Mushroom Removal from Zoa's

juujji · Jan 16, 2012

Hi. I'm pretty much a lurker around here but have come up with a question. I have a group of zoa's growing and doing well, but a mushroom had infiltrated right in the middle. Sometimes the zoa's cover it up and sometimes it comes out and shows itself. What is the best way to get this mushroom out of the middle? I'm thinking it will have to be cut out (how? what do I use?) and if so does this have to be done underwater or can it be done out of the water and then put back in as long as it doesn't take too long? I have never done any propagating or cutting or anything except to buy them and put them in my tank and watch them grow. I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

tinctorus · Jan 16, 2012

Try killing it the same way you would kill an aptasia, Try injecting it with a concentrated kalwasser solution

That way you can target just the shroom and it wont affect any of the zoa's

Wy Renegade · Jan 16, 2012

Yep, agree with the above - just be careful and try to avoid dripping any of the paste on the zoas.

juujji · Jan 17, 2012

Let me rephrase myself, I don't want to kill the mushroom. I'd like to remove it from the middle of the zoa's and put it in a different location. Is this a possibility? Do I have to do this in the tank or can I do it outside the tank? Thanks again.

wish · Jan 17, 2012

You can do it out of the water for a short time. Have a small bucket and a cup of tank water to rinse off the excess while you are cutting it.
If you have a lot of zoa around it and you might kill some while doing then dip the zoa in iodine before putting it back in your main tank.
Cutting or crushing any zoa can release toxins so wear gloves to be safe. Your hands or fingers might feel tingly for a few days to a week.