Shrooms need help

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 02:22 PM

For the last few weeks I have noticed that my mushrooms and Richordia are not doing so hot. They are all shriveled up. THey are not dying but they are not happy for sure. Also my Richordiar are cupping up and stretching out like they are trying to catch something. I have moved them around the tank and tried different things and not much is helping.
I have a 40 gal breeder tank with two 55w actinic bulbs and a 175w MH bulb.
My Ammonia is about 40ppm and Nitrates are at .5. There are no traces of nitrites in the water. I am running a Euro reef ES8-1 skimmer on the tank so I am not sure why the ammonia is so high. I am not sure what to do from this point. Here are some pictures of what I am looking at.

digital_dragon · 07-01-2003, 02:37 PM

How old is your Ammonia test kit and what kind is it? You may be getting a false reading on the test kit.

My mushrooms every once in a while stretch out and fold up like that and then settle out.

When was the last time you have done a 10 to 15 percent water change?

Also can you give us your tank parameters like SG, type of lighting, Tank Temp, Age of Tank, etc. The more information the better to assess the situation. There are a ton of knowlegable people here with enough information can find you an answer.

Earl

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 02:50 PM

I gave the lighting, size, and some other things above. I don't really have anything else. I did a 15% water change about 2 weeks ago. THe temp is about 80 deg. and the tank is about 1 year old with the exception of the latest move about 4 weeks ago.

bongobrian · 07-01-2003, 02:59 PM

Is this a new tank? ammonia levels should be 0, and if your readings are correct, then there's your problem. Ammonia is toxic and deadly to all living things. If it turns out that your test kit is inaccurate, then you should start testing your water for everything else such as ph, alkalinity, and calcium. Also, you mentioned that this all started a few weeks ago. Try to backtrack and think if you changed anything recently that may have caused this. Perhaps you forgot to wash your hands and contaminated the tank with something when putting your arm in the tank. Just trying to generate some ideas for you, but if your ammonia is really that high, then you'll be lucky if anything survives. You may want to consider moving everything to a friend's tank or back to the lfs.

bongobrian · 07-01-2003, 03:02 PM

oops, sorry I didn't see your previous post. You said your tank is a year old but you did a recent move about 4 weeks ago? I'd say that's a MAJOR clue right there. Maybe during the move you somehow killed most or all of your denitrifying bacteria. Something like that would definitely cause the ammonia spikes.

digital_dragon · 07-01-2003, 03:16 PM

Missed the lights and tank size sorry. I would try doing another 15% water change again then test your parameters especially the ammonia and see if you get the same reading if after the water change your ammonia is still reading what it is you may have a bad test if not something has died in your tank and is driving up the ammonia. Let us know what results you get after your water change.

Earl

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 03:23 PM

I will let you know.
I was trying to think back and there are two things.
1: This problem started when I added some Coral Vital about 3 months ago.
2: I lost a yellow tang about 7 weeks ago and I have never found him.

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 03:24 PM

he was about 2 in (kinda small)

bongobrian · 07-01-2003, 03:39 PM

chances are good then that the tang is in there decaying and adding ammonia to your tank. I would start moving the rocks around and try to find it and get it out of there. The coral vital probably doesn't have anything to do with your problem. I know that some of those coral suppliments can contribute to some phosphate problems, but not ammonia.

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 03:47 PM

He died before I moved the tank. I have looked in all the rocks and the sand and I cannot find him. Do you think he would be still causing trouble after 7 weeks.

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 03:48 PM

Another note.
THe fish I have are doing great and so are the button polyps.

Toadfish · 07-01-2003, 04:16 PM

I don't believe it to be sub par water quality. Shrooms seem to thrive in sub par conditions. I know people that say that they are your best indicator if something has gone array. I tend to disagree with that school of thought (unless a chemical gets into your tank). I think that you have too much light on your mushrooms. Try moving them to a shaded area. Your ammonia level is cause for caution however, make sure you do that 15% water change and monitor the PH since you recently moved the tank. The PH could be another factor involved in the declining of the shrooms. All in all corals go through phases, if everything else looks healthy, then chances are that they will come around. This is by no means gospel, just info from experiences I and others around me have had.

wildernet · 07-01-2003, 04:31 PM

I have tried the shrooms all over my tank. Even with almost no light in a corner.

Toadfish · 07-01-2003, 05:29 PM

Mushrooms can be finicky, I'm sure they will come around. If they don't I have some that I want to get rid of. I consider them a scourge b/c they grow like weeds. I even lost a Sun Coral to 1 mushroom. Good luck!

wildernet · 07-02-2003, 07:28 AM

I was not correct about the water quality. I listed the two measurments backwards.
Ammonia is .25 ppm
Nitrates are 40 ppm
Nitrites are 0
PH 8.0
Salinity 1.25
Temp 80 deg.