding that mushrooms don't seem to do well in my tank either. I have a few but they do not multiply or split or whatever they do to show growth. All my LPS corals are growing & doing well.
I'm just happy that everything else is doing good. We can't always have everything, I don't reckon :-/
 

ziggy

Active Member
par38- 18W bulb
Low and medium-ish flow, tried both

I used Red Sea kits for Calcium and Alk and API Reef for ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, PH.

Will have to get the parm when I get home from work. I don't remember ontop of my head, but I do remember they were good. just the Salinity was a bit off

what are the colors for the t5's?
 
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