Mushrooms and crabs

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:49 am

I currently only have two PPs on cocofiber. I'm fairly experienced in cultivating medicinal and gourmet mushrooms and if I can keep the mold spore count relatively low then then almost positive I can grow some mushrooms in the crabitat. I'm not sure what species of mushrrom to grow yet. I've only got one strain that fruits at 75 degrees F. WHat I'm wanting to know is if the crabs will devour or just destroy the mycelium. I won't let the mycelium colonize the whole aquarium, just a 6 inch by 10 inch area ( it's a 40 gallon tank)

btw, I registered on this awesome site a couple years back but kinda lost some of my interest in crabbing and started growing/hunting mushrooms. I also want to say hi to all the people that use to help me out here when I use to be an avid poster. Thanks in advance, Peace.

eregel · Post by **eregel** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 7:52 am

I'm betting the mushrooms would never have a chance. Crabbies are incredibly destructive, and they DO eat mushrooms... I'm guessing they'd get snapped up immediately. Plus, I'm guessing that if your substrate was mushroom-friendly (ie, not hydrated with salt water, and supplying adequate nutrients to foster growth) you're going to have mold problems. But maybe that's just my tats.... I have trouble keeping the humidity that low.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:23 am

Actually if you pasturize you substrate ( cook in pressure cooker for an hour, or expose it to steam for 90 minutes ) you should never have mold problems, at least I never have. As for the nutrients the coco fiber is actually Ideal mushroom substrate for some species. The salt content shouldn't be a problem. What kind of mold do you usually get? the reason you probably get it is due to the spores actually sticking to your clothes, you, and just about anything it lands on so once you get it, it's pretty hard to get rid of. If the crabs eat the mushrooms that's fine i'm not really looking to harvest them for my self, It's more of just to see if it can be done. ( and it would probably look cool too!)

eregel · Post by **eregel** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:20 am

I refuse to own a pressure cooker - deathly afraid of them - and can't imagine how you steam substrate... it would fall through the holes in any of my steamers. <grin> I haven't had a mold problem since I started hydrating with IO and boiling all my tank furniture in salt water - but you can imagine what great forests of it I was growing using fresh apple branches without treating them first. uGH

You're right, it would be cool if you can get it to work - I have this mental image of Alice in Wonderland, talking to crabbies instead of hookah-smoking caterpillars. Must be in the un-published sequels.

Kilimanjaro · Post by **Kilimanjaro** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:12 pm

Hey, bill3744! I'm pretty sure I remember you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Feb 07, 2009 11:47 pm

I'm fairly experienced in cultivating medicinal and gourmet mushrooms and if I can keep the mold spore count relatively low then then almost positive I can grow some mushrooms in the crabitat.

hey.. please excuse me for butting in, I don't think I can help you w/your original question.. but.. I actually have a question of you, if you don't mind!

I keep snakes mostly -- and they are on coconut fiber right now. well I went to refill their water a few days ago and there was a whole ring of fungus there.

there seemed to be a patch of (mycelium?) directly under the water bowl, and between now and the last time I picked up the bowl, it all fruited out into huge fungus.. like.. inches across, but flat so they fit under the bowl....

I left it there, as it didn't seem to be hurting anyone, I live in the northwest where fungus is everywhere and I have always had a knack for growing it when Im not really trying.

so Im really not sure how it would go w/crabs -- only cause of the salt and the fact that they may dig it up, and/or it might not be good for them, however it certainly did work in the snakes..

otherwise this also makes me think that I -do- have a knack for growing fungus, so I may write you if you do not mind and ask about it, since I have been wanting to try it (NOT in the crabs) for awhile.. ^^ anyway, hope you don't mind, but this just happened and I was thinking about it :}}