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View Full Version : tips on making frags or dividing mushrooms


casey7e
08/17/2006, 04:38 PM
Hi can someone kindly give me a brief tip ot two on dividing a bunch of mushrooms or making frags. I seem to have way to many in my 30 gal nano reef and think I should add some to my 55 .....they are mostly on large pieces 8-12" rock....what is the best way to do this?? I have hairy green tip...green/brown stripped, green/brown spotted and red
Thanks

davocean
08/17/2006, 04:44 PM
Just scrape them off low at the base with a razor or something carefully.
Some people wrap them in wedding vail material with LR rubble.
I have a fuge with lots of rubble, so I just throw them in there.
They'll attach to rubble in about a week, maybe less.

socalreefer73
08/17/2006, 04:47 PM
I tried using a rubber band on some red mushy in my tank and accidentally cut it randomly in half. I figured I had nothing to lose by gluing them down to see if they lived (super glue gel). That's not to say that knifing them and cluing them will work though... I haven't tried that, but I wouldn't say that's a far stretch to say that will work just fine.

Both pieces are doing great right now and have developed mouths and are starting to turn red (mushy found in overflow and bleached). I think they are pretty tough buggers...

-M

theatrus
08/17/2006, 04:50 PM
One method is to take a pair of scissors and can't them halfway at the stalk. The stalk will develop into a new mushroom and the old musroom will attach its shortened stalk to something over time.

casey7e
08/17/2006, 04:52 PM
thank you....so glue wont kill them...what kind of glue would you use and should I do this all under water say in a clean bucket??

Travis L. Stevens
08/17/2006, 04:58 PM
I prefer to cut the cap off, take needle and thread, sew through the base of the cap, and tie it down firmly to a rock. You don't want to do it too tight. I wouldn't attempt gluing any Corallimorphian frags. They produce a mucous coating when stressed and then the glue does not adhere to them. Also, the chemical reaction that takes place actually gives the soft tissue a chemical burn. FWIW, use a cyanoacrylate glue such as SuperGlue. Gel forms tend to be easier to work with and can even be worked under water with a little practice.

socalreefer73
08/17/2006, 05:10 PM
The mushrom I cut is one like the red/red-purple one's here (I'm color blind).

Is that a corallimorphian? I did think that one piece wasn't going to attach (seemed like it was pulling away), but it's fine now.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/69785Aquarium_07-14-06_003small.jpg

casey7e
08/17/2006, 05:23 PM
so no one suggest putting the rock in a bucket of tank water and breaking the rock (chisel & hammer) a part around where each mushroom is???

Travis L. Stevens
08/17/2006, 05:25 PM
You can do that too. But not everyone is able to take their rocks out easily ;)

socalreefer73
08/17/2006, 05:25 PM
That seems like a lit of trouble... But if you want to break up your rock, that method will work just the same. You may whack a mushy with the mammer or mash it up against the bucket.. I'm sure it would like that even less... :)

casey7e
08/17/2006, 05:47 PM
I can get my rock out easy still.....its not too crowded. And when they close up its very defined where they are and are not. Maybe I will try that first. Thanks to all!