Can't get mushrooms to stay happy!

Chris Adams · Jan 31, 2017

thirdchild said:
Hmm, I'm a bit surprised the leds alone + 2h of the t5 are enough light for coral.

Can you post a couple of pics of the sps? Color seems a little off from the FTS shot.

ahh Third.. another shroomer.

Shaddow_wolf169 · Jan 31, 2017

2 month old tank

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

thirdchild said:
Hmm, I'm a bit surprised the leds alone + 2h of the t5 are enough light for coral.

Can you post a couple of pics of the sps? Color seems a little off from the FTS shot.

I'm sure it's not. I'm still acclimating. Think I should increase it faster?

Chris Adams · Jan 31, 2017

Mattie H. said:
Big huge clump of chaeto. It was a tiny ball until a month ago and then blew up. Now it filters the light green. Haha

Are you trimming it?

Shaddow_wolf169 · Jan 31, 2017

My 2 month old tank

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

thirdchild said:
Hmm, I'm a bit surprised the leds alone + 2h of the t5 are enough light for coral.

Can you post a couple of pics of the sps? Color seems a little off from the FTS shot.

I don't have a latest pic of the SPS and I'm in moonlight mode now. Here's the chalice from a few days ago tho. Turned brown and started to lighten around the edges so I've been adding light faster and it looks a bit better in the pat few days... Or maybe my imagination....

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

thirdchild said:
Also how far are your lights from the sandbed?

About 22-23 inches.

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

Chris Adams said:
Are you trimming it?

Not yet. It's taken over about half the fuge, but I don't want to lose any nitrate sucking power so I've left it alone.

Mattie H. said:
I don't have a latest pic of the SPS and I'm in moonlight mode now. Here's the chalice from a few days ago tho. Turned brown and started to lighten around the edges so I've been adding light faster and it looks a bit better in the pat few days... Or maybe my imagination....

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

Shaddow_wolf169 said:
2 month old tank

Wow, how'd you get it that stocked in two months? I wasn't even done my cycle at two months...

Chris Adams · Jan 31, 2017

Mattie H. said:
Not yet. It's taken over about half the fuge, but I don't want to lose any nitrate sucking power so I've left it alone.

Trim it

It likes to be trimmed

thirdchild · Jan 31, 2017

IMO I think you need to keep the t5's on, that looks not so good to me.

Rather than changing duration, keep it on 8-10h whatever you want and use window screens over the top of the tank. When you start, use a bunch of layers. Each week or so take one layer off. I'm talking about the charcoal fiberglass window screens that you use to keep bugs out.

I don't know anything about the leds you run, but might not be putting out enough light to hit the bottom.

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

Chris Adams said:
Trim it
It likes to be trimmed

[emoji6] Haha okay I will. How much is too much? I wish I had someone to give the xtra away to...

Shaddow_wolf169 · Jan 31, 2017

Mattie H. said:
Wow, how'd you get it that stocked in two months? I wasn't even done my cycle at two months...

Just added a fish a week and a coral I went a little crazy all my numbers are zero and nitrates are almost .05

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

thirdchild said:
IMO I think you need to keep the t5's on, that looks not so good to me.

Rather than changing duration, keep it on 8-10h whatever you want and use window screens over the top of the tank. When you start, use a bunch of layers. Each week or so take one layer off. I'm talking about the charcoal fiberglass window screens that you use to keep bugs out.

I don't know anything about the leds you run, but might not be putting out enough light to hit the bottom.

dang. Hoping it was my imagination... Okay, thanks for the advice. I will. I've been really worried about the lighting actually. SPS will be happy... probably won't help the shroom issue tho.

Chris Adams · Jan 31, 2017

My shrooms love the light as much as my sps

based on thirds comments I was also going to suggest moving them into more direct light to see how they react.

thirdchild · Jan 31, 2017

Chris Adams said:
My shrooms love the light as much as my sps

Yep what Chris said. Just acclimate and keep in the low flow. Some shrooms are high light, some low, most don't care.

Mattie H. · Jan 31, 2017

thirdchild said:
Yep what Chris said. Just acclimate and keep in the low flow. Some shrooms are high light, some low, most don't care.

Hah. Maybe that's my issue. Not enough light for anyone.

How many layers of screen do you think I should I start with?

Sabellafella · Jan 31, 2017

Mattie H. said:
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!

How long have they been acting up? Check their feet, sometimes they shrink or look upset when they reproduce by tearing its foot. If theres no brown blob stuff on or near the shroom, i wouldnt worry, just needs some time.