What's up with this mushroom

mvallee

Non-member
I have a large Solomon Island Mushroom I got at one of the BR shows from Greg Hiller, It was about 1.5" by 1.5" when I got it and grew to about 12" across and was always healthy and still growing even when I broke my wrist and pretty much stopped all maintenance on the tank for 12 weeks it was doing great.

I am getting back in the groove with water changes now and things are looking better in the tank except for this leather. The base seems to be rotting away or being eaten by something.
It is secured to a rock that is buried in the sand for stability is that possibly the issue, the base needs to be out of the sand? the dark spots made me think some kind of flatworm but looking closer they look like just dark spots and are not anywhere else on the stalk other than where it is rotting away.

Any thought on this? I Might dip it in some coral X just as a precaution, can't hurt at this point I guess

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I have had an asterina star fish explosion and just noticed three on the base of the mushroom, never heard of them bothering leathers, possibility???
 
I think your hunch is right. Or at least that is my hunch as well...
 
Flow, and yeah subtrate closeness. I would glue a small shelf rock under it and let that sit on the sand. The brown spots also correspond to the gravel in shape, and size. Does the base grow after the lights are on a bit or is it shrinking in general?
 
Flow, and yeah subtrate closeness. I would glue a small shelf rock under it and let that sit on the sand. The brown spots also correspond to the gravel in shape, and size. Does the base grow after the lights are on a bit or is it shrinking in general?

shrinking in general, I came down in the middle of the night just to see if anything was munching it in the dark and there was nothing but it looked the same.
I am afraid there is not much holding to the rock it has been attached too since day 1 and as soon as I move it, it will separate and I will need to figure out how to get it attached to something, when it was small no big deal but now that it is so top heavy not sure what I am going to do.
 
It looks healthy to me, but I like dilligaf29's suggestion. Mine often finds new ways to reattach itself to the base rock as it grows bigger. Has the waterflow changed in your tank? Could it be trying to relocate?
 
My go to way of attaching toadstools is to pierce the base with a toothpick and then wedge the point of the toothpick into a little hole in the rock. Within a week or so the toothpick may be removed. Beats faffing about with rubber bands.
 
Luckily for me it was still about 50% attached to the rock so I was able to raise it up out of the sand and stabilize the stalk with other rubble and a nice piece of shelf rock that I am hoping it will attach too.

Fingers crossed it will continue being healthy as it is quite the interesting piece when healthy, fully extended like a mushroom and polyps extended.
 
Looks like the Mushroom is going to recover. the scarring is still there but the stalk is thickening up nicely onto the new rocks and definitely standing up much better. Lucky for me because as you can see it is kinda the best thing my tank has going for it right now. 12 weeks in a cast and not able to do anything really took its toll, Cast is off, water changes have begun and when I get back from vaca in a few weeks we'll get this thing back on track.
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I bought a small leather from Greg also when I was starting to grow out my coral skills... Greg assured me that everyone who has taken a frag has had it grow massively in their tanks! Thanks Greg! and nice to know they cant attach to the sand.
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