# Aquatic freshwater mushroom?



## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

looks like a stem.


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## Powchekny (Jan 25, 2010)

I think it's a stem too. Maybe it just floated up a little, making you think it was growing?

Tom


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## Franzi (Dec 7, 2009)

Oh I love that one! That's Fungi Amazonica, native to the Rio ***** area of...

Sorry. Interesting hole in the stem though .


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## Durrg (Nov 18, 2010)

Check this out, relatively new species:
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/uw-mushrm/

Anyone in the Rogue River area that can find us some of these?


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## FishandFire (Jan 30, 2011)

I apologize for jumping the thread, but I found the thread while doing a google search for something I found in one of my tanks tonight.

I have a tank that the sole fish in it are Sewellia lineolata. I added 6 of them about 2 weeks ago to bring the colony to 8. Otherwise there have been absolutely zero changes to the tank in the last 3 months. I just looked at the tank and found what appears to be a mushroom growing on a piece of driftwood. I didn't see it 2 hours ago, but it jumped out at me now.

Wood in the tank. Mushroom is at top left









Mushroom from the top/side









Mushroom from the bottom. The stem is about 1.25"









The driftwood has been in 3 different tanks over the last four years. Never out of the water for more than 20 minutes at a time. Anybody have any ideas of what this is? Sure looks like a mushroom to me?


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## JshineTX84 (Jun 20, 2010)

Keep an eye on it and see if it sporulates. I wonder if this fungus could help break down dead organic material and provide some nutrients for the plants.


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## FishandFire (Jan 30, 2011)

Just an update:

There have been several more mushrooms appear in the tank. I have dried several and sent the to the Field Museum in Chicago. The Mycologists there are perplexed and have send samples to a mycologist in Florida. I have found that they also grow out of the water, but only live for 24 hours out of the water. They live for approximately a week under water.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Couldn't these just be regular terrestric mushrooms/fungi that confused the new environment with a drenching warm rain, and sprouted.

I remember getting all excited about little carpet plants starting to grow in my new tank, until I found out that some bird seed got blown in there. :frown:


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Pretty cool. I think they would know if they're in water or above water. They respire like us, needing O2 and expire CO2.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Hmm. I'm out of my depth here, but I wonder if it could be a slime mold fruiting body. Slime molds do like damp places, so maybe there are a few that can tolerate an aquatic lifestyle?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Wow that is really strange.

I took a mycology course in college and I don't remember anything like that. I thought mushroom-bearing fungi were strictly terrestrial.


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## JshineTX84 (Jun 20, 2010)

Durrg said:


> Check this out, relatively new species:
> http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/uw-mushrm/
> 
> Anyone in the Rogue River area that can find us some of these?


This species was named one of the top 10 most striking newly discovered species on BBC nature. I hope that submersed fungi can develop into a welcome attribute of planted tanks, maybe one day there will be a species that glows like some of the rainforest types. Little green shrooms lighting up the tank bed would be sweet.


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