Need an experienced eye

[organ builder]

Hi--we've got a 215g with about 340 lbs of live rock. Our cycle finished about two weeks ago, and we've got a clean-up crew enjoying a smorgasbord at the moment. We have our first fish in quarantine, so we've cleared some hurdles and we know that others are on their way...

We bought all our live rock from well-established tanks, from members who were moving or downsizing. I'm posting a picture of what we believe to be brown leather mushrooms. There was a good group of fat fleshy mushrooms on this rock when we bought it, but they didn't make a 50-mile trek in very good shape. Some of the bits and pieces seem to have found homes on other rocks; we now have a total of four different rocks that have this mushroom on them.

So here are my questions--

1. Have we identified these properly, or is this some pestilential creature which is only waiting for a ripe opportunity to take over the world?

2. Are they healthy, or is this what they look like when they are under extreme stress just short of dying?

3. We were going to wait for the tank to mature for at least six months before introducing corals. Does the fact that these are thriving (maybe) mean we could consider other soft corals before that time? We suspected that buying well-established live rock might shorten some of our time frames, but we just don't have enough experience to make a judgment yet. We don't want to buy something if there is no chance of keeping it alive and happy.
<fieldset class="gc-fieldset">
<legend> Attached files </legend>

 

[ringo®]

1. Yes
2. They appear to be. Maybe slightly discolored from the move, but that should come back
3. Adding more softies shouldn't be a problem. Just add slow.

 

[bcrueter]

I would say those are some healthy mushrooms to me....I never waited 6 months to add corals. Now anenomes or SPS I would wait to add but depending on your levels and lights I would say go ahead and add some softies and Zoas.

 

[glxtrix]

fyi, careful with corals that are close to mushrooms, they like to sting/irritate other corals.

 

[acroholic]

This may sound harsh, but I would remove or kill all of them. Those type of shrooms are not attractive, and take up a lot of room that could have much more colorful corals on them.

And I think they would take over the world (tank). I would cut them off at the base, remove it, then kill the base still on the rock with Reef Napalm, which is a concentrated lye solution.

Mushrooms for the most part are highly invasive, and a particular pain to get rid of once you get tired of them and find what direction you want to take your tank. Everyone loves them when they first start it in the hobby, including me, but now is a good opportunity to kill the little beasties. That is what I would do. I kill every mushroom I see in my two reef tanks, with the exception of the only mushroom I have ever bought outright, called a Jawbreaker, Tye Dye, or Acid Trip mushroom, as these grow slowly and are very easy to manage.

 

[jennm]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you don't want them to proliferate, you might want to consider trading them (and the rocks they are on) to others, but if you like them, you got some decent ones there.

They're 'garden variety' mushrooms, nothing fancy, but it gives you something to look at while you're making your game plan for the rest of the tank. I'd hazard a guess that they are Rhodactis sp. There are more colourful ones of those to be had, but you never know with some time, they may give you a bit more eye candy than what you see right now.

I've never seen mushrooms "take over" a tank - not like some other softies can.

But again - it's all subjective. If you don't like 'em - move 'em out.

Welcome to ARC - I appreciate that you're taking your time, asking the questions and planning ahead. Those are key ingredients to long-term success!

Jenn

 

[marquiseo]

Those types of mushrooms are fine. They are rhodactus mushrooms and are not aggressive towards other corals like other mushrooms can be. They do reproduce fast. You can easily trade those out to local fish store for small amounts of in-store credit or give away to starting hobbyist. There are way more varieties of rhodactus out there with the one you have being the most common and less colorful. I hope this helps. Good luck with your tank!

 

[acroholic]

Well, IME most shrooms are prolific, and hard to get rid of once established. Maybe take over a tank is extreme, but from the picture, those are brown, and much better colors are available on corals.

I'd cut them off, trade them, whatever, but I would get rid of them. But that us just me.

 

[marquiseo]

If you do decide to get rid of them, break the rock. Scraping/cutting them will only allow them to regrow.

 

[acroholic]

The bases can be killed with kalk paste or Napalm.

 

[organ builder]

I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to get back to this thread earlier to thank everyone for their input. We've got a few in a dim spot on a small rock that we will probably keep until we have a little more to see. We do have more than we want to keep, though, and that isn't a decision I would have been comfortable making without the experience you have shared.