Secrets to grow mushrooms?

bakbay

Premium Member
Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Messages
1,395
Likes
1,130
Points
113
Location
Orange County
#1
Outside of SPS, I can’t get mushrooms to grow! My mushrooms have not grown in months. Alk is 8.5,
dKH, CA is 460, and I run N&P around 40ppm & 0.10ppm respectively. I’ve started dosing TM A/K recently. Will send out ICP test soon.

Curious — what do you guys do?
 

drexel

Member
POTM Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
2,133
Likes
2,026
Points
113
Location
SFV
#2
Is there a particular genus you're having trouble with? I find that jawbreakers and some ricordea (yuma) can be problematic at times, but generally mushrooms as a whole fall into that "beginner" class of corals. I think trace elements can help, but I can tell you from experience, not doing anything as far as routine maintenance, water changes, etc, doesn't seem to matter to them. Most do not do well in high light and high flow, but some take it just fine. They're usually shaded in nature or found in turbid, silty water.
 

bakbay

Premium Member
Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Messages
1,395
Likes
1,130
Points
113
Location
Orange County
#3
Is there a particular genus you're having trouble with? I find that jawbreakers and some ricordea (yuma) can be problematic at times, but generally mushrooms as a whole fall into that "beginner" class of corals. I think trace elements can help, but I can tell you from experience, not doing anything as far as routine maintenance, water changes, etc, doesn't seem to matter to them. Most do not do well in high light and high flow, but some take it just fine. They're usually shaded in nature or found in turbid, silty water.
I’ve moved them away from the high flow area and low light but they don’t seem to take off. My Yumas seemed to have tapered off - zero growth. They were splitting babies before. My OG Bounce has not grown in 6mos — no seriously, nothing. I’ve moved some mushrooms to another tank with very low flow to see
 

drexel

Member
POTM Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
2,133
Likes
2,026
Points
113
Location
SFV
#4
I had jawbreakers growing in my sps tank under halides and high flow, so there are those that don't seem to care. I think it's good to spread them into other systems, some corals just do better in different systems, while others suffer or don't seem to thrive. It could be the diversity or lack of that makes the difference? Make small incremental changes over time and see if you notice a difference, but I wouldn't change anything drastically, that never ends well.
 

bakbay

Premium Member
Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Messages
1,395
Likes
1,130
Points
113
Location
Orange County
#7
They like dirty water
My nitrate is 70ppm and phosphate is 0.10. I haven’t changed water in a year. Maybe I should do a WC to see?

Anyway, my SPS is growing well so I rather not risk it. I’ve moved some mushrooms last night so will see if they will take off.
 

drexel

Member
POTM Winner
Joined
Nov 1, 2016
Messages
2,133
Likes
2,026
Points
113
Location
SFV
#9
Look, if you have at least 1ppm of NO3, then you have enough nitrogen in the system, beyond that, it's just the ratio compared to PO4 that matters, not the actual number itself. But I agree that mixing sps and mushrooms is kind of hard, but not impossible, in fact, some can take high light (yuma being one of them). As I mentioned before, some corals may not like a particular system, but do just fine in another, it's all trail and error.
 

bakbay

Premium Member
Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Messages
1,395
Likes
1,130
Points
113
Location
Orange County
#12
I generally treat mine with disdain and backhanded comments, causing them to flourish. Meanwhile, my Neptune bouce that I fawn over is staging a die-in.
lol - we all know that you’re a slumlord when it comes to coral housing! ;)

I got tired of these OG Bouncing Deadbeats so evicted them!!! They were not contributing to rent, messy af, and always engaged in chemical warfare with neighbors. I feel so much better without them.

Just spot them in a small apartment now with no sanitation, no AC, and no food! Will see how these suckers do…
 

Attachments

bakbay

Premium Member
Supporter
Joined
Aug 27, 2023
Messages
1,395
Likes
1,130
Points
113
Location
Orange County
#16
That reverse psychology stuff doesn’t seem to work. Case in point - my wife doesn’t give a shiit about me all the time, hoping I’ll turn around. Instead, I just get progressively “worse”… but I’m happy! ;)
 

Latest posts

Top