opaque edges on mushrooms

[the-elliotts]

I have a 28 gal. tank with 65w com flo and 65w actinic bulbs. tank has been kicking butt. anenomes have divided 3 times started with 2 green mush polyps aqnd now have over 16. I moved 2 months ago and had no apparent loss of life. Now my mushrooms are opaque on edges where tentacles are. Any ideas what could be going on?

 

[Len]

Opaque is normal. Did they use to be transparent?

 

[Anonymous]

((blinks)) yeah what Len asked.

 

[the-elliotts]

Not quite transparent but definitly not opaque. I'm just a little worried because it has moved to my other colony. I have pics but not too sure how to post them...yes I am a dork.

 

[the-elliotts]

Well here's a quick shot of them

 

[Len]

Ah, I see what you mean. Those are Rhodactis mushrooms with frilly edges. An angel could be nipping it, but it also looks like it could be a reaction to neighboring corals such as the zoanthid polyps.

Has there been any signifcant changes lately to the tank, the coral, or what's surrounding the coral?

 

[the-elliotts]

Lots of changes actually.. I moved. so everything is in different spots. Those are the only mushrooms near zoos though. All of the rest are by themselves.Why would the angel start nibbling now? Also I have a few hundred feather dusters now. I have no idea why. My tank is a little over 1 year old.
Fish; 2 true percs,1 Bangaii, 1 Coral Beauty.
1 Rose Bubble Anemone..oh yes 1 Tentacled? brittle star zoos, frog spawn coral, brain coral..didn't like the move too much!

 

[Len]

The angel may begin nipping because of big habitat changes. But if your other mushrooms are fine except for this colony, then I suspect it is the zoos. Zoos are known to wage chemical warfare, and the behavior of your mushrooms is a classic symptom of such chemical aggression.

As for the tiny feather dusters, these things come and go as nutrients are available to them. They can multiply like rabbits as you have seen, but their levels should level off and possibly disappear completely over time.

 

[Anonymous]

The angel may begin nipping because of big habitat changes. But if your other mushrooms are fine except for this colony, then I suspect it is the zoos. Zoos are known to wage chemical warfare, and the behavior of your mushrooms is a classic symptom of such chemical aggression.

Nods in agreement.

 

[Anonymous]

Could the tips of that frogspawn I see be brushing up against the mushrooms in the night?

 

[SnowManSnow]

<-- nods to Laura..

I know those frogs can get really aggressive at night and they can realllllly zap neighbors. I even use mine to rid my LR of small glass anemonies.. My frog reduces them down to nothing when placed in close proximity.

 

[the-elliotts]

Well that explains one colony but i have 2 mushrooms that have no zoos and no frogs nearby...I think maybe my angel is munching them Now how do I get the fish to stop?

 

[Len]

Hmm, didn't notice the frogspawn. That's another possibility.

But if colonies elsewhere in the tank are exhibiting the same thing, it could be the angel or some reaction to water quality. If it's the angel, you really can't do anything to make it stop. Once angels develop a habit, they rarely kick it. Have you seen the angel picking at the shrooms?

 

[the-elliotts]

I Haven't noticed the fish nibbling on the shrooms but it does nibble on the rocks(algae)

 

[Anonymous]

Not quite transparent but definitly not opaque. I'm just a little worried because it has moved to my other colony. I have pics but not too sure how to post them...yes I am a dork.

Do you mean translucent rather than opaque? Opaque means there's no light coming through. Translucent is somewhere between that and transparent.

 

[Anonymous]

When corallimorphians start lightening their edges they may be accumulating stinging cells there to blast a neighbor. Or at least that's what I've noticed on fringing shrooms in a colony that get closer to other corals.

 

[the-elliotts]

Thanks for the advice. As you can see in the upper pic I would have to say they're opaque, it looks like no light comes through the edges. Very strange but they seem to be healthy enough to divide.

 

[Anonymous]

OK, thanks. Misunderstood you.