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Ricordea florida mushrooms are a very popular signature mushroom species in the tropical Western Atlantic and Caribbean waters. Ricordea florida mushroom corals can be found in a variety of color variations including in gold, orange, yellow, vivid purple, pink, blue, neon green and even rainbow. Their bright coloration, relative ease of care and hardiness with other marine species have made them one of the best ways to add dramatic color to any Fowlr (Fish only with live rock) aquarium or any reef aquarium. Ricordea florida can even be kept with a wide variety of fish species that are normally too aggressive to be kept with other coral species.
Ricordea florida are very frequently found growing in large groupings that grow over the oceans rock formations and we find ricordea growing over coral rubble in the more shallow, turbid waters. Deeper waters also will show ricordea florida colonies, but they are found in smaller, tigher colonies or even as solitary animals. The Ricordea Florida Mushrooms coloration is heavily a result of their environment and water current conditions. Therefore water flow, water temperature, and intensity of lighting all factor into the ricordea's coloration and depth of color.
Aquarium Care
Like all corals Ricordea florida mushrooms do best when housed in aquariums that provide habitat close to their natural surroundings they have in the wild. What makes them such a good aquarium coral, is that Ricordea florida mushrooms are fairly tolerant of a wide range of both lighting and water flow conditions. However, it is important to properly acclimate them to the aquariums water conditions via drip acclimation, which will let them slowly adjust to the aquariums water temperature, salinity, etc.
If you are contemplating the best aquarium lighting for your reef tank Ricordea florida can tolerate strong reef aquarium lights much easier than most other mushroom corals, but they also do just fine in less well-lit tanks and in bright tanks where the ricordea are placed in more shaded areas of the aquarium or even taller aquariums where the corals are receiving less light. Under strong lighting, we recommended placing in lower areas or shaded areas of the aquarium. With less intense reef lighting, a the best would be to move up to the middle level of your tank and place horizontally on your aquarium rock.
Once you have decided on where your Ricordea florida will be placed, carefully place each mushroom where it is at least 4 to 6 inches from existing corals so that they do not sting each other. Observe your ricordea mushrooms to see that they are doing well where you placed them. If the ricordea mushroom is loosing color and shrinks in size, the lighting likely is too strong. If the originally brightly colored ricordea holds its size but looses intensity, the ricordea should be moved to an area receiving stronger lighting.
Feeding & Nutrition
Ricordea florida mushrooms obtain their nutritional needs primarily from the symbiotic zooxanthellae that they host within their bodies. Another words they use light to create zooxanthellae,and the zooxanthellae feeds the mushroom coral. They also are not afraid to get a good meal by filter feeding on plankton and small crustaceans that are filtered from the water column.
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