Mushroom stinging Xenia?

[gorw2]

I have a mushroom sitting about 2-3" away from a small pink xenia frag. Tonight in my simulated dusk I notice that the shroom is sending out two long sweepers. They are getting as long as 6-8" long sometimes and are falling on the Xenia.

 

Everytime this happens the Xenia's arms ball up like he's being stung and the shroom's sweeper draws in fast.

 

This is the first time I've observed this behaviour, even though I've had them both for a couple of weeks now.

 

Should I be worried? Should I move the Xenia?

[rocko]

Never heard of shroom sending out long sweepers. What shroom is it? what do the sweepers look like?

You may very likely be observing something else.

[gorw2]

Here's a picture of how they are situated in that section of tank....

 

The sweepers were two long thin threads with thin branches off of them.

[gobygirl3]

If that large coral in the foreground on the substrate is the one that you say is sending out the sweepers, it dont look like a shroom to me, I think you got some kind of a leather coral there and it is a real dandy too.

[gorw2]

Sorry for the multiple picture posts...my browser was messing up!

 

Yes, that is the one. They called it a mushroom at the LFS but of course I've learned that you can't really go by what the LFS says...

 

So can anyone give me a positive ID? The fingers/tentacles only get about 1/2" long and they can retract until it's smooth.

 

After the sweeper episode it shrank up really small, but now is expanding again. I breifly saw the the sweeper come out again. The wife says the small tentacles it normally has out have not been out all day.

[ejls2]

I think its a species of Sarcophyton (leather coral). When all the protrusions are contracted I can see how an LFS might consider it looked like a mushroom.

 

Roll on standardised terminology

 

HTH

 

Ed

[Diatome]

Looks like an Elephant ear mushroom, though I can't find my glasses. If it is wrapped around a rock, that's probably it. Elephant ear as well as hairy mushrooms and white tip mushrooms are sold as "mushrooms" but they get big and require room because they are somewhat aggressive. It will be more noticable with that xenia there since they are more sensitive. You need to move one or the other.

[phishen]

I can't say for sure if they'll hurt each other in the long run, but if you are concerned and they aren't permanently affixed in their current positions, you could move them a little ways apart. Maybe even move that Xenia up higher, it will keep growing until it hits the top of the water or you trim it, so many people like to put them as high as possible. Your choice though, it's easy to move stuff that's just attached to a frag and not a large piece of rock.

 

That definitely looks more like a leather than a mushroom to me too.

 

EDIT: I just saw the post above me. Could be the coral they are talking about, too. I've never seen one.

[bobioden]

It could be a Hairy Mushroom, can you get a close-up of just that coral?

 

Bob

[ezramore]

looks like a toadstool leather to me. i had a small one in my tank. i have heard them called muchroom leathers and one of the lfs dealers as well.

[gorw2]

I have a close up of it here:

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=57825

 

I have also moved the Xenia although the sweepers it was sending out last night were going all the way to the top of the water.

 

It hasn't put out it's regular tentacles since Sunday night and I'm thinking it's po'd about something. I recently added an LPS coral, could it be mad about that? I read somewhere that leathers and LPS can engage in chemical warfare with each other?

[silicon_dt]

It sounds like a "toadstool leather". This is probbably where you got mushroom mixed up..

 

I have a little one that, at night, will send out what looks like a 12" peice of spider web. Now on that string is little half inch branches comming off it.

 

The coral ofter slumps down sometime and looks dead, then pops back up in the morning.

[bobioden]

Seeing the close-up, it is a leather.

[Web Guy]

Leather....

[dga]

Originally posted by gorw2

Sorry for the multiple picture posts...my browser was messing up!

 

 

Go ahead edit, then delete the multilple pictures.

[rocko]

Your description "The sweepers were two long thin threads with thin branches off of them" tell me, It's a jelly fish like creature called ctenophore. Pronounced as "10-O-4". Do a web search and you'll know what I mean. I got a whole bunch in my tank. Doesnt hurt anything.

It has nothing to do with the coral itself. It's just these small creatures move around all the time and sometimes move onto the coral. Give you the illusion the coral sends out the sweepers.

 

Rocko

[doncb]

It's not a jellyfish. I have a toadstool leather just like yours (not as big and nice though) and the same thing happens. I also have an Astriea snail that does the same thing From a spot on the shell. There is a type of worm (Caribbean Worm Snail) that sends out thin threads that have threads coming off of it just like you describe. The strands are mucus used to catch particulates. They do not sting. Probably a juvinile worm has burrowed into the leather. On my leather I can see the spot where the worm is. They don't hurt anything.

[rocko]

This is the reference I got conclusion from and pay attention to figure 7, the bottom dwelling type. At least in my tank I got the flatworm type, and they crawl everywhere, sending out long threads.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-03/rs/index.htm

 

You could be right, but I did a search for "Caribbean Worm Snail" and didnt find anything. Can you provide any reference? would be interested to learn.

[doncb]

Originally posted by rocko

This is the reference I got conclusion from and pay attention to figure 7, the bottom dwelling type. At least in my tank I got the flatworm type, and they crawl everywhere, sending out long threads.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-03/rs/index.htm

 

You could be right, but I did a search for "Caribbean Worm Snail" and didnt find anything. Can you provide any reference? would be interested to learn.

 

Could be possible. I found info on pg. 312 in Marine Invertebrates by Ronald L. Shimek. I had 2 of them "in shell" putting out the threads (finally got fed up with them & plugged the shell w/ epoxy) Then saw the very same threads comming from my leather. Looked closly and there wasn't anything on the surface of the coral but I could see where something had damaged the coral. That was where the threads were. Same threads as the ones from the "in shell worms. Always other possibilities though.

[rocko]

I Found the flatworm type 10-O-4 is often very transparent, if I dont pay close attention, it's hard to see, that's maybe when you didnt see anything on the coral but some "damage". The "damage" may actually be the body of the bug itself. Just my guess.

But nowhere the reference I mentioned says 10-O-4 has shells, so the one you saw with shell surely is something I dont know. I dont have the book, but I'll try find one and read it. Thanks for pointing me to the reference.

[Brokken]

Dude! That's not a mushroom! It's a toadstool leather (perhaps the first part of the name led to confussion). They don't - as far as I know - send out sweeper tentacles. They DO however wage their own type of chemical battle.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Both of those corals are hardy and good survivors.

[wax32]

I had Caribbean Worm Snails in my tank too. They are also referred to as "vermetid snails". Try a search. Mine were in the middle of a patch of zoos and the mucus webs made the zoos stay closed. I pried the snails out with a screwdriver and flushed them. Wether or not you have them in your toadstool is something you'll have to decide!