Really want help understanding Mushroom compatibility in a reef tank

[Modge]

Hello all - I’ve read a lot about various mushroom compatibility and am still uncertain on what’s real on a maintained reef tank vs things that people let get out of control.

I have a young 6 month old 110g mixed reef tank with 2 types of shrooms - a Superman Discosoma colony and two types of Rhodactus (neon green and an orange).

My discosoma recently jumped onto a rock with my favia, so I buried it in the sand. Above that are some hammers and frogspawn.

My Rhodactus are next to a growing paly colony and also sitting below the base of a monticap.

I really like them all and don’t want to lose anything - but will any/all of these mushrooms wipe out my other coral inhabitants, or can I keep them at bay with a little diligence?

Thanks - photos of placement attached.

 

[Hidden426]

In my experience, mushrooms are some of the most docile and seem to get along with just about anything. Like toadstools, they do seem to have a slime cycle and sometimes will shed a layer, some of your more sensitive corals may not like it generally.

At this point, I would say either stick with Softies, LPS, or SPS. I would not try to dabble in more than one. Some of the LPS are so aggressive that it doesn't matter how peaceful the coral sitting next to it is, it's still going to be aggressive regardless.

 

[Modge]

I have spaced all my stoney corals out on moveable structures to allow growth and be free from any lps aggression - I’m more concerned with those mushrooms doing damage to their neighbors and dominating my mixed tank. At this point I would probably opt to remove the discosoma and rhodactus to keep the other species happy.

Again - the only propagation I’ve seen occur is on the discosoma. So more inclined to consider them as a departure piece.

 

[Modge]

I have spaced all my stoney corals out on moveable structures to allow growth and be free from any lps aggression - I’m more concerned with those mushrooms doing damage to their neighbors and dominating my mixed tank. At this point I would probably opt to remove the discosoma and rhodactus to keep the other species happy.

Again - the only propagation I’ve seen occur is on the discosoma. So more inclined to consider them as a departure piece.

I’ve been researching more and I am still conflicted. I have a lot more LPS in my tank than mushrooms. Some folks say the discosomas are manageable if you keep on top of them. I had one jump over to an lps rock and buried it in the sand bed. So far it hasn’t reappeared a week later.

I really don’t mind up keeping, but if they are unmanageable as the reef matures, then I’ll eliminate them now and just give them all to the LFS.

 

[face]

I have had them kill all kinds of corals. Rhodactis and discoma do not like to be touching they will try to move apart or slowly the discoma will die. discoma are much more friendly but they can grow kinda fast and become invasive. Ive seen plenty of tanks covered in discoma.

 

[zoomonster]

I've never had much trouble with them and aggression but... interesting thing is even BTA's which can be coral killers steer clear of them. Some rhodi's took over a fair-sized section of tank and the BTA's the rest. Took me forever to get rid of those shrooms and the BTA's.

 

[Northern Flicker]

In my experience, mushrooms are some of the most docile and seem to get along with just about anything.

I would agree with this other than my Ric Yuma. This SOB has stung multiple coral.

I don't think I agree with the "stick with one group of coral - SPS,LPS or Softie" advice. Sure, it can be a challenge to do a mixed reef, but imo there's not reason to limit yourself. I see mixed reef picos on here, just takes some planning.

 

[Hidden426]

I would agree with this other than my Ric Yuma. This SOB has stung multiple coral.

I don't think I agree with the "stick with one group of coral - SPS,LPS or Softie" advice. Sure, it can be a challenge to do a mixed reef, but imo there's not reason to limit yourself. I see mixed reef picos on here, just takes some planning.

In my experience, I have spent a lot of money trying to make it work. Some torches are very stingy and some aren't. I have never been able to tell why they do what they do. To be fair I suppose even if you went with just LPS they still hurt each other. You really just have to have experience in it to know for sure. I guess what it boils down to is a little bit of luck mixed with that experience.

 

[Modge]

Thanks for all of the useful and insightful replies. I’m going to trudge forward with a full on mixed reef and keep my eyes open. This is my 2nd tank / transfer in the hobby and it brings me great peace (when I’m not freaking out on how to wrestle with a particular issue).

You’ve all been great help!

If my tank gets overrun with discosoma shrooms I’ll post back here and #!%^* a whole bunch.

 

[blaxsun]

Most of the mushrooms (I have all types) in my tank are fairly relaxed when it comes to other corals. They've actually been pushed back in spots by anemones, xenia and GSP - but I've also placed them in spots where they can generally expand and grow without coming into too much contact with everything else.

 

[Kobin]

In my experience only yumas are potentially aggressive towards other corals. Some yumas will sting neighboring corals while others may not. Generally most mushrooms get along with nearly any kind of coral other than LPS. They'll usually get beat out by SPS and LPS if growing next to each other. I like to keep rhodactis with rhodactis and discomas with discomas if placing next to each other. I recommend sectioning things for certain areas when scaping your mixed reef (e.g. mushroom rock, zoa island, LPS area, etc.).