Loosing Mushroom Anemones

[Mal]

Can anyone help me? I purchased some Mushroom Anemones about two weeks ago. There were about 12 one the rock. They were doing fine in my tank. I came home yesterday, and discovered that almost all of them were gone. One of them had turned into brown jelly. There are only about 2 left. I don't know what is happening. My other corals seem fine. I have some green mushroom anemones and they are fine. Can you offer any help?

My ammmonia is 0, Nitrite is 0, PH is 8.15 Nitrates 15-20, Calcium 300.

 

[danmhippo]

What's your temp? At night and at noon?

 

[slojmn1]

I received some beautiful sky blue mushrooms from a fellow hobbyist and after shipping the mushrooms looked a bit wilted. By day three they were turning to mush. I placed the remaining shrooms and their rock in an iodine dip for 20 minutes. This stopped the die off and the remaining mushrooms repaired and are now making babies like crazy.

 

[Anonymous]

slojmn1: on your webpage you have a picture of a hermit crab with a mushroom attached to it's shell. Man that's awesome! Is it still attached? or did the shroom move on?

po

ps: thanks for the 'iodine dip' tip.

 

[slojmn1]

po, that shroom moved on or possibly the hermit traded that shell in for another one in the tank. A week or two after the picture I never saw it again. He did cruise with it for a while though, it was a hoot to see.

 

[Mal]

My temperature was staying at 79 to 81. The heaters are set at 79. We put a new hood on the tank, and the temperature went up a few degrees for two days. We changed it and added a fan and that seamed to take care of the problem. However, the two days the tank was warmer was the days the mushrooms had a problem.

I have lowered the heaters to 76. The range is now 76 to 79.

Was the mushroom problem from the warmer temperature?

Mal

 

[danmhippo]

Your temp seems fine. No, shrooms are not intolerant of higher temp. If they have adapted to low 80s, they wouldn't mind a bit temp flucutation 2-3 degrees. It's the big temp spike that's the killer.

I can't figure your situation out.

 

[Mal]

Now that I think about it, it could have been more than a couple of degrees. If temparature spikes are a problem, then that has to be it.

What is the temperature at which you should keep a reef tank?

Mal

 

[bstruss]

I think this is actually called "brown jelly" or something similar. It is caused by a protozoan and can devour a shroom amazingly fast. While shrooms normally tolerate faily high temps, most pathogens flourish in these same high temps. Were these rhodactis variety (kinda frilly as opposed to real slick)? Some things to try are lower temps, faster water movement, possible iodine dip, less feeding of tank temporarily. One thing I did was a combo iodine dip and some small cut pieces of garlic - in the dip (garlic rids parasites).

Also, make sure your water is clean. Skim real well and filter with some carbon (at least temporarily).

Hope this helps
Bailey--

 

[sese]

Your calcium is a little low but I don't think 'shrooms care much about that. You failed to mention what your alkalinity was. I don't know about anyone else's shrooms but mine seem to be adversly affected by low alkalinity.

Eric

 

[Mal]

PH is 8.1

Mal

 

[Mouse]

What lights have you got, mushrooms are low light loving creatures and if you went and slapped them in full view of a pair or 250 W MH's i think they would probably melt in no time.

 

[Mal]

My lights are 465 vho and 2 x 150 mh for a total of 765 watts.

I had them in a place that was partly shaded by overhanging rock. Possibly, not enough shade!

Mal

 

[danmhippo]

They would do fine in stronger light, you just have to let them adjust slowly. Mine has beenwith me for years and they are under 2x400W MH

 

[Mouse]

Just a thought

 

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a bacterial infection. If it were the lights or temperature they would just POP off and float to a new location. Do a dip in Lugol's quick.