Newbie mushroom ?'s

[havefun]

Today I'm going to pick up some mushrooms. These will be my first corals so sorry for these basic questions...

1) I've read that the best way to get them to attach to a rock is with wedding vail. If thats true, does the vail just need to kind of keep them in the general area (so they are kind of free floating in the netting) or does it need to make their foot be in contact with the rock?

2) I would like them to multiply. Is the only way to accomplish this by slicing them in half or will they reproduce on their own? If it's by slicing, do you cut all the way down through the foot etc? Is it something that a newbie can do?

3) I have 265w over a 75g, does it matter where I place them (bottom, top, middle)? Can they be placed on the sandbed?

TIA

 

[neilster1]

1 - just keep them from falling off of the rock and they should attach.
2 - they can and will divide on their own if the water quality is right.. get them in the tank and thriving before you go cutting.
3 - depends on the mushroom.. some of them like less light than others. A friend of mine gave me one that I placed in what I thought was a good spot and the mushroom just didn't agree.. he moved off of the rock and ended up back in the rockwork somewhere.. he looks like he is doing well where he is.. I just have to look through the rockwork to see him.

You would be able to forget about #1 if you bought the rock the mushroom was on...

 

[havefun]

Thanks for the help!

I've got them acclimating now (drip). Each one is inside of a turbo snail shell. Any way for me to coax it out of there? I would much rather have them attached to my rock.

Thanks again.

 

[neilster1]

I've never done it myself but one method of propagation is to cut them off at the stalk and re-secure the mushroom to the rock using the veil trick.. the cut stump is supposed to regenerate and the head will reattach to the rock.

I've never done it but that is what I have read. YMMV...

 

[aznbob]

To propagate mushrooms just cut it in half like a pizza. You'll get two mushrooms in no time.

 

[havefun]

I've got them in the tank now. I left them in the shell until I can figure out what to do. They were pretty well closed when I put them in and now that they've opened back up I can see I have them too close together, they are overlapping. But, I'm thinking that may work to get them to move apart - and out of the shells.

To propagate mushrooms just cut it in half like a pizza. You'll get two mushrooms in no time.

Completely in half, all the way down through the foot so that I have 2 completely seperatae mushrooms? I'll keep that in mind. For now, since I'm new at this I'll take neilster1's advice and just see if I can get them to survive before I go cutting away.

Thanks again!

 

[melosu58]

All these came from one blue and three red ones. Did not cut them and they multiplied on their own.

 

[accorddude]

Nothing is wrong with having your mushrooms over lap. Mine are all up on each other. They seem to be fine.