Can't get mushrooms to stay happy!

[Mattie H.]

I'm a newbie. My tank is six months old. Levels are and always have been really good. Tests show barely any nitrates (but healthy algae growth so it's there, just controlled I guess). I had abnormally low magnesium for a while but I cured that with a BRS magnesium mix a few weeks ago. Started stocking at three months. Fish are healthy, inverts are healthy.

Problem is, I bought some green mushrooms about six weeks ago. They were good for about three weeks, but then shrunk to almost nothing and haven't come back again. They're not in direct light. I moved them one time to a different spot in the tank to see if that would help. Nope. Now, my green hairy mushroom is also looking bad. Got him three weeks ago. Also shaded. Looked great for the first two weeks. Now he looks horrible as well, has had a big open mouth for the past two weeks.

What the heck am I doing wrong? I thought these were supposed to be the most forgiving of the softies?

Before:

Now:

Help! Any suggestions or advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Travis Stewart]

What's your salinity? How are you checking it? How many fish and how often are you feeding? Tell us about the tank. Filtration? Equipment?

 

[ironman20725]

I would go to YouTube and look up tidal gardens! He is the best I've ever seen growing corals and has a ton of videos

 

[Mattie H.]

What's your salinity? How are you checking it? How many fish and how often are you feeding? Tell us about the tank. Filtration? Equipment?

Right on.

Temp 78.4
SG 1.025
pH 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates less than 5
PO 0
Alk 11
Ca 460
Mg 1470

I check my levels with API tests, except for magnesium which is Salifert. Salt is tested with a refractometer. I calibrated my tests when I first got them against LFS tests, everything matched up so theoretically my tests kits are good...

75 gallon tank, 80 lbs of live rock. Two yellow tail blues (very well behaved, knock on wood), three BG chromises, two bengaiis, one leopard wrasse (very healthy and a HUGE eater) and one yasha hase goby. One sand sifting star. I usually feed frozen mysis once per day, sometimes a second feeding with flakes or pellets if everyone looks hungry. All the fish eat the flakes, even the wrasse.

I have 2x 54 watt T5 actinics and 2x 54 watt T5 10ks. T5s are supplemented by 90+ watts of .30 watt LEDs (some cheapo Current Marine strips). I currently run the T5s two hours per day (acclimating my recently gifted Birdsnest and Hollywood Stunner colonies) and the rest of the day it's just the LEDs.

I have a 20 gal sump with a small fuge full of chaeto. Right now the return handles about 200 gph through the sump, but I've ordered a stronger pump that can handle five times the total volume per hour, at least. I have a Reef Octopus 150SSS skimmer and a filter sock for mechanical filtration. I also just added some carbon bags a few days ago just in case there's something in the water that I can't test for.

Thanks!

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

If it is a Yuma I heard they are really picky with any kind of swing.

 

[Travis Stewart]

Right on.

Temp 78.4
SG 1.025
pH 8.1
Ammonia 0
Nitrites 0
Nitrates less than 5
PO 0
Alk 11
Ca 460
Mg 1470

I check my levels with API tests, except for magnesium which is Salifert. Salt is tested with a refractometer. I calibrated my tests when I first got them against LFS tests, everything matched up so theoretically my tests kits are good...

75 gallon tank, 80 lbs of live rock. Two yellow tail blues (very well behaved, knock on wood), three BG chromises, two bengaiis, one leopard wrasse (very healthy and a HUGE eater) and one yasha hase goby. One sand sifting star. I usually feed frozen mysis once per day, sometimes a second feeding with flakes or pellets if everyone looks hungry. All the fish eat the flakes, even the wrasse.

I have 2x 54 watt T5 actinics and 2x 54 watt T5 10ks. T5s are supplemented by 90+ watts of .30 watt LEDs (some cheapo Current Marine strips). I currently run the T5s two hours per day (acclimating my recently gifted Birdsnest and Hollywood Stunner colonies) and the rest of the day it's just the LEDs.

I have a 20 gal sump with a small fuge full of chaeto. Right now the return handles about 200 gph through the sump, but I've ordered a stronger pump that can handle five times the total volume per hour, at least. I have a Reef Octopus 150SSS skimmer and a filter sock for mechanical filtration. I also just added some carbon bags a few days ago just in case there's something in the water that I can't test for.

Thanks!

Seems all good..do you have any other coral and how are they?

 

[Mattie H.]

Seems all good..do you have any other coral and how are they?

Just a green tip orange Birdsnest colony and a Hollywood Stunner chalice colony. Both are pretty good sized. They both went a kind of blah brown after putting them into the tank, but they're slowly regaining color under the Ts. Hard to say how good they really are doing tho because I've only had the chalice for a month and the Birdsnest for two weeks or so.

 

[Mattie H.]

I wonder why the green hairy has had its mouth open for so long... Bad sign, you think?

 

[Travis Stewart]

Your water source?

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Do you feed it mysis shrimp

 

[Travis Stewart]

Shouldn't need to feed a shroom in order for it to thrive

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

What is the flow on the shrooms they don't like a lot of flow and tend to close up.

 

[Mattie H.]

Your water source?

Originally used tap, but got wise quickly and bought an RO/DI filter. I've done 30% water changes several timea since then, all with RO/DI, and also the ATO is RO/DI. I have a TDS meter and the water is pure. I have an API copper test kit - no copper in the water.

Also should add that I've been supplementing with Reef Trace and Reef Plus, 20ml twice a week of each. Was hoping that might help. Nope.

 

[Shaddow_wolf169]

Flow?

 

[ChiCity]

Your water is too clean...
Boomers like a lil filthy water with low flow and light

 

[Mattie H.]

What is the flow on the shrooms they don't like a lot of flow and tend to close up.

Low flow for both. Bottom of the tank, under outcroppings so they're not in direct light.

 

[Travis Stewart]

Well be patient and stay on top of water changes weekly. Make sure your salinity and temp matches your tank before adding. Give it some time. I think you may have some tap water still on the system. You don't need to add any supplements, water changes should help. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

 

[Travis Stewart]

Your water is too clean...
Boomers like a lil filthy water with low flow and light

She used tap water to start...

 

[Chris Adams]

Your params look good
A bit high on the alk but can't really say that ever effected my shrooms
Dirty the tank up a bit.
slow down on the WC at least qty
remove the carbon in my opinion

correct shrooms really not fan of high flow

stop adding anything besides your WC and start testing your levels consistent until you figure out your tank usage
alk
cal

you uptake is going to be minimal

You do not need trace this and that all just extra crap in my opinion

Keep it simple and take it slow

 

[Mattie H.]

Well be patient and stay on top of water changes weekly. Make sure your salinity and temp matches your tank before adding. Give it some time. I think you may have some tap water still on the system. You don't need to add any supplements, water changes should help. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

Yea, I know it... I had a reef tank in the 90s and man you had to be *really* patient back then.

Just don't want to lose these guys.