Anyone know what these are?

[dustin_P74]

yeah mist LFS' give credit for that stuff so if you get some off you can always trade them in or you can find another local reefer that would be willing to buy them

[Bifferwine]

I would definitely talk to your LFS about trading them in for credit. My LFS gives credit for stuff like that if you bring it in. There are probably lots of local reefers in your area that would buy or trade stuff for them. I understand that they are getting out of control, but selling them is a very good option!

[Mjharless]

Thanks again for the help. I guess I'll be trying to sell/trade some mushroom coverered rock.

[fatman]

I agree with Biffer. Mushrooms are pretty harm less but, can be pretty prolific. Some people go so far as to remove the rocks and use a wood chisel to remove a little bit of the rock substrate with the mushroom attached and then just glue four or five to each rock about the size of half an orange. Any good LFS store should offer you at least $20 to $25 for each such rock as they will sell them for probably $49.99 for each rock. There is also the possibility that the mushrooms will decide they do not like your tank system or your maintenance practices and quit appearing or reproducing so now is the time to decide what to do with them. Where did you get your live rock where it came loaded with red mushrooms? Most suppliers would not even consider selling live rock with that many mushroom corals growing on them. That is like giving away free money.

[natan]

As far as I know the mushrooms usually defeat the zoanthids if the territorial issues ever emerge.

[natan]

BTW (and sorry for splitting the posts): if you have just set up the tank before it cycled this could explain the poor state of the zoanthids. I would wait before adding anything new till the cycling is over (cca 4 weeks).

[fatman]

If the tank has not yet cycled i would check the ammonia twice a day for the first seven days and do a water change if the ammonia gets above 1.0 ppm and replace enough water to drop the level to below 1.0 ppm. If it needs to be brought down .25 ppm it would take: 0.25 x 29 = 7.25 gallons. If it needs to come down .50 ppm it would take: 0.50 x 29 = 14.5 gallons etc.. The mushrooms are worth much more than the cost of the salt mix, and the tank will cycle just fine with no more than a peak ammonia level of 1.0 ppm. If you also have a sump then you must add the water content of the sump to the calculations ie: for lowering ammonia 0.25ppm: 0.25 x (29 + sump contents in gallons) = ?

[cgoodman381]

Originally Posted by fatman

If the tank has not yet cycled i would check the ammonia twice a day for the first seven days and do a water change if the ammonia gets above 1.0 ppm and replace enough water to drop the level to below 1.0 ppm. If it needs to be brought down .25 ppm it would take: 0.25 x 29 = 7.25 gallons. If it needs to come down .50 ppm it would take: 0.50 x 29 = 14.5 gallons etc.. The mushrooms are worth much more than the cost of the salt mix, and the tank will cycle just fine with no more than a peak ammonia level of 1.0 ppm. If you also have a sump then you must add the water content of the sump to the calculations ie: for lowering ammonia 0.25ppm: 0.25 x (29 + sump contents in gallons) = ?

So about your equasion...
Where do nitrates tend to 'hide' the most often? Back of the tank where there is less flow? Or is everything pretty even. Be as scientific as you like

[Mjharless]

I bought this tank from a guy that had neglected it for months. He worked at the lfs but left town and his girlfriend was keeping it. I'm sure he placed the mushrooms etc. He was not around so I didn't get any info about the tank from him.

The tank has not cycled I guess. I'm not sure it will though. I reused a lot of the water(20gallons) and some of the sand(or crushed coral, no one is really sure). Been up 9 days and the lfs tested the water and said it looked great.

No algae blooms yet.

Do you think I should take the mushrooms and run in case the tank cycles? Do you think it will cycle?

[dustin_P74]

i dont think you will see a cycle