Shrinking jawbreaker, really scared im gonna loose it

ab-774819 · Mar 27, 2023

So I got this jawbreaker about a month and a half ago and it has been thriving up until I upgraded my tank size about a week and a half ago. All of my other corals are doing fantastic, including 6 other mushrooms. This is my 1 jawbreaker/most expensive shroom and it's doing the poorest. If anyone could give advice/reassurance on what I can do to prevent losing this guy. I've tried less light/flow, no improvements. I've tried higher light (still on the sandbed) no improvements. I want to try putting it high up on the rocks but am concerned with bleaching or shocking it. The first pic is today and the last couple are of it in the old tank. It was gorgeous yellow and red.

Gumbies R Us · Mar 27, 2023

I don't see the other pictures that were posted?

Sink_or_Swim · Mar 27, 2023

ab-774819 said:
So I got this jawbreaker about a month and a half ago and it has been thriving up until I upgraded my tank size about a week and a half ago. All of my other corals are doing fantastic, including 6 other mushrooms. This is my 1 jawbreaker/most expensive shroom and it's doing the poorest. If anyone could give advice/reassurance on what I can do to prevent losing this guy. I've tried less light/flow, no improvements. I've tried higher light (still on the sandbed) no improvements. I want to try putting it high up on the rocks but am concerned with bleaching or shocking it. The first pic is today and the last couple are of it in the old tank. It was gorgeous yellow and red.

It does look a little mad, but mushrooms are tough... I also can't see the other pictures to compare.

ab-774819 · Mar 27, 2023

Sink_or_Swim said:
It does look a little mad, but mushrooms are tough... I also can't see the other pictures to compare.

This is what it looked like in the old tank. I was using a fluval marine 3.0 light and switched to a maxspect jump on the new tank. That's the only thing that's changed.

ab-774819 · Mar 27, 2023

Sink_or_Swim said:
It does look a little mad, but mushrooms are tough... I also can't see the other pictures to compare.

I posted an older pic in this thread for comparison. It's really quite sad the condition it's in right now.

Sink_or_Swim · Mar 27, 2023

ab-774819 said:
This is what it looked like in the old tank. I was using a fluval marine 3.0 light and switched to a maxspect jump on the new tank. That's the only thing that's changed.

Is the flow similar in the new tank? I have one big elephant ear shroom that gets really upset at too much flow and will droop like that... other than that all I can think is that it is still getting used to the change in lighting. I had the Fluval marine 3.0 on my 1st tank too, and changed to Current USA lights when I upgraded. Took a while for the corals to adjust to the difference.

ab-774819 · Mar 27, 2023

Sink_or_Swim said:
Is the flow similar in the new tank? I have one big elephant ear shroom that gets really upset at too much flow and will droop like that... other than that all I can think is that it is still getting used to the change in lighting. I had the Fluval marine 3.0 on my 1st tank too, and changed to Current USA lights when I upgraded. Took a while for the corals to adjust to the difference.

The flow is very similar, but idk any way to determine if its exactly the same. I really hope it can recover. Thanks for the replies!

ab-774819 · Mar 27, 2023

Sink_or_Swim said:
Is the flow similar in the new tank? I have one big elephant ear shroom that gets really upset at too much flow and will droop like that... other than that all I can think is that it is still getting used to the change in lighting. I had the Fluval marine 3.0 on my 1st tank too, and changed to Current USA lights when I upgraded. Took a while for the corals to adjust to the difference.

Hey, I've got 1 more question! I was looking super closely at the rock the mushroom is attached to and I spotted an aiptasia AND these tiny red clove polyp looking things. Could those/they be irritating the shroom this badly?

ab-774819 · Mar 27, 2023

ab-774819 said:
Hey, I've got 1 more question! I was looking super closely at the rock the mushroom is attached to and I spotted an aiptasia AND these tiny red clove polyp looking things. Could those/they be irritating the shroom this badly?

Looks exactly like these

Sink_or_Swim · Mar 28, 2023

ab-774819 said:
Hey, I've got 1 more question! I was looking super closely at the rock the mushroom is attached to and I spotted an aiptasia AND these tiny red clove polyp looking things. Could those/they be irritating the shroom this badly?

The aiptasia definitely could be - in my experience, clove polyps are more likely to be stung by a mushroom than the other way around. I have been battling some aiptasia in my tank the past few weeks and it definitely irritates coral it gets too close to.