Ricordia mushrooms are very popular anemone corals in reef tanks because they are easy to find, and they are easy to care for. Plus, you can find some beautiful color patterns that will stand out in your display tank. They two most common species are the Ricordia florida and the Ricordia yuma. These are very beautiful with berry-shaped tentacles, and they come in several different color patterns, but green is the most prevalent.
One reason for their popularity is the fact that they are great for beginners, and once you have them in your tanked, you are hooked on these beautiful creatures.
The florida species are from the caribbean and the yuma come from the Pacific. In the wild, they can be found growing in large colonies in shallow waters.
Ricordia Care
Ricordia flower mushrooms (ricordea) are easy to care for, and they are a great addition to any reef tank. To keep them healthy and bright, they need medium to high lighting, and they tend to do better in low to medium flow. A par reading of 30-120 should be an acceptable range. They seem to tolerate higher lighting than most other mushroom corals.
These anemone are easy to care for, and they can do well in water with mild fluctuations in their parameters. If you are less experienced in coral care, I would recommend that you hold off on the yuma at first. Yuma are more sensitive to parameter changes, and as a newer reef keeper, this can be an issue.
If you find that it is turning pale or shrinking, it may be getting too much light. If that happens, you should move it closer to the substrate where they tend to do well.
Feeding:
Ricordia get most of their energy from their zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae is a symbiotic algae that is hosted within a coral that provides the energy that it needs. It does like to eat meaty things like mysis shrimp, and you may get better growth and color by supplementing it with food. Reef Roids also work work for feeding.
Ricordia florida Vs. Ricordia yuma
These mushrooms can be difficult to distinguish at first, but if you look closely, you can tell the difference between them. Ricordia yuma have a large conentration of tentacles around the mouth, and florida have an isolated mouth with less tentacles around it.
Another way to tell them apart is from the pattern of tentacles on their body. Yuma will have tentacles that form rows that radiate out from the center of their body. Ricordia florida will have a uniform distribution all over their body.
Acclimation
If you received your anemone by mail, you need to remember that it has not been exposed to light for over 24 hours. When introduced to your tank, high lighting can cause extra stress. If can help the acclimation process if you keep your lights off or at a very low setting for the first day.
While they are fairly hardy, they still need to be drip acclimated.
Ricordia Placement
Ricordia do best in low to mid areas of your display tank. They do very well placed directly on the bottom or the substrate, and you can place them on your low level rocks as well. They will do better in lower flow over high flow areas which may stress them, and they prefer to be placed where the light is not harsh and bearing down on them.
They do have tentacles that can reach out and bother other corals, so make sure that they have enough room to grow with ample space around them.
Ricordia Colors
- Green
- Emerald Green
- Orange
- Blue
- Red
- Purple
Due to availability, green is usually the lowest cost color while orange is not as common and it can cost a lot more. Yuma are also generally more expensive than florida as well.
Featured Image: By Nhobgood (talk) Nick Hobgood – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11449153
