raising shrooms

[robertmun]

I have some red and purple mushrooms in my 20g

 

Temp is 80

PH is 8.2

Trates~10

SG 1.023

 

They are "existing" nicely - but not growing or spreading. I don't does anything...just diligent WC. Is there anything I SHOULD dose to help them out?

 

Robert

[AZDesertRat]

What is your lighting and light period and your water flow? How long have you had the tank set up and how long have you had the 'shrooms? Do you have lots of other things in the tank such as fish or ??? They really don't require much, but I would raise your specific gravity to around 1.025 or so over time. There are some products out ther like Salifert Coral Grower, Kent Coral Accel or Marc Weiss Reef Vital, but if you are doing regular water changes and using a good quality salt you really don't need them.

[robertmun]

HI AZ,

 

2x55 PC...shrooms are in low flow on bottom of tank.

 

Tank is about 6 months old. Have 4 fish, bubble coral, GSP, frogspawn, pulsing xenia, and some inverts.

 

I feed formula 1 about every other day.

 

GSP, Bubble and Frogspawn are doing nicely.

 

Thanks,

 

Robert

[AZDesertRat]

Things sound good to me. I have had some 'shrooms in the same 20G since 1990. Its kinda wierd but when I totally neglected the tank and had 4x15w NO bulbs on it they seemed to grow the best??? I now have 3x55w PC more circulation, a better skimmer (from a modified Skilter to a BakPak II) less fishand more rock and they don't seem to grow as fast or as brightly colored. Its like the higher nitrates and lower light did them good. Go figure! One thing I did do though was to add a crushed coral substrate after my son insisted the bare bottom tank was ugly. I found out after about a year that was a mistake and have gone back to bare bottom with elevated eggcrate on this tank. My 15G has a 4" DSB though and seems to be doing great so I will probably convert the 20G eventually.