Description
The Emerald Green Mushroom coral is not technically a coral. It is more similar to anemones, but it’s not exactly and anemone either. Sometimes they are called mushroom anemones or disc anemones, but that isn’t completely correct. It is technically called a corallimorph. Corallimorphs are actually more anatomically similar to stony corals than soft corals despite their lack of an internal calcium skeleton. Mushroom corallimorphs originate from the Indo-Pacific, but the specimens sold here are aquacultured by ORA. Instead of being collected from the ocean, these mushrooms are grown in aquariums and then sold to hobbyists such as yourself. Later, we will go over the benefits of aquacultured corals. The Emerald Green Mushroom is a Discosoma mushroom, arguably the easiest of the three most common mushroom species. They will likely survive and tolerate most aquarium conditions, but there are conditions that allow the coral to flourish and shine. To start, let’s talk about lighting. Discosoma mushrooms prefer low to medium light. This translates to about 30-100 micromoles of PAR. If you are unsure about the PAR levels in your aquarium, it is best to put these mushrooms in a low light part of your aquarium. However, placing them under medium light may bring out better colors. If you want to do this, start the mushroom in low light and gradually move it into brighter light but not too bright. 150 micromoles of PAR is the very highest these mushrooms should be put under, and even that might be too bright. Anything higher is undoubtedly too much. As for flow, keep it as low as possible. Discosoma mushrooms should not be placed in even moderately low flow. If your mushroom appears shriveled or not extended fully, it is probably due to too much flow. Discosoma mushrooms contain a photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae which provides the corallimorph with most of its nutritional needs. However, you can feed discosoma small foods, though it is not at all necessary. What is more beneficial is dosing your aquarium with phytoplankton and amino acids. The nice thing about corallimorphs as opposed to stony corals is that you generally don’t have to worry about base elements, though you should keep your other parameters stable. Use an auto-top-off system to keep your salinity stable. Keep the temperature at 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit and stable. Your nitrates should be around 1-5 ppm (though they can be up to 10 ppm, though this risks algae growth and starts to get to the “too high” range) and your phosphates should be as close to 0.01 as possible but not 0.
Care requirements
Purchase Size: 1″
Placement: You can place this mushroom anywhere as long as its flow and lighting needs are met.
Lighting: Low to medium.
Flow: Very low.
Parameters: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 32-35 ppt
More Information
Aquacultured mushrooms are better adapted to aquarium conditions such as lighting, flow, and water parameters. They also handle shipping much better than mushrooms collected from the ocean. Aquacultured corallimorphs and corals are also far less likely to carry pests and disease, though you should still dip and/or quarantine them to be safe. On top of all that, they are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Keep your aquarium free of pests and do your part to decrease the impact our hobby has on the ocean by choosing aquacultured corals and corallimorphs.
