Can someone educate me on Mushroom Corals?

[Hoodstream]

I have a mushroom coral I got from a really reputable shop. It’s really healthy and doing great in my tank. I started spot feeding reef roids and noticed a little white tentacle/worm popping out whenever I spot feed. Is that it’s feeding tentacle? Or what exactly is it? If anyone could help me understand and learn that would be awesome!

 

[HuduVudu]

Mushrooms do not feed directly.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I have a mushroom coral I got from a really reputable shop. It’s really healthy and doing great in my tank. I started spot feeding reef roids and noticed a little white tentacle/worm popping out whenever I spot feed. Is that it’s feeding tentacle? Or what exactly is it? If anyone could help me understand and learn that would be awesome!

@LRT @Lost in the Sauce @F i s h y thoughts?

 

[Hoodstream]

Mushrooms do not feed directly.

I’m not sure what it is it only comes out when I spot feed and then retreats shorty after.

 

[HuduVudu]

I’m not sure what it is it only comes out when I spot feed and then retreats shorty after.

Probably sweepers to remove the irritants that you are putting on it.

Mushrooms are photosynthetic.

 

[mdb_talon]

Probably sweepers to remove the irritants that you are putting on it.

Mushrooms are photosynthetic.

Almost all corals we keep in the hobby are photosynthetic...that does not at all mean they dont also eat.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

This is the basics of mushrooms, its a good starting point.

A ‘Shroom by Any Other Name

By Matthew Stansbery This just in: The most interesting and attractive specimens in this hobby are neither hard to find nor hard to keep! Often glanced over

reefs.com

 

[HuduVudu]

Almost all corals we keep in the hobby are photosynthetic...that does not at all mean they dont also eat.

Irritating a photsynthetic organism with food it doesn't understand doesn't really help. It just burns resources that the organism could use elsewhere.

Understand that I get this and I scratch my head when people don't feed LPS that take food telling me that that photsynthesis is all that they do.

My understanding is based on many many years of observation. Some organisms will take food and should be fed others do not. Making broad statments about these organisms is less than useful.

 

[Dburr1014]

Mushrooms do not feed directly.

Sorry, but they do.

 

[HuduVudu]

Sorry, but they do.

Okay, my many many years of experience say otherwise.

If you want to feed them then good on you.

 

[Lyss]

I don't go out of my way to spot feed them, but my mushrooms will take mysis and reef roids. They do not, however, have a feeding tentacle. So I think the Q as to what the little white thing might be is still up in the air. Is it coming directly out of the mushroom's mouth?

 

[mdb_talon]

Irritating a photsynthetic organism with food it doesn't understand doesn't really help. It just burns resources that the organism could use elsewhere.

Understand that I get this and I scratch my head when people don't feed LPS that take food telling me that that photsynthesis is all that they do.

My understanding is based on many many years of observation. Some organisms will take food and should be fed others do not. Making broad statments about these organisms is less than useful.

Please understand you are not the only one here with many years experience who is able to observe and some will have different opinions. Making a broad statement that they are photosynthetic and implying thay means he is irritating them is where the issue comes.

As for direct feeding i do not do this for mushrooms generally. Though in some cases with large mushrooms it can be fun to feed large meaty foods directly just to watch it is pretty cool watching them ingest food.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Please understand you are not the only one here with many years experience who is able to observe and some will have different opinions. Making a broad statement that they are photosynthetic and implying thay means he is irritating them is where the issue comes.

As for direct feeding i do not do this for mushrooms generally. Though in some cases with large mushrooms it can be fun to feed large meaty foods directly just to watch it is pretty cool watching them ingest food.

I love watching mine eat a pod that decides to crawl across them lol.

My cup mushroom is even better lol. It has evolved to eat fish.

 

[HuduVudu]

As for direct feeding i do not do this for mushrooms generally.

Ok then why post?

Though in some cases with large mushrooms it can be fun to feed large meaty foods directly just to watch it is pretty cool watching them ingest food.

Is this one of those cases?

If you have experience then you understand. Why jump in, just to be contrarian?

I am out. This is just going to be a stream of forum warriors.

 

[mdb_talon]

I love watching mine eat a pod that decides to crawl across them lol.

My cup mushroom is even better lol. It has evolved to eat fish.

Ya i had an elephant ear once that was awesome to watch eat large chunks of krill. When i fed my anenomes started feeding those guys the same chunks.

 

[Hoodstream]

I know there is no need to spot feed mushrooms. I just do it because I’d like it to grow healthy and have read nothing relating to it having negative effects. I just would like to know what the white tube it. I don’t think it’s irritating to the mushroom I’ve seen it get irritated from water changes or maintenance, but from my view it seems to rapidly absorb the reefroids, then suck back in.

I don't go out of my way to spot feed them, but my mushrooms will take mysis and reef roids. They do not, however, have a feeding tentacle. So I think the Q as to what the little white thing might be is still up in the air. Is it coming directly out of the mushroom's mouth?

yes it seems to come directly out of the mouth. If spot feeding it is annoying it I’ll stop just wanted healthy corals all around.

 

[dedragon]

Okay, my many many years of experience say otherwise.

If you want to feed them then good on you.

this is incorrect, they can 100% be spotfed and do respond to it, that being said 99% of corals do no need to be spotfed but still can and most will split faster doing so

 

[Dburr1014]

Back in the day.... 90's maybe, I like to feed my elephant ear mushrooms. They would just curl around a piece of meat. Fun to watch the mouth open up and swallow.

Yes, that was years ago.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I know there is no need to spot feed mushrooms. I just do it because I’d like it to grow healthy and have read nothing relating to it having negative effects. I just would like to know what the white tube it. I don’t think it’s irritating to the mushroom I’ve seen it get irritated from water changes or maintenance, but from my view it seems to rapidly absorb the reefroids, then suck back in.

yes it seems to come directly out of the mouth. If spot feeding it is annoying it I’ll stop just wanted healthy corals all around.

It is a possibility that it is extending mesenterial filaments to grab the food.

For example, my cup mushroom does exactly this. My discos do this when they catch a pod. It is usually a few of them and all curly looking for the discos. I have even seen some of my ricordia do this for a small pod. Most also close up into a sort of "half ball" once they get the "food". Then a few minutes later, lay back flat and get all puffy.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Mushrooms do not feed directly.

I've Watched mushrooms consume snails Directly.