A great nano coral, the Bubble Mushroom as Sealifebase calls it, the Warty Corallimorpharin. You can call it the Bubble or Warty Mushroom for short! Needing a tank that is at least 5 gallons, small fish may be in danger. The Bubble Mushroom usually comes in translucent green, blue, yellowish green, purple-mauve, green, brown and orange with contrasting and possibly iridescent tentacles. These tentacles will form rounded vesicles or they may elongate to take on a fuzzy appearance. Like other mushrooms, the tentacles do have toxins in them so in large numbers you may need carbon or other toxin removal products in nano tanks. They are great for nano tanks and beginners but do need slightly better water conditions than most mushrooms.

The Bullseye Mushroom is probably the most sought after mushroom coral due to its variable coloring and harmless nature when it comes to fish. Yeah, we have all heard the stories of someone's large mushroom eating a fish! Well, the Bullseye Mushroom Coral will not be guilty of such an action and are great for nano tanks with nano sized fish! They are tolerate of less than pristine water conditions and are great for beginners!

The Bullseye Mushroom is easy to care for and prefers dim to moderate light. Water flow should be low enough so they can catch the food they are being offered. As you see in the video, the water around the mushroom is very low, allowing the Bullseye to close around the food. Typically they only grow to 2" so they are a great nano tank coral.

Sometimes mistakenly called "fish eating mushroom," which DOES encompass mushrooms with long tentacles, this species, Rhodactis mussoides will not. Clearly, by watching the video, this mushroom, while very large, does not have the grip factor of the dangerous mushrooms. Similar to Ricordea, this particular species of Rhodactis can have multiple mouths. The "tentacles" are short and stubby and the edges are ruffly and at times this mushroom likes to fold onto itself. Growing up to 15," provide them with a tank that is at least 20 gallons or more.

The Florida False Coral, more often referred to as the Ricordea Mushroom, is a close relative of the Knobby False corals or Yuma Mushroom, Ricordea Yuma. In the wild, their coloring seems to depend on the water quality, light and temperature; being various shades of orange in the summer and in the winter they tend to be green and blue. During storms they are transparent at times! These are great for a nano tank and they reproduce and form colors that can be different from the mother mushroom, providing the aquarist with a rainbow of colors! Of course, one can buy a mix of colors from the start!

This is a variation of the Actinodiscus genus, where the rudimentary "tentacles," which are usually more like small bumps, are more pronounced. They are easy to care for and will split and reproduce offspring that may be different in color than the main mushroom. These are great for nano tanks, only reaching 2 to 3" in diameter!

With more than one mushroom coral being referred to as "Elephant Ear," it can be confusing, however this particular species, Amplexidiscus fenestrafer, will eat your fish. It is easy to tell the difference since they have quite long tentacles and the outer margin is lacking tentacles. They can close up around a fish or invert that dares to venture too close with in 3 seconds, using their tentacles to sting the victim. They do not close fast if the food item is not alive or if they are kept well fed. They have the ability to take down a fish as long as they are! Provide 50 gallons or more.

Finding what seems to be the only Discosoma howesii on you tube, alas, its a floater. This does not appear to be a hairy mushroom since the tentacles are not dense enough. If the identity is wrong, this video still gives a valuable opportunity to show what happens when your mushroom coral is not happy. It can be a lighting issue, flow, water quality or it is being chemically chased off by another mushroom. This floater seems to match the description of a D. howesii, having spaced fuzzy and thin tentacles, very short foot and the color is right on the money!

The Green Hairy Mushroom is from the Rhodactis genus, which tends to grow larger than the Discosoma genus, reaching up to 8" in diameter. Rhodactis do not have stinging tentacles, so they are the perfect low maintenance host for your Ocellaris or other "any port in a storm" clownfish. The Green Hairy Mushroom is easy to feed and does not typically eat fish. This clownfish is having a hard time getting food to his mushroom and it is quite amusing to see all the fish trying to steal his food!