How to Kill Mushroom Corals in an Aquarium
Mushroom coral, called Actinodiscus or Discosoma, is soft coral with no exoskeleton. It grows on rock and has a short stem with a cap, somewhat resembling a mushroom. Mushroom corals grow in a variety of colors and textures, and look beautiful in an aquarium. Because mushroom corals are very hardy, they are easy to maintain in an aquarium. However, they reproduce somewhat aggressively and can overtake an aquarium if you don't prune them out now and then. Leaving even a small piece of the coral in the aquarium will lead to a new infestation. If there are too many mushroom corals the other corals in the aquarium can suffer.
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Things You'll Need
- Plastic bag
- Knife or scissors
- Single-edge razor
- Hobby rotary tool such as Dremel
- Diamond cutoff wheel
Instructions
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1
Protect your work surface with a plastic bag, paper bag or cardboard.
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2
Remove a rock with mushroom coral on it from the aquarium.
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3
Cut the coral off from the rock as close to the rock as possible, using scissors or a knife. Discard the coral.
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Scrape the rock surface as clean as possible with a single-edged razor blade. Alternatively, use a hobby rotary tool with a diamond cutoff wheel to trim off the surface of the rock where the mushroom coral was attached.
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5
Return the rock to the aquarium.
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Tips & Warnings
Throw out the mushroom-coral infested rock and replace it with clean rock. Boil the rock for 10 minutes and let it cool. Soak it in the same salt water that you have in your aquarium before you return it to the aquarium. Be sure to check the type of rock before boiling it. If the rock is ceramic or made of cement, boiling can damage it.
References
- Reef Sanctuary: What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Mushrooms
- Nano-Reef.com: Crazy, But How Do I Kill Off Red Mushroom Coral
- Aquarium Coral; Eric H. Borneman; 2001
