What’s happening to my shroom

[Rossko]

I won this mushroom from a LFS auction. Was told it was a ricordia mushroom. I have had it for about 2 weeks now and it seems to be shriveling and something is coming out of its mouth what is happening?! I’ve moved all around the tank from high to medium to low light and flow. I’m new to reefing and my tank is just over 2 months old.
Ammonia-0
Nitrates-0
Nitrites-.25
Ph- 8.2
Salinity- 1.024
I don’t have the means of testing anything else at the moment but will be getting the Hanna pro year kit soon. First Picture is when I first got it and second is how it looks now

 

[Mjrenz]

Welcome to the forum! Mushrooms will shrivel from time to time and will expel waste from their mouths. They sometimes will look like that when they're getting ready to split also. How long has it looked that way?

 

[Rossko]

Welcome to the forum! Mushrooms will shrivel from time to time and will expel waste from their mouths. They sometimes will look like that when they're getting ready to split also. How long has it looked that way?

Thank you!! Before it looked like that it did have some stringy stuff coming out of its mouth. But it’s look like that picture probably for about 3 to 4 days now, first couple days it came and went how mouth looks. So it’s possible that it will just recover and look better or maybe split?

 

[Mjrenz]

Thank you!! Before it looked like that it did have some stringy stuff coming out of its mouth. But it’s look like that picture probably for about 3 to 4 days now, first couple days it came and went how mouth looks. So it’s possible that it will just recover and look better or maybe split?

Either is possible, hopefully it does ok. Definitely get some test kits or take a water sample to your lfs to check your other water parameters. What kind of lights are you using?

 

[Katrina71]

Mushrooms usually like nitrates

 

[Hermie]

maybe double check your salinity? mushrooms will "inflate" when they like the water and deflate when they don't... there could be some toxin in the water as well

 

[Hemmdog]

It seems your tank isn’t fully cycled somehow, you shouldn’t have any detectable nitrites. Once the cycle is complete and there is available nitrate in the water, the mushroom will have a chance at recovery. If your doing water changes stop doing them.

 

[Katrina71]

Mushrooms are almost indestructible. Don't take the frag out even if you think it didn't survive. They almost always come back.

 

[Craigdoc]

I've found mushrooms struggle in my tank, I put this down to my constant battle to keep nitrates up, 0 nitrate is not enough for mushrooms in my experience with them, all so I found to much light makes them shrivel to.

I agree with the post above that once your nitrite drops then hopefully nitrate will pick up, nitrates will pick up if you add more stock to but this should not be something that is rushed otherwise you'll overload your biological filtration and then you'll be in a world of hurt.

 

[Rossko]

Either is possible, hopefully it does ok. Definitely get some test kits or take a water sample to your lfs to check your other water parameters. What kind of lights are you using?

Ok thank you I will def take some samples to get tested tomorrow! But I am using the aquamaxx prism LED 96w and am only using it at 45% whites and 100% blues and special

 

[Hermie]

Ok thank you I will def take some samples to get tested tomorrow! But I am using the aquamaxx prism LED 96w and am only using it at 45% whites and 100% blues and special

it could be getting too much light (just IMO)

 

[Rossko]

maybe double check your salinity? mushrooms will "inflate" when they like the water and deflate when they don't... there could be some toxin in the water as well

Salinity checks out still after several tests. I did look into electronics leaking voltage into water and found 2.8v in my water. Not sure if that will affect a mushroom but I have a ground probe on the way so hopefully that helps some

 

[Rossko]

It seems your tank isn’t fully cycled somehow, you shouldn’t have any detectable nitrites. Once the cycle is complete and there is available nitrate in the water, the mushroom will have a chance at recovery. If your doing water changes stop doing them.

It’s just weird because I had 0 nitrites and nitrates for over a month. Those nitrites just popped up within the last couple days. Maybe I’m overfeeding? I do have a pair of clowns, a flame angel and a fire fish in my tank

 

[Rossko]

Mushrooms are almost indestructible. Don't take the frag out even if you think it didn't survive. They almost always come back.

Ok I won’t! Thank you that gives me some hope!

 

[Hemmdog]

It’s just weird because I had 0 nitrites and nitrates for over a month. Those nitrites just popped up within the last couple days. Maybe I’m overfeeding? I do have a pair of clowns, a flame angel and a fire fish in my tank

That’s odd. Did you have a die off recently or anything? Long power outage ?

 

[Rossko]

That’s odd. Did you have a die off recently or anything? Long power outage ?

no neither of those, but come to think of it i was away for just a little bit and i had my wife put about half of a frozen shrimp in my sump for my arrow crab (looking for a new home for him at the moment because he started eating my sunny D's) do you think maybe that could have spiked something. took him a couple days to eat it all

 

[Rossko]

it could be getting too much light (just IMO)

being a noob i had all my lighting at 100% about 3 weeks ago and bleached some zoas pretty bad but that was before the shroom. i then put the whites down to 40% and just 2 days ago put it up to 45%. i cant seem to find anything helpful of what kind of light cycle and percentages i should be running.

 

[Craigdoc]

being a noob i had all my lighting at 100% about 3 weeks ago and bleached some zoas pretty bad but that was before the shroom. i then put the whites down to 40% and just 2 days ago put it up to 45%. i cant seem to find anything helpful of what kind of light cycle and percentages i should be running.

What lights do you have, I know nothing about lights but someone else might be able to give you advice on them

 

[Rossko]

What lights do you have, I know nothing about lights but someone else might be able to give you advice on them

i have an Aquamaxx Prism LED 96W

 

[Hemmdog]

no neither of those, but come to think of it i was away for just a little bit and i had my wife put about half of a frozen shrimp in my sump for my arrow crab (looking for a new home for him at the moment because he started eating my sunny D's) do you think maybe that could have spiked something. took him a couple days to eat it all

Maybe, retest parameters and we can go from there