Red Mushrooms

[wontonflip]

So...I think a couple of the mushrooms are getting sick, but I'm not sure. I noticed today a couple of the big ones are showing some blanching around the edges. Is that a sign of death, or is there hope?

Nitrates could be lower -- they're around 15-20ppm, nitrites and ammonia 0, salinity around 1.025.

 

[wontonflip]

Ok, I read on wetwebmedia that this could be because they're losing "zooxanthellae".... or maybe it's just getting bleached? Or is that the same thing? Any clues? Could bad bulbs be a cause for sudden bleaching? Advice?

 

[Bifferwine]

Bleached is the same thing as losing zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae are the algae cells inside corals that give them color.

How long has it been since you changed your bulbs?

 

[wontonflip]

I've had the lights 4 months. I got them through craigslist back in May from this lady who only had it a short while before putting it away. It was still in its original packaging and everything, and it looked brand new. It's Current USA 30" w/ 2 t5's, and yes, it's not big enough for the 125, and it was only supposed to be temporary. I put the shrooms under it so they would have light. Prior to this light, I had no lights at all. And other than the shrooms, the tank is fowlr.

Could it really need new bulbs already? It's been running 4 months now. Ironically, I never had bleaching problems w/ the shrooms until now -- and prior to the t5's, they were under an 8 watt T8 flourscent in the 10g.

 

[the reef kid]

Maybe light shock? where are they in the tank?

 

[wontonflip]

Would they go into shock, though, after having been under the same lights for 4 months?

The tank is a 125g (again, tank is fowlr, except for these shrooms that hitchhiked), and since the lights are only 30" long, it's in the middle of the tank, with the shrooms directly below it. Their rock is at the top, maybe 1-1 1/2 ft below it. They've been there for 4 months, and I did acclimate them to the new stronger lights when I first got it. Could it also be low alk? I don't have a test kit for alk, so I have no clue what my alk levels are.

 

[wontonflip]

See the bleaching on the edge.

 

[Bifferwine]

That doesn't look like bleaching. Usually the whole mushroom gets lighter. That's weird. It almost looks like it's getting stung.

 

[OhNoNemo]

That doesn't look like bleaching. Usually the whole mushroom gets lighter. That's weird. It almost looks like it's getting stung.

Wow, funny you say that, mine starting looking exactly like that.....they were a couple inches from my hammer..i moved them about a week ago and its gone....

 

[wontonflip]

The only thing that could be stinging it are ball anemones....unless it's my foxface, but that's far fetched since it's on the edge. Could it be caused by crabs or fish nipping it?

 

[Rcpilot]

Look under the mushrooms for anything that could be growing out of the rock and stinging them.

The increased light may have triggered a few other hitch hikers to grow. It may be coincidence that since the mushrooms grew out of this rock - it may also have life that has sprouted and is now looking for more real estate. Could be stinging them from below in an attempt to access more light.

Just a wild guess though..... :shock:

 

[wontonflip]

Yeah, I just checked through the glass. Nothing that I could see. Tomorrow, I'll nudge the mushroom's top over with a stick to see if there is anything under there. The ball anemones are really thriving. They're not out of control, but they have spread out more....There is one small one growing on the sand against the glass, and one on an abandoned snail shell. I wouldn't be surprised if there's one under the shroom.

 

[Sammydog]

I would say its getting stung, mine look like this when they stray too close to the frogspawn or hammer coral.

They go white on the edges, shrivel a bit but always bounce back.