DIE SUCKERS DIE

[Richard]

Ok I need suggestions. I have a problem with mushrooms (discosomas) taking over my tank and would like to find a way to control them short of tearing my rockwork apart and phsically scraping/scrubbing them off. Any suggestions on what might kill them? I can't just frag them out because there are too many and they are up under acros (stinging the %#$# out of them of course). So far I have tried...

1.) Injecting them with kalk, they just got bigger.
2.) Injecting them with Lugol's, I swear they laughed at me.
3.) Added a Blackbacked butterfly as they are supposed to eat soft corals in the wild. After checking out the tank for 2 minutes he swam by the shrooms and started munching on an acro. Pretty sure he was laughing too.

[NaCl_H2O]

Inject them with undilluted Muriatic Acid :skeezy

A little bit goes a looooong way :w00t

[josephatmbimortgage]

How about giving them away rather than killing them, make some moola..lol

[Louis]

Have you tried vinegar yet?

[Richard]

How about giving them away rather than killing them, make some moola..lol

Because that would mean pulling out all my liverock and removing them or giving away all my liverock with acros and stuff attached. Also I have a DSB retaining wall I built out of base rock which has tons on it. If I pull that out well I would pretty much have to tear the whole tank down. Think of it as a major aiptasia infestation (but with color - reds, greens, and red with blue dots) and you get the idea.

[Richard]

Ah! Vinegar. I'll go to HEB and pick some up now. Maybe get some lemon juice too.

[Viet-Tin]

Ouch! I hated removing shrooms from my tank. Luckily for me most were on one rock and was able to remove it. But once in awhile I would find a stray one growing behind a rock. I stabbed the heck outa mine and stressed them out until they fell off the rock.

[Richard]

Yeah it sucks. What really sucks is that I didn't add them on purpose. I had another tank leak one morning so in a rush I stuck the rocks in that tank. Some polyps fell off and got established behind the rockwork. It wasn't a problem for a couple of years because they only grew in the shaded areas but I guess they adapted because now they grow just fine directly under 400w halides.

[jroescher]

Well if you figure out a way to remove them from your rock, you can put them in my tank. They'll slowly die away then.

[murkywaters]

while you're at the store get plenty of q-tips and flashlight batteries :P

[alton]

I have a Blue Face Angel that I can borrow you. He loves eating the purple ones. Of course he picks on clam mantles, brain corals, candy cane coral.

[Thunderkat]

I have heard that some large tiger cowries develop a taste for soft corals.

[J_G]

Richard - The best thing you can do is put bare rocks near the mushrooms. They will migrate to the new rocks within a week or so for safe removal. At that point you can sell them and even make some money on the side.

John

[murkywaters]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corallim.htm


Predator/Prey Relations

All the typical coral eating and bothering organisms are eliminated; triggers, puffers, large angels, seastars, urchins...Additionally, be careful in placing other stinging-celled animals near. Mushroom anemones regularly lose out in encounters with bubble-corals and tube anemones.

[gcantu]

Please let us know if the vinegar works. I may have to try it too!

[loans_n_fishes]

How about move your sps to a new tank and have a dedicated 'shroom tank? :lol Hey, it's an excuse to have another tank! ;) :P

Wish you could get them off the rock to sell...I love shrooms. Of course, I have a softy/Lps tank, so they don't cause me any problems.

Good luck with the battle!

[Richard]

Please let us know if the vinegar works. I may have to try it too!

Nope. The lemon juice affected them the most. They shriveled up and spit their guts out, but recovered after a day.


Well if you figure out a way to remove them from your rock, you can put them in my tank. They'll slowly die away then.

So what's your secret?

[NaCl_H2O]

Nope. The lemon juice affected them the most. They shriveled up and spit their guts out, but recovered after a day.
Real men use Muriatic Acid :innocent

[Richard]

I'm a sissy! Have you done that? And how much undiluted muratic acid does it take to crash a 215? I would like to use a little less than that amount.

[NaCl_H2O]

I'm a sissy! Have you done that? And how much undiluted muratic acid does it take to crash a 215? I would like to use a little less than that amount.
Yes I have used it, really!
Don't know how much, but mine didn't crash and I have used a full syring killing multiple aptasia - it only takes a small injection and if you miss it will disolve the rock they are sitting on :P

Obviously, try a little here & there and monitor PH. I never noticed any PH drop, but I am working with ~500g of dillution.

[NaCl_H2O]

Another important note - the needle will be ruined after used with the acid!

[Richard]

Another important note - the needle will be ruined after used with the acid!


Oh well that's a problem cause it's the same needle I use to shoot up with LOL. I'll try it on one and see if it actually dies.

[Richard]

My urchin is trying to help. I don't have the heart to tell him it's just not gonna work...

[jroescher]

You posted back sooner than I. I was going to post a picture of my urchin carrying mushrooms off. I lose more things in my tank from my urchin. If it ain't expoxied in place...it's his!

[Bigreefer]

I accidentally found a method for this. I was fragging mushrooms with a razor blade. When finished I left the razor blade out. I started fragging two weeks later cutting a bunch of mushrooms in half. I noticed a very thin rust layer on the edge of the razor blade. All mushrooms that I fragged with that razor blade slowly scribbled up and died over the next week.