Mushrooms? In my tank?

[Cecil716]

So I haven't cleaned out the top layer of my tank for a while (but I clean here and there). Last night and today my crabs made a major mess and I found mold and a large clump of mushrooms growing? I'm going to clean out the mold and excess food but are these mushrooms safe to keep in the tank? I didn't put these in but I thought they looked neat

[Krusty Krab]

I would personally Take them out just to be safe. BTW I did not get the pics.


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[Krusty Krab]

But then again I am not a mushroom expert.lol


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[Krusty Krab]

Omg Cecil is the name of one of my hermit crabs.


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[aussieJJDude]

Glad to see a familiar face back! Haven't seen you in a long time.

I have no idea what they look like, as for some reason the pics aren't working for me... My laptop has a mind of it's own!
Taking them out is always a good idea, it stops the chance of anything going bad. However, fungi is just a sign of a humid tank with little airflow and a high concentration of organic matter. To reduce the fungi population next time, I suggest keeping the substrate moist with SW (if it's growing near/on), trying to "pump" in fresh air and/or reducing the chance for them to feed off something (eg: rotten food).

But I've had a few friends "grow" their mushies for a few days before the crabs decided to trample on them or just snack on them. I guess they enjoyed them.

[wodesorel]

I always recommend pulling mushrooms when you see them. They're often unavoidable (I'm expecting the yellow plague to hit my tanks in another moth - it happens every year like clockwork) but they are often hard to ID and if allowed to fully develop will spread their spores and you'll get tons more.