Mushroom coral

Care at a glance

Overview

A sessile, spreading corallimorph that reproduces by splitting and dropping tissue that grows into new mushrooms. It is passive and low-sting, tolerant of higher nutrients, and a forgiving choice for the shaded lower reef, though it can slowly carpet a rock over time.

In the wild

Discosoma mushrooms grow as flat, smooth discs on rock in shaded, calmer parts of the reef. They are among the best corals for low-light, low-flow spots and generally prefer roughly 50 to 100 PAR with gentle water movement. Too much light makes them shrink or bleach, while too much flow can tear them loose, which is a problem because a detached mushroom reattaches poorly. Place them low on the rockwork out of direct powerhead output.

Good to know

Discosoma is a corallimorph, a relative of true corals that lacks any hard skeleton. It gets most of its energy from symbiotic zooxanthellae and can also absorb dissolved nutrients and capture fine food. Colonies expand by pedal laceration and by splitting, where a single disc pinches into two, so a happy mushroom slowly multiplies across a rock without needing to be fragged.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  Umbrella mushroom

  Discosoma neglecta

  5.9 in (15 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  5.9 in (15 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Carlgren's mushroom

  Discosoma carlgreni

  2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  St. Thomas mushroom

  Rhodactis osculifera

  3.9 in (10 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  3.9 in (10 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Bullseye mushroom

  Rhodactis inchoata

  3.1 in (8 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  3.1 in (8 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Hairy mushroom

  Rhodactis

  5.9 in (15 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  5.9 in (15 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Elephant ear mushroom

  Amplexidiscus fenestrafer

  13.8 in (35 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)

  13.8 in (35 cm)20 gal (75 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)