reef ready?

[ARGYGANG]

I just setup my tanks light a nicrew 50 watt, is this tank reef ready? It’s 4 months old and has gone through all the uglys and all params are within reef conditions. Also can anyone identify this mushroom? I got it for free and it’s kind of ugly so just wondering what it will look like when it’s grown. Please let me know if I’m missing anything and also looking for recommendations for what to dose for mushrooms and pulsing Xenia which is what I plan on keeping.

 

[Mr Fishface]

Mushroom might benefit from a little more light, rather than under an overhang. They like lower light so I keep mine in the lower part of my rock work.

Imo, to be reef ready, being able to keep your tank pretty stable with lighting is all you need. Keeping your tank topped off each day is important, once you get any stony coral or coralline going, check things like calcium. I'm not familiar with that light though, maybe someone else can share. Start with some more simple or cheaper corals to see how things go but I think you could be ready!

 

[KrisReef]

That appears to be a Ultra Sleeping Giant hairy mushroom. When it gets bigger the colors will be brighter and it may develop bubbles and turn into a BUGS, ( Bubble Ultra Giant Sleepy) mushroom. Just need to keep it alive and growing for a year or two .

Mushrooms don’t have a skeleton so they don’t use calcium alkalinity like hard coral. Keep up with regular water changes (with the same brand of salt) and your parameters should be fine. The only element that I have heard the softies tend to deplete is iodine. This is simple to replace with water changes but it is good to have an occasional ICP test done for a running tank to catch depletions or unwanted additions from random hardware or replacement water complications that can go unnoticed until an issue occurs.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Yeah it's ready go ahead

 

[ARGYGANG]

That appears to be a Ultra Sleeping Giant hairy mushroom. When it gets bigger the colors will be brighter and it may develop bubbles and turn into a BUGS, ( Bubble Ultra Giant Sleepy) mushroom. Just need to keep it alive and growing for a year or two .

Mushrooms don’t have a skeleton so they don’t use calcium alkalinity like hard coral. Keep up with regular water changes (with the same brand of salt) and your parameters should be fine. The only element that I have heard the softies tend to deplete is iodine. This is simple to replace with water changes but it is good to have an occasional ICP test done for a running tank to catch depletions or unwanted additions from random hardware or replacement water complications that can go unnoticed until an issue occurs.

thanks for the reply, i had got it for free from saltwaterfish and it was marketed as a ultra color mushroom bullseye coral, but the picture was pink with green tips but this one is just all pinkish brown color. im hoping thats what it looks like when it grows more is the ones you were talking about.

 

[ARGYGANG]

Mushroom might benefit from a little more light, rather than under an overhang. They like lower light so I keep mine in the lower part of my rock work.

Imo, to be reef ready, being able to keep your tank pretty stable with lighting is all you need. Keeping your tank topped off each day is important, once you get any stony coral or coralline going, check things like calcium. I'm not familiar with that light though, maybe someone else can share. Start with some more simple or cheaper corals to see how things go but I think you could be ready!

so i should move it to a lower part of my rockwork that is not shaded at all and see how it does? when i plugged the light in the little guy turned inside out for like a hour.

 

[KrisReef]

thanks for the reply, i had got it for free from saltwaterfish and it was marketed as a ultra color mushroom bullseye coral, but the picture was pink with green tips but this one is just all pinkish brown color. im hoping thats what it looks like when it grows more is the ones you were talking about.

Give it time and once it’s acclimated to your system it will grow bigger and start dividing or dropping baby clones to fill out the spaces in your tank. The colors are easier to see when they get big and wear the orange glasses to filter the light observed underneath heavy blue spectrum led lights.

 

[Mr Fishface]

so i should move it to a lower part of my rockwork that is not shaded at all and see how it does? when i plugged the light in the little guy turned inside out for like a hour.

Does your light have a way to lower the % or strength? Maybe it is too bright. If you can't change the light intensity I would keep the mushroom there. Sounds like it has acclimated at least. Just keep it alive like someone mentioned and it will look beautiful!

If your lights do lower, you could lower them and move it. But it sounds like it might be fine there!

 

[ARGYGANG]

Does your light have a way to lower the % or strength? Maybe it is too bright. If you can't change the light intensity I would keep the mushroom there. Sounds like it has acclimated at least. Just keep it alive like someone mentioned and it will look beautiful!

If your lights do lower, you could lower them and move it. But it sounds like it might be fine there!

Yeah I started it at 10% power on full spectrum, it’s a 50 watt light on a 10 gallon btw.

 

[Katherine Corals]

I would isolate the pulsing xenia to its own rock and NEVER let it touch another structure lol Very evasive coral and will fill your tank in a matter of a few months.

 

[ARGYGANG]

I would isolate the pulsing xenia to its own rock and NEVER let it touch another structure lol Very evasive coral and will fill your tank in a matter of a few months.

Yeah so it’s a 10 gallon I have on my desk with two mocha clowns and the idea I had was to position the wave maker and main rock at the front of the tank for all my colorful mushrooms I want and then I found a piece of dry rock the exact width of a 10 gallon in length of rock, so I’m gonna run that across the right side of the tank which in the picture is where the light is mounted so my Xenia has its own rock to cover and is about 8 inches from my main rock with mushrooms on it

 

[Uncle99]

Yeah so it’s a 10 gallon I have on my desk with two mocha clowns and the idea I had was to position the wave maker and main rock at the front of the tank for all my colorful mushrooms I want and then I found a piece of dry rock the exact width of a 10 gallon in length of rock, so I’m gonna run that across the right side of the tank which in the picture is where the light is mounted so my Xenia has its own rock to cover and is about 8 inches from my main rock with mushrooms on it

If you really like Xenia then great.
Even if you segregate on a rock, it parts can detach, drift and set up home in another spot.
Will eventually take over the tank, no way to remove from rocks without damaging the micro-fauna.
You gotta really like them.

 

[ARGYGANG]

If you really like Xenia then great.
Even if you segregate on a rock, it parts can detach, drift and set up home in another spot.
Will eventually take over the tank, no way to remove from rocks without damaging the micro-fauna.
You gotta really like them.

yeah they are pretty cool I’d say, would you recommend anything that looks like pulsing Xenia but doesn’t spread like it does?

 

[Uncle99]

yeah they are pretty cool I’d say, would you recommend anything that looks like pulsing Xenia but doesn’t spread like it does?

Don’t let the spread stop you. If you can get the silvery ones they are very nice. You obviously like them, it will take quite some time to overtake, you can prune them back.

They are excellent at mopping up nutrients and this is a big plus.

I’ve had them but have moved on to mainly sticks.

 

[ARGYGANG]

Don’t let the spread stop you. If you can get the silvery ones they are very nice. You obviously like them, it will take quite some time to overtake, you can prune them back.

They are excellent at mopping up nutrients and this is a big plus.

I’ve had them but have moved on to mainly sticks.

yeah thats what i like i dont care about the pulsing part but the skin pink color pulsing xenia can come in looks very good to me. maybe kenya tree instead? my lfs has some amazing deals on coral frags 6/$100 and its just assortments of frags they take out of there display tanks because they have some massive tanks (1500+ gallons multipule of them) filled with coral and they frag off of them and sell them so its a way to get expensive and inexpensive corals for a very reasonable price, they have pretty much everything so if u would recommend something that grows semi fast (i dont wanna be looking at frag plugs on my rock work for 2+ years) then they probably have it.

 

[damsels are not mean]

yeah thats what i like i dont care about the pulsing part but the skin pink color pulsing xenia can come in looks very good to me. maybe kenya tree instead? my lfs has some amazing deals on coral frags 6/$100 and its just assortments of frags they take out of there display tanks because they have some massive tanks (1500+ gallons multipule of them) filled with coral and they frag off of them and sell them so its a way to get expensive and inexpensive corals for a very reasonable price, they have pretty much everything so if u would recommend something that grows semi fast (i dont wanna be looking at frag plugs on my rock work for 2+ years) then they probably have it.

There is a type of xenia that doesn't spread, it grows on a single stalk like toadstools. It is usually sold as "bali giant xenia". It still pulses too. I haven't ever seen any in person though for some reason it's kind of rare compared to the regular xenia. You can ask the LFS if they can look for it on wholesale sheets.

 

[ARGYGANG]

There is a type of xenia that doesn't spread, it grows on a single stalk like toadstools. It is usually sold as "bali giant xenia". It still pulses too. I haven't ever seen any in person though for some reason it's kind of rare compared to the regular xenia. You can ask the LFS if they can look for it on wholesale sheets.

Dope, I’ll look for it.