Internship Project

[softfreak]

Hello. Im new to this forum. Hoping for some positive input and contructive critisism. Im Working for my AS in aquaculture and one course is an entry leve Internship/ on the job training. I luckly have the freedom to choose my own project. Im looking into coral prop. Mainly soft corals such as mushrooms. What would be the best set up? I was thinking of a 20g Long or 15g Long with live sand live rock. Ive looked at a few post so i get the idea that netting or mesh would be the best to hold the coral down.

Do i have to cut the mushroom head in half or just the stalk? Will the stalk that ive cut the head from grow a new head? Do i need to cut the mouth in half as well? I was planning to use power compacts along with coral Vite supplements. Anything else i need besides sissors? are there any mushrooms that do better with this? Any input would be helpful. Would haveing fish in the tank help? Should i wrap the newly cut coral and rock/shell in the net or can i put it in a tupperware container (will they bob/float around?) Thanks!$

[JeffDubya]

I'm hardly an expert, but what the hell, here goes...

Originally Posted by softfreak

What would be the best set up? I was thinking of a 20g Long or 15g Long with live sand live rock.

How big of a sump?

Why sand? Why live rock? Unless you can answer these questions, you're not ready to proceed forward.

Originally Posted by softfreak

Ive looked at a few post so i get the idea that netting or mesh would be the best to hold the coral down.

Not true. While bridal veil mesh *is* the most popular method of attaching, you can't really "tie" the mushroom down. If you do, all that will happen is you will damage the mushroom as it pushes it's way through the mesh. By the time you are ready to remove the mesh, 9 times out of 10 you will end up pulling the mushroom off of whatever you were trying to attatch it to.

Pay some time reading this link

Originally Posted by softfreak

Do i have to cut the mushroom head in half or just the stalk? Will the stalk that ive cut the head from grow a new head? Do i need to cut the mouth in half as well?

In the event your mushroom has not detatched naturally, sever the head and leave the base, which will eventually regenrate into a new mushroom. Slice the head. In half or in quarters seems to work best, but the more slices the longer regeneration will take. Try to cut right through the mouth. I would strongly recommending using a surgical scalpel for cutting, not scissors or an exacto knife.

Originally Posted by softfreak

I was planning to use power compacts along with coral Vite supplements.

I don't know what "coral Vite supplements" are, but as long as your water parameters are good, additional supplementation should not be necessarry. PCs are the low end of lighting, and might work, but I would recommend at least HO T5 bulbs. Remember the primary food source for shrooms is zooxanthellae, which work on a principle similar to photosynthesis, so lighting is critical to success.

Originally Posted by softfreak

Would haveing fish in the tank help?

Nope. Just make your water dirtier faster. Maybe a CUC would be good, but depending on your setup you might not even need that.

Originally Posted by softfreak

Anything else i need besides sissors? are there any mushrooms that do better with this? Any input would be helpful.

See the above.

softfreak, do you keep a reef now? Have you ever tried fragging a mushroom in that environment?

[D12monkey]

Thanks for the answer Jeff.

Originally Posted by JeffDubya

In the event your mushroom has not detatched naturally, sever the head and leave the base, which will eventually regenrate into a new mushroom. Slice the head. In half or in quarters seems to work best, but the more slices the longer regeneration will take. Try to cut right through the mouth. I would strongly recommending using a surgical scalpel for cutting, not scissors or an exacto knife.

Yes the use of scissors and scalpel are great but you have to remember that best way to prevent any die-off is to make only one cut. Meaning no see-saw action to cut through the muchroom, no running the blade two-three times over the same area.

[D12monkey]

That's while maintaining excellent water parameters.