This is why Ricordea florida are harder to find in nicer colours in areas that are easy to collect from, because as a species us humans can be pretty lazy, I mean we’d rather be back on the beach with a beer, right? What is special about our polyps is that only the very largest ones are harvested, leaving the rest of the colony to grow on allowing for future collections time after time. The Caribbean, especially those that are showing up in our market at the moment from Cuba for example are large colonies on large pieces of reef rock.Įven with collection quota in place it would still be easy enough for a collector to find a good patch of Ricordea florida and harvest the whole lot from a single area in one go. This is one of the main ways that helps tell the difference between a polyp that has been collected from the Atlantic and the Caribbean. By law it is required that they are harvested with a flexible blade no wider than 2 inches and that they are attached to chippings of rock no larger than a couple of centimeters. In the case of Ricordea florida that number is either 100 a day per individual (with the appropriate license) or 200 a day per vessel. It is this agency that is in charge of managing fish, wildlife and natural habitats and their mission is ‘working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people’.Īs part of this mission they enforce collection restrictions for most species collected from the Atlantic to avoid exploitation. The United States have an agency within their federal government called the Fish and Wildlife Service. They are collected in both the Caribbean and the Atlantic however we only purchase Atlantic Ricordea florida. In a nutshell they are a type of anemone that come from the family Ricordeidae. Pink and Blues probably being the most rare and orange being the most common.So, what is a Ricordea florida I hear you say? Their bodies, mouth, skirts and inner lines can be a combination of almost any color. They will accept most coral foods and really appreciate fauna marin coral dust.įlorida ricordea are amazing because they come in so many color verities. Instead of dropping baby like discosoma or yuma, the ricordea generates a mouth and then splits or pulls away from the original mouth.They grow relatively slow compared to other mushrooms corals. In our experience they can be placed directly to zoanthids safely and some soft corals.Ī beautiful example of a wild rock complete full of ricordeas from Cubaįlorida Ricordea grow in a unique way that is different Ricordea yuma and some other mushrooms. They sting through direct contact and do not have sweepers. They should however not be placed directly next to other corals as they carry a powerful sting. It is common to group ricordeas together to form gardens and they will not hurt one another. They are often placed lower down in aquariums and do well under strong blue led lighting. They prefer high nutrient water and are tolerant of elevated nitrate and phosphate levels like many other mushroom and soft corals. They are accustomed to high levels of flow in the wild but will do well thrive under flow in conditions in home aquariums. Ricordeas are found in shallow waters which would suggest they prefer high light, however they are often found on the under side of rocks where they recieve very low light. They are highly sought after in Asian and Australian markets as they are difficult to find over there. They are very easy to keep and grow and do well in nano or even pico tanks. Notice how the bubbles are further apart and larger.įlorida ricordea as suggested by its name are native to florida and the Caribbean as a whole. The only exception is when they are eating or have eaten.Ī text book example of a yuma. Avoid buying ricordeas that seem to be spewing brown or black strings from their mouth as it is a stress sign. not bleached, translucent or highlighter in color) and their mouths are closed. Healthy ricordeas are plump, deep in color ( i.e. You can tell if a ricordea is healthy generally by its size, color and mouth. The rarest of the ricordeas are pink ones, if you ever see one don’t hesitate to get it. The most valuable of the ricordeas are the rainbows which display the most complex color varieties. They come in almost every color imaginable and often with two or even three colors displayed through the body, bubbles, skirt and even mouth. Often confused with the yuma species of mushroom, the ricordea exhibits smaller and higher density bubbles. Its characterized by its distinct bubbly appearance and vivid fluorescent colors. When it comes mushroom type coral, there are few that can compare to the striking beauty of the florida ricordea. A mix of colorful healthy Florida Ricordea
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