mushroom coral

[aquaticsdeptleader]

2 ques? from what i have read on mushrooms it is my understanding that they are not photosynthtic but will show better color under brighter lights is this true?

2: what is the best thing to feed the mushrooms

[Jeremy1973]

Not sure on your first question, I thought they were...but to a small degree. They mainly feed through direct absorption of nutrients, as well as what ever drifts in their mouth. ( I have just started to read the chapter on mushrooms...so, I will know more later..heh heh) I do know that mushrooms don't always do well under bright lights. And yes, some of their colors are accented by light. Like my green mushrooms look okay under 6500K, but under the acetinics...wow...they have a green glow about them.

As for feeding...I have watched my mushrooms close up when flake food or frozen brine lands on its disc.

Hope that helps at least to a small degree. And welcome to TheReefTank!

[kita_katan]

I am not really sure but from my mushrooms that I have right now...my green ones are bright green in the morning then are almost a brownish green (more brown) by 6pm and same with my reds they are bluish/purple in the morning then are all red by about 6. But I only have 3 VHO bulbs also....anyone else know about it?

[aquaticsdeptleader]

thank you for your help and iam glad to be here they do seem to show better colors when the lights are on but that may be a mimic of the other corals to attract pray they may also be photo syn but iam hopeing there not as i only have a 18000 k actinic flouresent and a 20000k day corallife bulb (not vho).

again thank you

[Alice]

Mushrooms do need light. The coral itself does not use photosynthesis but the symbiotic algae (zooxanthelle) that inhabits the coral does. This is truly a "give-and-take" relationship; both feed off the by-products of the other and while the coral may survive a short time by direct feeding without zooxanthelle (or very little) they will die without the algae. Some coral species are more hardy than others in this regard. I've had mushrooms that were rolled under rocks, hidden in the sand, what have you, for weeks-they were white or almost transparent when found-but which made a full recovery when once again exposed to light.

HTH and Welcome! to The Reef Tank!

Alice

[aquaticsdeptleader]

i understand stand the symbotic algae but is was my understang that a few species of coral includeing mushrooms do not have the said algae but it from your posts it seems that i either mis interprted what i read or the authur was incorrect so now i would like to ask how much light is requred for these mushrooms to survive

thank you alice and iam glad to be here

[R1Bill]

aquaticsdeptleader,

mushrooms need light. not a great deal like direct MH but they do very well under bright pc. i have some that fall under my rock. if they don't get any light, they turn white and shrink and die. as far a feeding, dt phytoplankton should be fine but the hairy mushrooms seem to go wild for something more substantial like www.ipsf.com "coral heaven".

bill

[R1Bill]

aquaticsdeptleader,

i would try for at least 2 watts/gallon, better 3 or 4 for mushrooms. 2 may work if you keep them near the surface but IMHO they will wither away with less than that.

bill

[Jeremy1973]

Most corals do well with low to moderate light. What kind of lighting do you have? I saw the rating, but how many watts? How big was your tank again?

[aquaticsdeptleader]

i have a 46 bow front 18 inches deep the lights are i think between 20 and 30 watts iam not looking to keep corals for now until i move up to the empty 75 that sits by the bed but i got some mushroom coral rock pieces and i was hopeing that i could keep them alive