Lighting
30-120 PAR is a low-to-moderate starting range; shrinking, bleaching, or detaching often means light or flow should be reduced.
MushroomBeginnerCare score 3/10
Hairy Mushroom Coral
Rhodactis indosinensis
Identify Hairy Mushroom Coral by large disc and long textured surface bumps; then set low placement, low flow, and enough separation from Rhodactis Mushroom and Mushroom Coral.
Compare large disc, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Care score
- 3/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 30-120 PAR
- Flow
- Low
- Aggression
- Low
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Minimum tank age
- 1 months
- Minimum tank size
- 5 gallons
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: RevolverOcelot
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Philippe Bourjon
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Chaloklum Diving
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 8-9.5 dKH
- Calcium
- 380-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1250-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-25 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.2 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
low flow should be gentle enough that the disc stays attached and inflated.
Stability
For Hairy Mushroom Coral, avoid frequent moves and check light, flow, and salinity first when discs shrink, stretch, or detach.
Variability
Hairy Mushroom Coral requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- fine meaty foods, powdered coral food
- Frequency
- optional every 1-2 weeks if food is accepted
ID
Identification
Key features
- large disc
- long textured surface bumps
- can trap food
Common colors
- Green
- Brown
- Tan
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
For Hairy Mushroom Coral, start with large disc, long textured surface bumps, and can trap food before checking color. Compare it with Rhodactis Mushroom and Mushroom Coral by looking at disc texture, vesicles, mouth position, attachment behavior, and response to new light, especially after polyps or tissue are fully extended. Lighting can change mushroom color and vesicle size; disc texture, mouth structure, and attachment behavior are better ID anchors.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 2 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Hairy Mushroom Coral disc shrinking or detachingOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- the disc curls, shrinks, or releases from the rock
- Hairy Mushroom Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- light increase, strong flow, rough handling, or recent shipping stress
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Hairy Mushroom Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- move Hairy Mushroom Coral to gentler light or indirect flow if the disc stays curled
- let detached tissue settle on rubble in a low-flow container
- avoid repeated handling while the mouth and foot look intact
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- start Mushroom corals in lower light and let them attach before moving them
- placing Hairy Mushroom Coral before confirming large disc and its spacing needs
- using Hairy Mushroom Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Rhodactis Mushroom
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Hairy Mushroom Coral looks irritated
- ignoring low-light acclimation when keeping Hairy Mushroom Coral
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Zoanthids
Zoanthus spp.
- Category
- Zoanthid
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Ricordea Mushroom
Ricordea florida / Ricordea yuma
- Category
- Mushroom
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Green Star Polyps
Pachyclavularia violacea / Briareum violaceum
- Category
- Soft Coral
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Hairy Mushroom Coral beginner friendly?
Hairy Mushroom Coral can be beginner friendly in a stable reef, but still needs acclimation, space, and observation after moves.
Where should Hairy Mushroom Coral be placed?
Start Hairy Mushroom Coral low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 30-120 PAR and low flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Hairy Mushroom Coral?
Hairy Mushroom Coral may take fine meaty foods and powdered coral food, with this database frequency: optional every 1-2 weeks if food is accepted. Keep feedings small and occasional; shrinking, detaching, or stretching is more often a light, flow, or stability check than a feeding-only issue.
How much room should Hairy Mushroom Coral have if it expands or moves?
Give Hairy Mushroom Coral about 2 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Acan Coral and Blastomussa. Avoid close placement with Torch Coral and Elegance Coral. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Hairy Mushroom Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Hairy Mushroom Coral, the disc curls, shrinks, or releases from the rock and Hairy Mushroom Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Hairy Mushroom Coral disc shrinking or detaching. Likely causes to check include light increase, strong flow, rough handling, or recent shipping stress and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Hairy Mushroom Coral. Start with these database checks: move Hairy Mushroom Coral to gentler light or indirect flow if the disc stays curled and let detached tissue settle on rubble in a low-flow container.
What should I check if Hairy Mushroom Coral shrinks or detaches?
For Hairy Mushroom Coral, avoid frequent moves and check light, flow, and salinity first when discs shrink, stretch, or detach. The database lists 1 month as the minimum tank age and 5 gallons as the minimum tank size. For mushroom-style corals, light and flow are often the first checks before assuming feeding is the issue.
Coral Identifier
Identify Hairy Mushroom Coral.
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Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare large disc, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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