Normal mushroom behavior...?

[Zen Reeferer]

Just started feeding my corals that new Coral Frenzy three days ago, and my mushrooms are acting strange.
They've always looked like this:

After three days (2 feedings) they are doing this:

Is this normal, or is there something wrong with them? They've never stretched like this before. Everything else in both of my tanks seem to like the new food, tho. I still give 'em phyto (trying to finish off the bottle), and am giving 1/2 doses of the phyto and the Frenzy, so it shouldn't be over feeding, plus nitrates and ammonia are fine.

 

[mmkeeper]

Mine do all kind of things, from closing up to a small patch on the rock to fluting like your and spreading wide and flat. Based on the behavior of mine, but no expertice I would say its normal.

 

[MarineTeng]

mine kinda did that when i used to feed my shrooms, i think if you don't feed them for a little they'll digest everything and go back to normal or at least what they used to be

 

[Echinos]

Maybe they are having a growth spurt lol. I would see how they do in a week. I wouldnt worry about it though. Might be getting used to the new food

 

[Jiddy]

Where did you get this coral frenzy at?

 

[Echinos]

I have found it at
www.diyreef.com
and www.sharkysreef.com

I have been feeding this for about 3 months on my tank and my corals really seem to thrive using it and my pod population is alot so much i had to get a mandarin lol

 

[Jiddy]

WoW that stuff looks pretty imprezzive. I also have a pod problem and i have one mandarin currently, maybe i should get another before i try it

 

[Zen Reeferer]

I got mine from DIYReef.com. Comes in a little bottle, about 3 1/2" tall, with a tiny scoop. I recommend removing the scoop after you get it. Trying to dig it out of the bottle, my big fingers end up with more food on them, than in the scoop.

I hadn't tried Cyclopeeze, but decided to try this new stuff. (Coral Frenzy).
It's a powder with various sized particles. Everything in the tank seems to be appreciating it.
Yesterday I got some frozen Cyclopeeze from a reefer that's moving, and the consistently-sized particles look like grapefruits in comparison to the Coral Frenzy's grapes, raisins and sunflower seeds...(just a size comparison, there's not really any rasins, lol) Our Blue Ribbon Gorgonian has a problem with the larger size particles, but I'll try mixing the two (CycloFrenzy?).
Is this type of food an alternative to phytoplankton?

 

[Echinos]

Yes from what I could find out this can be substituted for phyto because it contains four or five types of spraydried phyto.

 

[Zen Reeferer]

My camera's batteries finally got done re-charging. Here's my open brain before and after.
A tape measure is at bottom of each photo. You can see how much space she has in her playground...

Just before feeding Coral Frenzy:

10 min. after feeding...

20 min. after feeding...

She has never filled that space before. Not even close. which brings me to ask, how big do these usually get? Do I need to expand her playground, or return the Coral Frenzy because it works too good for a nano tank? (26 gal)

p.s. For those that are curious, that's Garf's Grunge on the sandbed. Love the stuff.

 

[Corals4Life]

Zen - That is really impressive. That is a beautiful brain.

 

[MarineTeng]

question, do you turn off your skimmer when you feed this stuff?

 

[Jiddy]

oN the CoralFrenzy thread he said he did his skimmer off for an hour or so, thats what i would rec anyways because otherwise it some would float and go straight down to the skimmer, and unfortune i dont think this stuff will make your skimmer grow bigger and stronger

 

[Zen Reeferer]

Thank you. When I first got it, was only about 1", expanding to about 1 1/2 ".
I usually turn off the incoming flow, but leave on my in-tank powerhead, for about 10 to 15 minutes to swirl the stuff around. Twice a week (cleaning the skimmer cup...) I leave the skimmer off during the day, back on in the evening.

 

[Zen Reeferer]

Well, I've been using the Coral Frenzy, for a couple of weeks now, and it seems almost all of my softies and LPS' love the stuff. No noticible changes with my Sun Coral (tubestra) or my SPS's. The Mushrooms, Pagoda Cup, and the Finger Leathers really stretch and extend.
Even our Crocea Clam seems to look more 'electric' now, too. This may be because of having to move her a couple of more inches away from our torch coral (Euphyllia glabrescens) since she decided to grow her tentacles an inch or two longer.
I got the Acropora (Hyacynthus - Pink) and the Monti (Cap.) just over a week ago, so not really fair of me to exclude them from the positive results. I've never taken care of SPS before, so don't know yet what is happy behavior, and what's un-happy behavior. (but they are still alive-n-kickin despite the best efforts of a bulldozer snail breaking off a main Acropora branch .)
Had to move the mushrooms into my main tank. (Just above the Red Brain) They were definatelly outgrowing my 7 gal. frag tank.

 

[Echinos]

Cool stuff. Thanks for the updates. I have been getting very similiar results in my tank to. Zoos multiplying and lps just getting huge.

 

[Coral Frenzy]

Wow Zen those pictures are really cool. I am glad that you are liking the product and that your corals are liking it even more. Have you noticed any new growth?

 

[Zen Reeferer]

Still having the same results with the Coral Frenzy. Great color-up and growth. Even my tubestra snags a snack every once in a while.
Right after I started using the Coral Frenzy, a month or so ago, both of my peppermint shrimp were carying little green eggs, so I put one shrimp in my 'frag' tank, left one in the main display, to see if I could get some of the fry to survive.
Haven't seen any fry in the main tank (yet) but in the frag tank, I've got little shrimp, maybe 1/16" in size today, and getting bigger. Every time I re-arrange a frag or rock in there, I find a couple scurrying around.
Not a good picture but these guys are quick. This was best of 58 shots, lol.

Was told that usually the fry don't survive, but I have watched them snaging the coral frenzy, but they seem to leave the Cyclopeeze alone, maybe it's the size difference in the products. The cyclopeeze pieces were almost as big as the fry last week, so most likely it's chunks are too big?
With my two saltwater tanks, (7 gal. frag tank, 26 gal. main display tank) given the livestock and corals I keep...Coral Frenzy is almost too good. Still have maybe 2 or 3 months worth of CF left, but will definatelly get more when it's time.

 

[steve-s]

Not sure if you meant that to be a pic of the shrimp but that's not a shrimp, it's a type of amphipod. Kinda looks like a Gammaridean amphipod.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rs/index.php

Cheers
Steve

 

[Zen Reeferer]

Doh. Was thinking some of them look a little different. Hard to see there, but the ones pictured are clear with wide, reddish stripes, have 4 antennae and look like they have thier tails tucked between thier hind legs, but some also look like little red shrimp, with thier claws (not gnathopods) drawn-up to their thorax. Kind of like a tiny red praying mantis'. I will try to get a few more pix. They all appeared within a couple day span, and all of them look to be the same size. Was thinking maybe boy-shrimp, and girl-shrimp, or different stages of molting....ok, so I'm not a rocket scientist nor am I a marine biologist, lol. Hadn't thought to research the critters, was just happy that they seem happy.
Regardless of what they are, they like the CF.
Here's a better shot of the same one. No luck with pix on the other one, but will catch it in the open sooner or later.