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[edit] Discosoma Overall Propagation Potential: Good Preferred Methods: Cutting Attachment: Easy Healing: Easy Demand: Low

Photo of Discosoma

Introduction

Discosoma, also known as mushrooms, mushroom corals, mushroom anemones, or corallimorphs, are very easy to propagate. They heal well, and grow relatively quickly. There are several ways to propagate mushrooms, all via cutting. Most mushrooms are fairly common throughout the aquarium trade, making possibility of profit from propagation minimal. However, more-rare species and color morphs may be desirable and worth propagating for sale/trade with other aquarists. Propagation will also help boost numbers in one's own aquarium, creating larger colonies for display.

Preparation

To make propagation easier, it will be good to have these items on hand:

• Two small plastic container of tank water for both pre- and post-cut mushrooms
• A new, single-edge razor blade
• A clean cutting board, preferrably plastic
• Some live rock rubble for mounting in one of the containers of tank water
• Clean hands and/or gloves

Propagation

Propagation of mushrooms may happen naturally, with a mushroom simply dropping off a polyp to regrow a new one and let the original polyp head attach elsewhere. They may also grow new polyps from the base of an existing polyp. These take time and may or may not happen in an aquarium, depending upon conditions. If propagation is desired, it can be done manually without having to wait for it to happen naturally. Here's how you do it:

Make sure you have the above tools and supplies before beginning. You may either leave the rock with the mushroom in the tank, or you may remove it in a separate bucket/container of water for fragging.

Using the razor, slice through the stalk of the mushroom you wish to propagate cleanly, preferrably in a single smooth motion to prevent jagged cuts that may lead to infection.

Once you have cut the head of the mushroom off, you have a couple options. You may simply put the whole head of the mushroom into the container with the rubble rock and let it attach to the rubble after placing it in a low flow area of your tank. Doing this will cause the head to grow a new base on the rubble. The base of the mushroom still attached to the original rock will grow a new mushroom, effectively leaving you with two mushrooms. You can continue using this method repeatedly to double your population if you were to propagate each mushroom in your tank. You can also further fragment your mushroom to create multiple mushrooms.

To continue creating multiple mushrooms from the removed head, place the entire mushroom head on the cutting board after wetting it with some tank water first to avoid abrasion to the fragment, and simply use the razor blade to cut the head into multiple pie-shaped pieces. Make sure to get a piece of the mouth on each fragment to ensure that it will regrow into a new mushroom. I would recommend slicing a mushroom into quarters to make sure the pieces are not too small. Smaller pieces provide less of a chance for survival.

Mounting

Take the fragments and place them into the container with the rubble rock and put that into a low-flow area of the tank to prevent them from floating around. You may wish to cover them with a fine mesh to hold them near the rock to help them attach. Cover them gently, so that they are not pressed down onto the rock, but merely held lightly against it.

Attachment/Healing

The fragments should attach within a week, and you can then place them in the tank. Make sure to check them to ensure that they are attaching properly and are not contracting infection. Once attached, you can safely place them into your aquarium.