Hello all. My tank has been up and running for just over 3 weeks.
Water Parameters have been steady the entire time. Using a Spectrapure Maxcap RO/DI. Salinity is 1.025. Ammonia = 0
Nitrites = 0 Nitrates = 5. PH is 7.9 Phosphates are 0. Temp is on the high side. Was 82.7 yesterday, got it down to 81.8 right now.
(Have the AC on, and floated a frozen bottle of water in the sump yesterday). Got it down to 81.8 f. For lighting, I have the Elos Planet 4 24w T5 (2 super actinic, 2 blue+ (ATI and UVL) and 150w metal halide which I'm not running yet.

I was SO exited to put in my first corals yesterday. Haven't added a fish yet. I purchased forescent green mushrooms and a zooathus button polyps (green with orange center)

The zoo's opened quite a bit after I got them in the tank. The mushrooms shriveled down to about 1/4 of the size in the bag.
I only have a 5 minute drive home. I floated them for 30 minutes,
and then did a drip for an hour. They never expanded last night, but I was moving them around a lot trying to find the best spot for them. I have them at the bottom of the tank, in a low flow spot.

Just turned on the T5's....and it's only been 30 minutes, but they're still shrunken. Their color looks fine, they're just not opening like when they were in the store yesterday. How long after you add them to a new tank, does it take for them to recover and open up? Do they shrivel every night when you turn the lights off? How long does it take to open after the lights come on?

Thanks! Felt like Christmas yesterday!! :)

Bye
Pam

I wouldn't worry about the shroom yet. Mine shrivel up every night at lights out.

They should be fine on the bottom with low flow. They're pretty tough, so don't worry if it takes them several days to open back up. Just stop moving them, that adds a lot of stress.

Congrats on the first additions. Keep us updated.

Thanks. I was a bit worried last night, but they definitely look better today. Still not as nice as at the LFS, but I think they'll be ok. Here are two pics, which don't show the color very well (flourescent green). Do they look ok? The top two have lifted themselves off the rock, the bottom two are still draped to the rock pretty closely. Nice to have a touch of color in my tank! :)
Pam

http://www.homebasedbusiness-usa.com/Mushroom Coral.jpg

http://www.homebasedbusiness-usa.com/Mushroom Coral2.jpg

Very pretty mushrooms. I think they will be just fine.

Thanks Carmie. I'll have to adjust the white balance on my camera to see if I can capture the color. They do seem better today than yesterday.


Very pretty mushrooms. I think they will be just fine.

Mushrooms are looking beautiful now! :) You guys were right. Took about 3 days for them to settle in.
Pam

Wonderful! :D

One thing I noticed.... Mushrooms are supposed to like low light, yet they don't even begin to open until the T5's turn on. My tank is in a bright room. I have the shades closed so that the sun doesn't come in and cause algae problems, but the room is still very bright. I'd think that the mushrooms would open somewhat at least. Maybe they think it's moonlight. My lights are only on 5 hours a day right now and I'm increasing them gradually. Should I increase them by 30 minutes a day, or 30 minutes every week ???

Thanks, Pam

The zoas and shroom are the only things photo-sensitive in the tank? I don't see any need to slowly increase the phot period, unless you are going to exceed whatever lighting they were under in the LFS. I'd try to match their photo period, and if you are planning on lighting more, you can increase it from there. I'd fire up the MH too.

Someone that works at my LFS told me to increase the amount of time the lights are on, slowly, so that I didn't have crazy aglae issues. I should just go ahead and start lighting my tank for 12 hours a day? The only think in my tank besides the zoos and mushrooms, are 7 Cerith snails and 1 scarlett legged crab....and 55lbs of live rock.

Thanks, Pam

If algae issues are going to happen (and they probably will), they will happen once there is enough light to support them, regardless of weather you slowly reach that point or reach it now. You're just going to have to let it cycle through. Everyone gets it with a new tank. Good water quality, water changes and a cleanup crew will all do their part to reach equilibrium. Now that you have phot- dependant organisams in the tank, I say swith to your normal lighting scheme now. Just MHO of course.

I start my tank's "day" at noon so that I can enjoy it when I get home after work. :)
I would differ on firing up your MH for 'shrooms & zoas. They don't need the intensity so unless you just want shimmer I'd wait until I have something that needs the stronger light. The frugal reefkeeper (oxymoron) in me says "Besides the additional power used they will add heat to your tank and the room. It's probably not in the 90's yet in NH but summer is coming and why run the AC more than you have to? "

I agree with you carmie on the heat from the MH, however my shrooms and zoo's love my MH. They open everyday and they grow like a weed. I have mixed feelings about zoo's and shrooms needing moderate to low light. When i didn't have my MH they were ok but nothing like they are now. Thats just my experience though :)

Carmie has an excelent point.

If they're doing fine under the T5s, you may indeed want to wait. I was just concerned that with just blue light, they may not get enough PAR.

I have mixed feelings about zoo's and shrooms needing moderate to low light. When i didn't have my MH they were ok but nothing like they are now. Thats just my experience though :)

Yep, I have shrooms and zoas at the bottom of my tank, in the middle, and some just a few inches below the surface of my MHs. While they're all doing fine, the ones closer to the top are growing faster and look nicer IMO.

Heat (and electricity bills) not withstanding, they'll probably be fine either way.

I'll be interested in seeing if my zoas take off under my Solaris. They have always been under PC's. I can already see new growth on some of my SPS. I have always fed the stony corals pretty heavily to compensate for the lower light intensity and while they have done OK they have never grown quickly.

Sorry for the mini hijack Pam. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread. :)

Here is a picture of the Mushroom Corals the day after I put it in my tank, and second picture I took tonight, 3 days after I put it in my tank. Looks so much better! Question for you all...in the second photo, what is the mushroom at the top doing ? He's looked like that since I put him in my tank. Is he going to split? Or just the way he's shaped? Also...should I be feeding them something? (no fish to feed yet) Thanks. Pam

Mushrooms day after I put them in my tank.
http://www.homebasedbusiness-usa.com/Mushroom%20Coral2.jpg

Mushrooms 3 days after I put them in my tank.
http://www.homebasedbusiness-usa.com/Corals 5-29-07.jpg

They're looking nice.

Mine get all squinky like that when they're going to split, so maybe. Does it look like it's forming 2 separate mushrooms? Is there more than 1 mouth?

Thanks Purst. I noticed earlier tonight, that it looks like it has 3 mouths. The other's just have one mouth. When they split, does one usually split into two, or can they split into several? It looks like he's streching. Bye. Pam

They're looking nice.

Mine get all squinky like that when they're going to split, so maybe. Does it look like it's forming 2 separate mushrooms? Is there more than 1 mouth?

Sounds like you got bonus mushrooms! Mine have never split but based on other corals I'd vote on a 3 for 1 deal!

Would be cool if they split. When they look like this one does, ....does it take days or weeks to split? Pam

All of my mushrooms have split into 2 peaces. I would say it's just the way it looks. I'm not a expert on this but in order for it to split i needs to split its mouth into 2 peaces and then heal once complete. What it will do is the mouth will split in the middle and then the two different mouths will fold into itself creating another mouth and then heal itself. Now I'm not sure if all the organs will split and then regenerate or if one side takes the majority of organs and the other side will deal with what it has until it can regenerate the remaining organs. Not sure if it can split into 3 peaces but i would say it might be possible. Remember i am far from an expert and everything i just said could be frowned upon by marine biologists lol :) This is just my opinion and how i look at. :)

To make a long story short i believe you are having twins :)

oh yea mine has taken anywhere from a week or more to split :)

I feel like a grandmother-to-be !! :) So cool to have some color and life in my tank. Can't wait to get that first fish!

Its the best thing in the world when we receive something like this. We put so much time and effort,......oh yea money! into this hobby and when something like this happens,...Its just a great thing. It keeps us addicted to this hobby.

I guess what I am trying to say is Welcome you are now a reefaholic! :)

Here's one of mine that looks for all the world it's splitting into 3. It has 2 mouths, but it looks like it's going to split again before it finishes the first split.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e332/pearsonhurst/HPIM3255.jpg

This one is, by the way, only about 6" deep, directly below one of my 150W MH fixtures.

what kind of fish did you wont to put in?:cool:

This is my favorite thing in my tank. It has never split but if you look to the right of the picture between the rock and the sand you will see a little one growing. Its a little young to determain if its the same species but it looks just the same if you ask me :)

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/beyondthereef/jan-27-087/redmushroom2.jpg

Sorry for the hi-jack Pammy :)

Okay.... sshrooms are ON the list. Great pictures.... and I need some in a low light, sandy area! Thanks Guys. I appreciate you Carmie!

Yup...I'm definitely getting addicted! Do they have R.A. for us reefaholics? ;)

Its the best thing in the world when we receive something like this. We put so much time and effort,......oh yea money! into this hobby and when something like this happens,...Its just a great thing. It keeps us addicted to this hobby.

I guess what I am trying to say is Welcome you are now a reefaholic! :)

WOW....beautiful color mushroom wwest! Hi-Jack away all!

This is my favorite thing in my tank. It has never split but if you look to the right of the picture between the rock and the sand you will see a little one growing. Its a little young to determain if its the same species but it looks just the same if you ask me :)

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/beyondthereef/jan-27-087/redmushroom2.jpg

Sorry for the hi-jack Pammy :)

Ahh...mine definitely looks like it's in the early stages of where yours is now. Interesting....looks like yours is going to fold back on itself, and then attach to itself to form a new mushroom.

Here's one of mine that looks for all the world it's splitting into 3. It has 2 mouths, but it looks like it's going to split again before it finishes the first split.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e332/pearsonhurst/HPIM3255.jpg

This one is, by the way, only about 6" deep, directly below one of my 150W MH fixtures.

This is my favorite thing in my tank. It has never split but if you look to the right of the picture between the rock and the sand you will see a little one growing. Its a little young to determain if its the same species but it looks just the same if you ask me :)

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/beyondthereef/jan-27-087/redmushroom2.jpg

Sorry for the hi-jack Pammy :)

Man, that one is GREAT looking. I think I'd have to chop it up and spread it around the tank....

I have been thinking about it. The reason i haven't yet is because that thing is huge. Its every bit of 8 inches when fully open. Duane (wildeone) gave me that mushroom and i thank him for that. I love it!

I have cut shrooms the size of a quarter into 6 pieces and had them all live, you could get a TON of frags out of one that size. That is one BIG sucker though, you're right, i might be a bit hesitant to hack it up too. maybe if that little baby turns out to be the same shroom, you can frag that one up when it gets bigger.

Hmm, I wonder who you could send one to :D