Dying Mushroom?

[MVS]

Sorry to be repetitive guys, I posted this question in the coral section and have yet to receive a response. I thought I would give this section a try; it’s generally much more responsive.

 

I purchased my first coral last week and everything seems to be going very well except for one particular piece. I know it’s not unusual for mushrooms to excrete a jelly like string substance, which did occur when these shrooms were added to the aquarium, when threatened or irritated. This substance however is definitely different. It’s not as solid; it resembles a more like transparent jelly substance emitted from the mouth. Throughout the day the mushroom has remained mostly closed although, its color is still very mush vibrant. I’d like to know if this is a sign of a dying coral and if so, what actions can be taken at this point in time.

 

I performed my weekly water change yesterday.

SG: 1.023

PH: 8.2

Ammonia, nitrite & nitrate: 0

 

 

I also would like to know if this rock is overly crowded and if so what are the steps to limit this situation?

 

Sorry if these questions are repetitive but I really would hate to infect or ruin this colony.

 

Thanks

[rickjg]

Is you shroom emitting the transparent jelly substance from the mouth? It looks more like it’s dissolving. If it is dissolving you should vacuum out any transparent jelly substances as soon as possible and completely remove the mushroom in question. You most likely just have one shroom that was damaged in transit and has developed an infection.

Mushrooms can get bacterial infections that melt the mushroom into a transparent jelly substance. This can quickly spread to other mushrooms and sometimes other corals if not removed.

The shrooms are not over crowded, they’ll move around as needed to make room for new growth.

[MVS]

Thank you very much for the info

 

Ok, so I removed the film from the shroom. It’s not as curled up at the moment, the tentacle is now feeling around, its mouth is somewhat open and it doesn’t appear as though any more of this film is present; not sure what this indicates.

 

Before I remove this coral how can I ensure that it is infected and is in the process of dying?

 

If necessary, to remove the coral I assume I take the entire rock out of the water and use a straight edge razor to dislodge the coral from the base?

 

Thanks again

[rickjg]

Keep a close eye on the shroom, it could be OK and it looks like it’s still intact.

 

Just keep removing any jelly or film you see from the tank.

 

If the shroom starts really dissolving, get it out quick. You can remove the whole rock from the tank and cut off any affected shrooms. Then do a quick shake (just a few seconds}in RO water the same temp as your tank water to kill any remaining bacteria. Replace the rock back into your tank & keep a close watch.

[MVS]

That’s exactly the knowledgeable information I was looking for.

 

Very strange, it appears as though it’s ok, at least so far. I’m definitely going to keep a close eye on it.

 

Thanks again for all of the info

[CollegeReef]

that ric rock rocks!!!!!! make sure to put it either on top of another rock or right up next to it so that those rics have other rocks to move onto.

[MVS]

Thanks.

 

That actually was one of my concerns. It unfortunately fits best at the bottom of the tank for several reasons, lower lighting conditions is one of them. It’s resting up against a rock but really I don’t see much room for the corals to work their way over to the rock, especially the ones on the bottom. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get my hands on a very flat thin piece of LR and rest the bottom portion on top of it.

 

Just some thoughts

 

Thanks again