Anything eat mushrooms?

[Len]

I got around to thinking that there has to be something that naturally predates mushroom corals. I have a serious overpopulation of several species of corallmorphians, and I'm looking for a better method of removal then burning them with NaOH. Anyone have any ideas?

:::crosses fingers::::

 

[Anonymous]

Do you mean CaOH instead of NaOH?

Anyway, I am sure there are tons of people in LA area who will be of your service in removing your 'shrooms for you by hand.

 

[walter stellwagen]

on the advice of c.delbeek i had greatsuccess by putting a racoon butterfly in my tanks. Got rid of about 1500 shrooms this way

Walt

 

[Len]

CK, I use NaOH, 50% solution.

Thanks Walter. Did the B-fly bother any other corals though? If it only eats mushrooms, you're my savior

 

[Len]

^ bump ^

Just curiuous if your Racoon bothered other corals/inverts.

 

[Mouse]

From what ive heard it doesn't, but it will have a dig at any shrooms or other zooanthid polyops. And id be wary of having any LPS corals with them, i think SPS are fine. Someone said that their actually picking cope's and pods from between the coral fingers and not munching the polyops themselfs. But a nice big juicy LPS, i think they would just burst it, then maybee leave them alone.

Why couldn't you just swap mushroom rocks for regular rocks at your LFS, its quite a common practice at the one i got to, unless their buiried in the lower echelons of your tank.

Lets see some pics of the extent of your infestation, im sure it wil drop many jaws and jade many eyes.

 

[Anonymous]

I saw the heading of this thread and was reminded of one my old room mates. He was a crazy guy.

 

[Anonymous]

Get some old film cannisters and send some of em Indiana-way, Len! I'm a freak for mushrooms. I've got 2 nice orange and green ricordea, some purples, and one lone red/orange left. I need mooooorreeeeee!

 

[Quigonsean]

Yeah Len I'd be more than happy to take some off your hands, I'm just setting up a new tank and Shrumes and Zoos are my absolute favorite. I'd pay for the overnite shipping to good old Maryland.

Sean

 

[Len]

They're impossible to remove. I can probably get a dozen; the rest can't be removed without a major undertaking.

 

[tlc]

are you trying to completely get rid of all of them or just thin out the forest?
if you are trying to irradicate good luck. i thought i killed all of them then they all grew back with a vengence. only sure way is to remove all rock infested with them...

 

[Len]

I'm trying to get rid of them all or prune them back to managable numbers. Right now, it's overgrowing EVERYWHERE and i can't possibly remove rocks to get rid of them without tearing the whole reef apart :? A natural solution would work best to keep my mushrooms in check; hence, this thread

 

[tlc]

i gave up and accepted them for the pests they are. i trimmed then the acros would grow in the trimmed area then whoila they would start growing underneath acro branches. killing the acros. i finally had to move my hard coral out of that tank into another. now mushrooms galore. fortunately my lfs pay big money for mushroom rocks...any natural predators would probably go after other species of corals. hit or miss situation with butterfly fishes. good luck..

 

[NMreefer]

I was once told by my LFS that chocolate chip stars ate them, but don't know for sure.

Phillip

 

[walter stellwagen]

didn't eat any thing but shrooms and aptasia

walt

 

[Len]

Thanks Walt. Still have it? I guess I'll give it a shot; i dread having to catch it if it starts being a pest though, but the shrooms are driving me nuts at this point.

Well, if anyone has a known critter in their possesion that positively eats mushrooms (and preferablly only shrooms) please contact me. You'll be my savior

Back to sodium hydroxide I go ....

 

[hillbilly]

I had the same problem once in a 55 gal. I finally
gave in and tore it down. I will never put the da-n
things in a tank again !!!