View Full Version : Mushrooms losing color
I got some metallic green/blue mushrooms, and when I brought them home, over the next day or so they opened up more fully than they were at the store, and when they are fully open they lose the color (seems like it gets spread out over the mushroom so it isnt as bright?). The color is still the same when the mushrooms are not fully opened. Will they gain color when fully opened or should I return them?
Their skin is stretching out as they ballon. I wouldn't worry about them unless they start to loose color in their relaxed state. I'd say it's probably normal.
So they will never be colorful when expanded?
mysis
10-12-2006, 12:51 AM
I have never had that problem with shrooms, it may have expelled zooxanthellae after it was transferred to your tank, if that is so normal colouration should return.
can you post parameters, and how much flow are they in?
Nitrites ammonia both 0, Nitrates ~10, sg 1.021, pH 8.2 or so, they're in a moderate flow area, middle placement under 192W PC
sapgranth25
10-12-2006, 11:37 AM
i have many mushrooms in my 29 gallon tank green ~blue ~purple ~cream & i`ve never had a problem with them losing there colour even when fully open they dont lose colour BUT i`ve started a 15gallon tank a few days ago & on a piece of live rock i noticed a big purple mushroom on some live rock in store so bought it he said it would be fine out of water & then just thrown into the tank cause there as good as bomb proof witch i kinda agree with but today its fully open & its a lighter clearer purple than it is when its small so did you acclimatise the mushrooms over a good period of time?
because i think its a sign of the mushroom not been happy due to acclimatising correctly but as long as it never go`s clear i think over weeks the colour will get deeper & deeper purple..........in your case deeper colour green
Yeah I forgot to acclimate and just threw them straight in. Freaked me out at first, called the LFS and they said the mushrooms would be fine.
I guess I'll wait a month or so then and see if they brighten up.
Mr.Firemouth
10-12-2006, 11:42 PM
To color up softies actinic light will help. I use actinic T5. 800w on 180g.
Make sure your other water parameters are o.k.
alk?
calcium?
magnesium?
are you dosing stronyium/mulbedenum/iodine?
Always remember it takes about 3 months for corals to adjust their zooxanthelle to your lighting after being added to a tank. My lights are stronger so things usually color up by then. Check the above parameters, post them, and as long as your shrooms are opening they should be o.k. Shrooms will melt , burn, or bleach if lights are too strong or alk is too high
mysis
10-13-2006, 12:57 AM
adding iodine to a shroom thank is a good idea as it does help with colour. strontium is more for SPS and i don't see a point dosing or testing for a mushroom tank, same with magnesium. Mushrooms wont consume enough of it to take it out of balance, and with water changes you are replenishing it anyways.
I have no idea how actinic light helps colour up softies, other than a person looking at the tank, it doesn't affect the true colour of the coral? prehaps Mr. Firemouth can show some evidence?
Corals adjust zooxanthellae when there is a change in light it doesn't take 3 months, my bubble coral expelled loads of zooxanthellae when it was placed into my tank and after a week it had full colours back.
I haven't had my alkalinity tested ( i need to), all I add right now to my tank is Purple-Up which contains Calcium and Iodine, as well as periodically adding reef buffer(for pH) and reef builder (for alkalinity).I really do need to get the alkalinity tested because I have no idea what it is, I'll do that sunday when I go into the LFS. i've been using Instant Ocean salt with amquel dechlorinated tap water.
Soon, on sunday, I am going to switch over to RO water with I think it's Red-Sea salt (in the buckets) which is formulated with everything I need, I hear, and all I'll need to add are a liquid buffer and builder (I hear). They tell me as long as I do 5 gallon weekly water changes with the red-sea salt that'll have all the additives any coral will need (besides food).
Maybe I should have waited for the mushrooms...
They sold me rotifers to feed my mushrooms. Will they eat the rotifers?
Mr.Firemouth
10-19-2006, 12:23 AM
Personal experience with 250w 20000k bulbs has shown great improvements in colors of green leathers and zoos. Anemones colored up alot too. Star polyps and cloves grew off the chart and were neon! Heav y actinic on my T5's also showed big color ups. Technically I can't answer. I just know after changing a 3 month old 10000k to 20000k there was major improvements.
Mix instant ocean, oceanic, coralife salt wait 4 hours and test mag. Not one will have 1000ppm. Mag like all other trace elements should be maintained as close to natural seawater as possible.
Strontium helps all organisms in the uptake of available calcium. Even if mushrooms don't need as much calcium as other corals her coralline algea and any other calcifying creatures will need strontium. Again, it should be kept as close to natural seawater as posssible.
Water changes with inferior salts will not replenish trace elements. A good premix is NUTRISYSTEMS. Just pour directly in the tank for water changes.
Salt mix is TROPIC MARIN PRO. This is a quality salt that will work well with r.o./d.i. water.
All corals are different. I have had corals open and color up in 24 hours compared to the fish store. I have also had corals look like death for 2 weeks and then the next day look fantastic. 3 months is when I am confident that this is the color they will be as they continue to grow.
For salt I have Red Sea :Coral Pro which supposedly has everything I need in it...? I was using Instant Ocean but switched over because it was suggested and since I am now using RO water due to phosphate problems.
I just got the lights but when i switch out the bulbs in 6 months or so I'll switch the 10000K to 20000K, half of my actinic (or is it 50/50 not sure) bulb is out...
jg1981
10-25-2006, 10:16 AM
I ran into an article that has some interesting information on Instant Ocean salt. In my opinion, I don't really trust Instant Ocean and this article verifies some of my suspicions. Check it out. Here is a link...
Toxicity of freshly mixed artificial sea water (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/feature/index.php )