Mushrooms being preyed upon?

[AquaCulture+]

Thanks to all in the Reef Tank comunity!
I seem to be having a little problem in my 55 gal reef.
I have a variety of hard and soft corals tons of live rock a few fish and assorted inverts (too many to list! Can't believe I'm making this crazy tightrope trick work!) I have a few live rocks covered heavy with a variety of red, brown and green mushrooms. They spawn and newones crop up here and there. I find some when I move a piece of rock to vacume any dead areas that accumulate Dietrus. All things are well exept for one small dillema. Once in a great while I'll find a mushroom that looks like it has been put through a blender. The deterioration is far too rapid to be disease. I have found a couple of bright pink husky little crabs with one good size claw. They are VERY reclusive and I only ever see them when moving a rock or at night. Am I being to rough on them or do these little buggers like to eat shrooms? I've only lost about 3 to this but if it cotinues I'll have to take soe action. Much to hard to spawn them only to loose them in this way. Anyone else ever have this problem? I also have a small emerald but he seems content on the bottom eating other stuff.... One side note I also have one medium size mushroom that has expelled ALL his color. The thing is a cool albino bright white. Seems to be living ok and opens and closes with the others in the colonie. Any comments or similar experiences?
Jerry Aquaculture+

[Geoff]

i am not a real fan of crabs. i do not have any in my reef. the only one i know if is in my acro.

do the mushrooms seem to be disappearing in the same area? i do not know how territorial crabs are, but it could be a way to isolate the problem. any fish pick at them?

G~

[foobuddha]

Can you get pictures?

Crabs seem to be unpredictable at best.

When you say your mushrooms 'spawn', do you mean you find them floating around the tank full grown, or do you mean you see little mushrooms growing near the old ones?

What kind of pumps are moving your water, in tank or sump? Is it possible that these mushrooms floated free and got sucked up and spit out?.

[tdwyatt]

Heh! see the thread on the Gorilla crab...

[AquaCulture+]

Tihs problem seems to have no certain location as a problem. One here one there. They don't float around and I will find the disintigrated one right were it was attached. I also saw a few larger type slug/hitch hikers spewing something wierd out of ther bodies. They make ther own mini shell that is irridecent pearl. Can these be shroom eating Nudibranches? I wouldn't mind loosing them as they are not that pretty. But hate to discriminate against any species in the best interest o Bio divirsity. When I say that the mushrooms spawn I mean they usually require soe kind of enviro trigger...Water change ..dip in salinity etc.. Then they send off some tiny little ribon like stuff from the very center. I will usually find them growing in lower light areas behind some live rock. I do like all the shrooms I have. There pretty neat as there colors are varried and they do morph a bit through out the day...opening and closeing. Anyone have any secrets to making Ricordias thrive / divide? Jerry Aquaculture+

[Geoff]

a pic of the critter in question would be great. a guess from your description, it could just be a stomatella(sp?) snail. these are good algae eaters.

the ribbons you see coming from the shroom, is just the shroom telling you it is not really happy with whatever you just did.

G~