how do you get rid mushrooms?

[mochaclownlover]

These things are killing me, i have no ware to put my frags, they are every where and they look terrible. What is the best way to get rid of them without tearing apart my tank?

 

[twilliard]

Oh my!!
Now that is a lot of mushrooms!
Hmm.. solution with no pollution is to remove the rock.
Cure it and put back in.
My solutions with that many would make the water toxic

 

[Peanut]

take it to your LFS and work something out....they can get $50 for a rock like that

 

[Howard1234a]

Take your rocks out and trade them to the local fish store for live rock. Just make sure it has been cycled. They will probably take that trade. Option #2 would be to take your rocks out and scrub the mushrooms with a toothbrush. Make sure the mess is clean and rinsed with clean water several times before returning them to the tank.

 

[mochaclownlover]

Are there any types of inverts that would eat them?

 

[Howard1234a]

I would be worried that anything that eats mushrooms would also eat other corals. I once had a clown trigger that ate everything. You could also mix up kalkwasser paste and kill them off over a long period of time. You could only do a few each day.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Can you get a syringe and inject them with something like Lugol's solution? You could only do a few at a time, but that might do the trick.

 

[Eckolancer]

Could add a Bobbit worm buddy had a large one that are all of them. But you might need to watch out for fish and possibly other corals once mushrooms are gone.

 

[mochaclownlover]

I am leaning towards just taking the rock out and trying to cut them all off.

 

[roadrashpaul]

I am leaning towards just taking the rock out and trying to cut them all off.

Won't work. Tried it. If there is a sliver of flesh left it will grow back. Been there and done that. Taking the rock outside for a couple weeks and scraping off is the only way. Trade it in at your lfs. Someone new will want them.

 

[mochaclownlover]

Ok, I'll throw that plan out the window...... I'll trade in the rock in at my LFS and put a piece of dry rock in its place.
Thank you for the advise roadrashpaul

 

[reef life]

If you decide to remove them, wear safety glasses! I removed some last year and it squirted fluid in my eye sending me to the ER.

 

[ReeferReefer]

You could just boil the rock for a bit, scrub it with a coarse brush, rinse and return it to the tank. I think trading in would be better since you would not have to kill those awesome animals!

 

[hatrix11]

Why not just find a similar shaped rock and just replace them? Sell the old ones or give them away

 

[sinekal]

Don't boil your rock, it's dangerous, and could land you and anyone in your house in the ER.

Kalk paste will dissolve mushrooms. Just be careful not to use much at once as it will raise alk and cal very quickly.

 

[mochaclownlover]

I thought only zoas were dangerous to remove/boil

 

[flyingfish]

how are zoas dangerous, just so I am careful, thanks!

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

They carry powerful toxins that can be dangerous or deadly to humans if released by boiling or cutting.

 

[flyingfish]

ah weird, good to know for sure! Someone should start a thread if they havent already "your tank can kill you if...." I am sure there are lots of things many of us dont know but should. thanks

 

[brandon429]

i have pics of my tank absolutely wrecked by red mushrooms, and then zero within 2 days not trying to fill up your thread w pico reef pics but can pm them if you like.

the scraping works, true I left tissue on a few spots but its not rampant takeover, simple lift out and gouge out the area one last time with a pair of wirecutters or even a dull knife as a slice rip. Your rock is easily lifted from the tank, doesn't have stacks on it so access was 99% of my issue, I had it all crammed in a small container and couldn't get to them all without full takedown which did occur.

Your coverage is so large though, I actually wouldn't take time to scrape it all off I would vinegar burn it off. it takes a while to dissolve rock that thick and the mushrooms will begin to release after a while and float off or be really easily peeled off and it leaves almost no tissue, again 10% retouches on something that set in aren't a surprise.

would simply have the rock on a table and use a mister pump to spray good vinegar right on the shrooms and occasionally the nontreated parts of the rock with clean saltwater pours, this all can be done without recycling the rock. it may take two hours being out on the cabinet basting but they'll begin to release and be easily removed as the top 1/16th of the substrate hold also begins to turn loose. id be re applying the vinegar over and over, several creative ways to apply beyond this as well without affecting the non target areas

vinegar is among the more biologically tolerable options for living dissolve, of course the acidity clears the local area but we dose this stuff in our tanks directly, diluted, the non treated parts of the rock wont be affected and keeping them wet w saltwater keeps the bacteria alive even if you did it for two days.

id have those rocks cleared in one weeked w vinegar mist

then use the scrape to catch the leftovers, ridded in a week.