Yuma mushroom not looking so good...

[HotManwich]

About 3 or 4 days ago I got a Yuma mushroom in the mail, and it was not well attached to it's frag plug. The skunk cleaner took a liking to it for some reason and managed to rip it off the plug, sending the mushroom careening around the tank. I didn't notice for a bit until I saw it, and I rushed to try and save it. The mushroom was curled down around its foot and very slimy, and I couldn't risk having it get sucked into the filtration so I pulled it out of the tank for a minute or two while I found a plastic bottle that I cut the top off of. I cut the top off a bottle, stuck it in the sand, and had the mushroom in there to reduce the amount of flow that it gets so it could hopefully reattach sometime. I check on it an hour later and the shrimp had pulled it out and was eating the slime off of it, so I had to chase the shrimp off and then move the bottle out of his territory across the tank.
Today the Yuma was blowing around the tank again, but this time it was curled upwards, leaving its foot exposed. I took some superglue and glued it to a frag plug, then put the plug under a shaded overhang and put the plastic bottle on top again for good measure.

Despite my best attempts, the poor thing just seems to keep getting stressed over and over again, blown around the tank or having to leave the water. He hasn't been looking good since I got him (shipping was rough on it), and now I'm worried that this stress has been a bit too much and I might lose it. Does anyone know if there's something I can do to save it? and how good of a chance do I still have? I've heard they don't deal with stress well.

 

[Katrina71]

Mushrooms will usually bounce back.

 

[BayouReefer]

Maybe try putting it in a critter keeper inside of your tank and setting a piece of rubble rock in with it if it gets close to the rock it will attach itself allow it several days to get a good foothold.

 

[John Robbins]

You are on the right track. Try to find a low flow spot ( away from the shrimp ) and place it there and give it a chance to attach. You can also get or make something like this:

Nets, Traps, Tongs & Acclimators

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.marinedepot.com

to hang in a low flow area. Put a little crushed coral substrate in the box and let the mushroom settle and attach to a piece then glue the bit of crushed coral with the mushroom to a plug or small rock and place it in a very low flow, low light place.

You can also just continue to let it wash around in the tank until it finds a spot that it likes and attaches. The drawback to this method is that it may choose to settle in the back or somewhere else that you wont see it much.

Good work, youve got this!

 

[HotManwich]

Mushrooms will usually bounce back.

Was that a pun? Because I sure hope it was!

You are on the right track. Try to find a low flow spot ( away from the shrimp ) and place it there and give it a chance to attach. You can also get or make something like this:

Nets, Traps, Tongs & Acclimators

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.marinedepot.com

to hang in a low flow area. Put a little crushed coral substrate in the box and let the mushroom settle and attach to a piece then glue the bit of crushed coral with the mushroom to a plug or small rock and place it in a very low flow, low light place.

You can also just continue to let it wash around in the tank until it finds a spot that it likes and attaches. The drawback to this method is that it may choose to settle in the back or somewhere else that you wont see it much.

Good work, youve got this!

It's currently stuck to a rock, the mouth is gaping a bit and reaching out, but it's not blowing aroudn the tank anymore.

Are Yuma's especially sensitive? I was reading the sticky in this subforum about how they don't recover well if at all. I'd hate to lose it, it's like a holographic rainbow.

 

[MixedFruitBasket]

There is a cheap acclimation box on eBay. You can attach to the side of the tank and raise the top out of the water. It has slits to allow for water to move through it but they’re generally too small for something to get out. With the top 1/2 inch out of the water the shrimp shouldn’t be able to get to it.