Lighting
50-140 PAR is a low-to-moderate starting range; shrinking, bleaching, or detaching often means light or flow should be reduced.
MushroomIntermediateCare score 4/10
Ricordea Mushroom
Ricordea florida / Ricordea yuma
Identify Ricordea Mushroom by round fleshy disc and bead-like vesicles; then set low placement, low flow, and enough separation from Mushroom Coral and Zoanthids.
Compare round fleshy disc, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 4/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 50-140 PAR
- Flow
- Low
- Aggression
- Low
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Minimum tank age
- 3 months
- Minimum tank size
- 10 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
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: Nhobgood (talk) Nick Hobgood
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Pauline Walsh Jacobson
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
Photo: Pauline Walsh Jacobson
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 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
- 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1250-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-15 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.12 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
low flow should be gentle enough that the disc stays attached and inflated.
Stability
For Ricordea Mushroom, avoid frequent moves and check light, flow, and salinity first when discs shrink, stretch, or detach.
Variability
Ricordea Mushroom 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
- small meaty foods, powdered coral food
- Frequency
- every 1-2 weeks if feeding response is visible
ID
Identification
Key features
- round fleshy disc
- bead-like vesicles
- one or more mouths
Common colors
- Orange
- Green
- Blue
- Yellow
- Pink
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Ricordea has a dense bubbly surface, while many Discosoma mushrooms are smoother. Ricordea Mushroom is best separated from Mushroom Coral and Zoanthids by weighing round fleshy disc, bead-like vesicles, and one or more mouths. Look at disc texture, vesicles, mouth position, attachment behavior, and response to new light; then compare that structure with where the coral expands, retracts, or shows early recession. Do not rely only on color under blue lighting. 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.
Ricordea Mushroom 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
- Ricordea Mushroom 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 Ricordea Mushroom
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- move Ricordea Mushroom 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 Ricordea Mushroom before confirming round fleshy disc and its spacing needs
- using Ricordea Mushroom color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Mushroom Coral
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Ricordea Mushroom looks irritated
- ignoring low-light acclimation when keeping Ricordea Mushroom
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
Mushroom Coral
Discosoma spp. / Rhodactis spp.
- Category
- Mushroom
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Zoanthids
Zoanthus spp.
- Category
- Zoanthid
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
Usually compatible with spacing
Candy Cane Coral
Caulastrea furcata
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Low
FAQs
FAQs
Is Ricordea Mushroom beginner friendly?
Ricordea Mushroom is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Ricordea Mushroom be placed?
Start Ricordea Mushroom low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 50-140 PAR and low flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Ricordea Mushroom?
Ricordea Mushroom may take small meaty foods and powdered coral food, with this database frequency: every 1-2 weeks if feeding response is visible. 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 Ricordea Mushroom have if it expands or moves?
Give Ricordea Mushroom about 2 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is Low. Use caution near Chalice Coral and Favia. 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 Ricordea Mushroom looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Ricordea Mushroom, the disc curls, shrinks, or releases from the rock and Ricordea Mushroom shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Ricordea Mushroom 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 Ricordea Mushroom. Start with these database checks: move Ricordea Mushroom 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 Ricordea Mushroom shrinks or detaches?
For Ricordea Mushroom, avoid frequent moves and check light, flow, and salinity first when discs shrink, stretch, or detach. The database lists 3 months as the minimum tank age and 10 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
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Compare round fleshy disc, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
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