Mushrooms losing color

[Liz]

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?

 

[Max]

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.

 

[Liz]

So they will never be colorful when expanded?

 

[mysis]

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?

 

[Liz]

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]

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

 

[Liz]

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]

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]

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.

 

[Liz]

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...