dickwilly
04-12-07, 22:41
1. Original Mushroom
Select a healthy looking specimen that is showing good expansion – It is a good idea to select the largest one available as you’ll see further down. If you have any mushies knocking about not attached to rock these are ideal, as I find you get better results and faster healing if some of the foot is still attached. Alternatively you can use a clean, sharp blade to cut off the head of the mushroom from the rock – If you are going to do this method I find it much easier to remove the rock from the tank if possible and hold the rock upside down so the mushrooms head droops down and you can easily see the trunk. Make a clean cut to remove the head, trying to ensure you are cutting through the trunk and doing as little damage as possible to the internal organs (at this stage). The remaining stump that is left on the rock will (given the right conditions) heal and go on to grow into a fully formed mushroom. All this is much easier said than done, as these little fellas tend to shrink right up to a fraction of their expanded size and ooze slime.
In this example I have chosen one of my smaller red (with white stripe) mushies - About the size of a 50p when fully expanded.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/1.1.jpg
2. After removing from LR:
After removing from rock place the head on a couple of sheets of kitchen roll (mouth side up) to soak up excess water and the large amounts of slime they secrete. You'll find they shrink to a fraction of their original/expanded size, which is why selecting larger individuals makes things easier. Don’t be put off by the brown smelly stuff either, that’s just the contents of its guts which you just sliced up.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/2.1.jpg
3. Sliced n dice:
Whilst on the paper get a sharp blade and slice it up like a pizza. Cut it into reasonably sized pieces trying as hard as you can to ensure a section of the mouth/oral disk is included with each slice as this helps with the regeneration process.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/3.1.jpg
4. In the tub:
After cutting, I keep a small beaker of tank water near by to drop the sliced bits in, whilst I sort stuff out. As you can see I’m going with a few different morphs/species here.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/4.1.jpg
Some of these heads have been sliced in to quarters, others into sixths - just do what you feel comfortable with - obviously if its a prized specimin halves might be a better idea.
5. Frag Tray:
Using a small food grade tub (the one pictured is a well cleaned olive tub) it needs to have sides a few of cm high. Into this place some crushed coral / shells / small LR rubble. Gently pour in the mushroom pieces and water from the beaker. Then use something to cover the tray to stop the mushies floating away and stop tank mates disturbing them. The netting you get oranges in works well or plastic gauze/gravel tidy as I’ve used here, use rubber bands/cable ties to keep the netting in place.
These are some watermelons that I got going a few days ago, healing very quickly and already looking more like proper mushrooms.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/5.1.jpg
6. And wait.......
Place the tub in a quite area of the tank and wait.......After a few days you will see the bits looking progressively more like proper formed mushrooms. I often use a turkey baster to very gently blow some water over the frags, to remove any detritus/slime that may have built up and to try to position the frags a bit better.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/6.1.jpg
A week or so later you will notice the bits attaching to the rock and the stump left behind on the rock has pulled its self together and started to heal.
When you are happy they are suitably healed (in my tank 2-3 weeks), take them out of the tray and place them where ever you want. You can use reef safe putty or super glue (cyanoacrylate) to stick them to other rocks. Using cyanoacrilate directly to the tissues of the mushrooms (as with most softies) is more often than not a waste of time, due to the amount of slime they secrete.
As an alternative you can place the mushrooms on a piece of LR and use bridal veil mesh (or similar) to cover the mushrooms, secure with a rubber band and leave to attach to the rock.
There are other methods of attaching them to the rock you want, but this is the one I’m using on this occasion.
Hope this inspires others to pick up a blade and have a go, so we can spread nice specimens around the community with out having to harvest from the wild.
_____________________
Copyright © 2007 UltimateReef.com (http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=190134)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/images/misc/progress.gif
Select a healthy looking specimen that is showing good expansion – It is a good idea to select the largest one available as you’ll see further down. If you have any mushies knocking about not attached to rock these are ideal, as I find you get better results and faster healing if some of the foot is still attached. Alternatively you can use a clean, sharp blade to cut off the head of the mushroom from the rock – If you are going to do this method I find it much easier to remove the rock from the tank if possible and hold the rock upside down so the mushrooms head droops down and you can easily see the trunk. Make a clean cut to remove the head, trying to ensure you are cutting through the trunk and doing as little damage as possible to the internal organs (at this stage). The remaining stump that is left on the rock will (given the right conditions) heal and go on to grow into a fully formed mushroom. All this is much easier said than done, as these little fellas tend to shrink right up to a fraction of their expanded size and ooze slime.
In this example I have chosen one of my smaller red (with white stripe) mushies - About the size of a 50p when fully expanded.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/1.1.jpg
2. After removing from LR:
After removing from rock place the head on a couple of sheets of kitchen roll (mouth side up) to soak up excess water and the large amounts of slime they secrete. You'll find they shrink to a fraction of their original/expanded size, which is why selecting larger individuals makes things easier. Don’t be put off by the brown smelly stuff either, that’s just the contents of its guts which you just sliced up.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/2.1.jpg
3. Sliced n dice:
Whilst on the paper get a sharp blade and slice it up like a pizza. Cut it into reasonably sized pieces trying as hard as you can to ensure a section of the mouth/oral disk is included with each slice as this helps with the regeneration process.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/3.1.jpg
4. In the tub:
After cutting, I keep a small beaker of tank water near by to drop the sliced bits in, whilst I sort stuff out. As you can see I’m going with a few different morphs/species here.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/4.1.jpg
Some of these heads have been sliced in to quarters, others into sixths - just do what you feel comfortable with - obviously if its a prized specimin halves might be a better idea.
5. Frag Tray:
Using a small food grade tub (the one pictured is a well cleaned olive tub) it needs to have sides a few of cm high. Into this place some crushed coral / shells / small LR rubble. Gently pour in the mushroom pieces and water from the beaker. Then use something to cover the tray to stop the mushies floating away and stop tank mates disturbing them. The netting you get oranges in works well or plastic gauze/gravel tidy as I’ve used here, use rubber bands/cable ties to keep the netting in place.
These are some watermelons that I got going a few days ago, healing very quickly and already looking more like proper mushrooms.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/5.1.jpg
6. And wait.......
Place the tub in a quite area of the tank and wait.......After a few days you will see the bits looking progressively more like proper formed mushrooms. I often use a turkey baster to very gently blow some water over the frags, to remove any detritus/slime that may have built up and to try to position the frags a bit better.
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/../uploader/2007Q2/6.1.jpg
A week or so later you will notice the bits attaching to the rock and the stump left behind on the rock has pulled its self together and started to heal.
When you are happy they are suitably healed (in my tank 2-3 weeks), take them out of the tray and place them where ever you want. You can use reef safe putty or super glue (cyanoacrylate) to stick them to other rocks. Using cyanoacrilate directly to the tissues of the mushrooms (as with most softies) is more often than not a waste of time, due to the amount of slime they secrete.
As an alternative you can place the mushrooms on a piece of LR and use bridal veil mesh (or similar) to cover the mushrooms, secure with a rubber band and leave to attach to the rock.
There are other methods of attaching them to the rock you want, but this is the one I’m using on this occasion.
Hope this inspires others to pick up a blade and have a go, so we can spread nice specimens around the community with out having to harvest from the wild.
_____________________
Copyright © 2007 UltimateReef.com (http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=190134)
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/images/misc/progress.gif