Ricordia: Lighting needs?

[cr500_af]

I have an orange ricordia that isn't growing. It's opening and looks fine, but no change in some time. I think I read somewhere, though I can't find it now, that they like lower light.

This is attached to a large rock, and moving it low requires a major rockscape overhaul. Should I attempt to remove and reattach it? If so, what's the best method to avoid damaging it?

Right now it is about 10" below the surface. Lighting is 4x54w T5s, 2 white and 2 actinic.

Thanks all!

 

[fish scales2]

You should be fine with placement, although they like lower intensity of light they will do fine in medium light as well. Look at your flow and maybe increase or decrease depending on what it recieving now. Has it accepted food frpm you?

 

[texhorns98]

Tagging along. I might need to move mine as well.

 

[budsreef]

Barry, I have had several orange ricordea in different tanks and the ones that did best were in a 24G AP on the bottom in the shade with PC lighting so I definitely think they like lower lighting. I have removed them from rocks with a razor blade but you really need to be careful since they will disolve if they get hacked too much. If you can take the rock out of the water for a few minutes then I would try snapping the rock off with the ricordea attached and then move that, otherwise I'd be tempted to leave it alone.

 

[cr500_af]

Fish Scales2;343123 wrote: You should be fine with placement, although they like lower intensity of light they will do fine in medium light as well. Look at your flow and maybe increase or decrease depending on what it recieving now. Has it accepted food frpm you?

All I've done feeding-wise is phytoplankton, added to the tank as a whole every few days, and then squirted right at the center of each coral on the same time frame but on an alternating schedule. So, I really can't tell what it's eating or not eating. I've never tried feeding "solid" food to this one.

Should I?

 

[texhorns98]

Hmmm, I've never spot fed mine either. It's a bright green specimen that's grown nicely, but has lost it's pop of color lately. Maybe I should feed it as well?

 

[cr500_af]

Glad I'm not the only one... I was not aware that it was even possible for them to eat other than filter-feeding. At least, that's what I gather from Chris' question.

 

[tokejr]

I use a child's medicine syringe and squirt mysis right on the mouth of my mushrooms. The ricordia and green hairy mushrooms react immediately.

They pull the sides in to cover the food and look like a hot air balloon turned inside out when they eat.

And, yes, both of my ricordia are in low light areas under a shelf of the rock, away from my T5s. They moved to these places by themselves.

 

[jonboyb]

I have a ricordia garden on a low rock in my tank. Several different colors and sizes. Part of the rock is shaded and the rest gets my MH and actinics (still 20" or so from the lights). THe rics in the shade grow exponentially faster than the ones in the light. I actually placed a sickly one by itself in a VERY shaded area and it looks great and grows great. WHile they survive fine in the higher light, for growth and propogation they need VERY low light IMO.

 

[tokejr]

Here ya go......I fed the ricordea and the hairy mushroom and took pics. (Sorry, the ricordea is hard to see because of the rock ledge.)

 

[cr500_af]

Wow! That's on the agenda for tonight for sure.

 

[notireef]

tokejr;343149 wrote: Here ya go......I fed the ricordea and the hairy mushroom and took pics. (Sorry, the ricordea is hard to see because of the rock ledge.)

Pics didn't post.

 

[wbrown]

I feed mine phytoplankton and mysis. I have mine on the bottom of a 24" deep tank under 500W of MH's. One has split and now has 3 mouths, and one is still a single, but I kinda think it's developing another mouth. Can only really tell under the moonlights when it really glows.

 

[bclark7169]

I guess I need to feed mine as well

 

[lees]

Me too

 

[texhorns98]

tokjr,

I've seen mine do that a couple of times and always though it was just pissed off. I guess not!

 

[tokejr]

texhorns98;343233 wrote: tokjr,

I've seen mine do that a couple of times and always though it was just pissed off. I guess not!

LOL, nope, not pissed - stuffing its face.

 

[fish scales2]

They love shaded areas but I have some that seem to have adapted to higher light. My guys that are in medium flow seem to being very well. I am about to place about 10 of them in a low light tank and see how they act over the next few days. I have a couple in my tank at home that seem to be moving towards the light though or maybe the current? Some will eat and some have never taken food.

Chris

 

[tokejr]

Fish Scales2;343294 wrote: They love shaded areas but I have some that seem to have adapted to higher light. My guys that are in medium flow seem to being very well. I am about to place about 10 of them in a low light tank and see how they act over the next few days. I have a couple in my tank at home that seem to be moving towards the light though or maybe the current? Some will eat and some have never taken food.

Chris

Isn't that funny? I have an orange one in the 30 with lots of flow on it and it's happy. Then I have a blue one in the 72 with no flow and it's happy. But both are in shade. In fact, when I had the blue one in the light, out in the open, I almost lost it. The orange one, however, does eat a lot more than the blue.