Emergency! Ricordia mushrooms can kill on contact with chalice and montipora

[educatedreefer]

I have a green ricordia mushroom that’s been expanding a lot and changing it’s placement as it belongs do a sizeable mushroom garden on my sand bed.
Right in front of the garden lies my yellow-eyed, red chalice frag (about 2 inches) where the mushrooms sometimes expand and has direct contact with one of the sides of the chalice, but I thought nothing of it as I did not notice any receding skeleton on the chalice as a portion of it was underneath the mushroom.
However, after moving some rock work around, I pushed back the ricordia mushroom to reveal that a side of my chalice frag had partially receeded.
I also noticed that my montipora frag (3 inches) also had a white, somewhat bleached edge where some discosoma mushrooms had been touching it.
I’m aware that chalice and montiporas pack a punch when in contact with other corals (especially euphoria and sticks), but never did I imagine that mushrooms could severely damage the montipora and chalice either!
Does anyone have any recommendations or insight into this?

 

[Lavey29]

I've got rics and shrooms all over the place and never had any issues with other corals also in close proximity.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Does anyone have any recommendations or insight into this?

'Shrooms' very often damage stony corals upon contact. Providing enough space for expansion without contact is the preferred way to handle this.

 

[strawberryfish]

I have a green ricordia mushroom that’s been expanding a lot and changing it’s placement as it belongs do a sizeable mushroom garden on my sand bed.
Right in front of the garden lies my yellow-eyed, red chalice frag (about 2 inches) where the mushrooms sometimes expand and has direct contact with one of the sides of the chalice, but I thought nothing of it as I did not notice any receding skeleton on the chalice as a portion of it was underneath the mushroom.
However, after moving some rock work around, I pushed back the ricordia mushroom to reveal that a side of my chalice frag had partially receeded.
I also noticed that my montipora frag (3 inches) also had a white, somewhat bleached edge where some discosoma mushrooms had been touching it.
I’m aware that chalice and montiporas pack a punch when in contact with other corals (especially euphoria and sticks), but never did I imagine that mushrooms could severely damage the montipora and chalice either!
Does anyone have any recommendations or insight into this?

Chalices attack with sweepers, shrooms use chemical mesenterial filaments. Corals require a tremendous amount of energy to extend their sweeper tentacles or their polyps, Ideally the chalice would use its sweepers to keep the shrooms at bay but if they are placed too close the shrooms may have zapped the chalice before it had the chance to extend sweepers in defense. I don't actually believe Montipora have a form of active or passive defense but I may be wrong.

 

[fish farmer]

My discomas kill GSP, frammer heads, cyphastrea, closed brain corals, among other things. They are sneaky, small ones will attach near the base and eventually touch

 

[Nano sapiens]

Chalices attack with sweepers, shrooms use chemical mesenterial filaments. Corals require a tremendous amount of energy to extend their sweeper tentacles or their polyps, Ideally the chalice would use its sweepers to keep the shrooms at bay but if they are placed too close the shrooms may have zapped the chalice before it had the chance to extend sweepers in defense. I don't actually believe Montipora have a form of active or passive defense but I may be wrong.

Many Montipora are submissive to other corals, but they still have chemical defenses and can take out some even more meek coral such as some Porites. But they rely more on growing fast/overtopping (if they are plating types) typically in a different direction to an aggressive attack and just by sheer persistence they can maintain their mass or sometimes even overgrow more aggressive corals (Acro keepers find this out over time and some refuse to mix Montipora in with them).

I had a Monti Cap and a Leptastrea that did the 'circle dance' on the same rock for something like 8 years. The Lep would always advance in a counter-clockwise direction and the Cap would always overtop from the back...so round-and-round they went

 

[RichReef]

Yup. I use Ricordea in between encrusting corals to keep them where I want them.

 

[educatedreefer]

'Shrooms' very often damage stony corals upon contact. Providing enough space for expansion without contact is the preferred way to handle this.

Great! I’ll definitely do that today. Should I put the chalice under low light to recover or should I simply move the mushrooms away?

 

[Lavey29]

Yup. I use Ricordea in between encrusting corals to keep them where I want them.

This is good to know. I have a patch of rics in front of my zoas which are growing everywhere. Hopefully they will keep them corralled up a bit.

 

[Nano sapiens]

Great! I’ll definitely do that today. Should I put the chalice under low light to recover or should I simply move the mushrooms away?

Doesn't really matter as long as the two don't physically touch.

Chalice type corals are generally known to be a lower light coral (that flat spread-out shape to collect light at depth is a clue), so you could keep it under lower light (within reason).