help i cant keep ricordia

goobe · 02/06/2011, 10:00 AM

Hey guys,

i thought i finnaly post and ask the question to the pros.
i am unable to keep ricordia in my tank. They all just seem to melt away

im pretty sure its no a lighting problem since im running 6x24 ATi fixture
and the nutrient levels are low since i have a refugium full of cheeto and a deltex MCE600 for my 29 gallon tank.

Ive been able to keep everything else with great success. SPS clams anemones and a bunch of other LPS. just not ricordia

does anyone have the same problem. id love to start keeping them since there colour are really pretty.

PS these are normal ricordia, not yummis.

thanks

Ntvper · 02/06/2011, 10:11 AM

too much light? as with most ricordia like mushrooms they dont need or want high grade lighting. a list of current water parameters and livestock will help narrow down the problem for ya.

allsps40 · 02/06/2011, 10:21 AM

Dont assume you water parameters are in check always test! Do a water test and post results. Mushrooms are among the easiest corals to keep.

BEEKER1 · 02/06/2011, 10:22 AM

Where in the tank are you trying to keep them. I keep mine on the sand bed and they do fine.

nanojg · 02/06/2011, 10:48 AM

Too much light, can you shade them?

R33f3r · 02/06/2011, 10:58 AM

Rics will adjust to high lighting. The problem imo, is 6-T5's are very strong and can bleach some corals unless you gradually acclimate them. Once acclimated, you can put them up higher in the tank. Place the rics at the bottom or even under a shaded area for now.

Palting · 02/06/2011, 11:06 AM

Ricordeas like low to moderate light and low to moderate flow, closer to low than moderate. I transfered my Rics from a 110g with PC lights, where they were thriving, to my current 150g with 150 W MH. Despite being on the substrate 27" down, they lost their deep coloration and looked shriveled. I thought they just needed to acclimate, and left them there. Well, they did not melt, but they did not improve either. I put a screen and shaded them, an lo and behold, they doubled in size and got color back within a week. I have since moved them under a rock outcropping, and they are multiplying.

Try them in the lowest light area in your tank with moderate flow, maybe even shade them, and see how they do. HTH!

Peef · 02/06/2011, 11:16 AM

+1 to Palting, great advice!

noahm · 02/06/2011, 11:54 AM

They can do poorly in ULNS if they are also not fed. In an average system, feeding isn't usually an issue. Light can also be an issue, but they can be acclimated to a variety of lighting pretty successfully.

goobe · 02/06/2011, 12:23 PM

hey,
ive done reaserch on them and i know they would rather have low lighting so ive kept them bottom of the tank and even some of them in a little cave. still nothing

i also dose my tank with phytoplankton (plankton genisis) the SPS seem to like it as the polups are always out.

and its weird bc i had MH lights before my ATi fixture and with the MH they were doing great its just the T5s

Palting · 02/06/2011, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goobe

hey,
ive done reaserch on them and i know they would rather have low lighting so ive kept them bottom of the tank and even some of them in a little cave. still nothing

i also dose my tank with phytoplankton (plankton genisis) the SPS seem to like it as the polups are always out.

and its weird bc i had MH lights before my ATi fixture and with the MH they were doing great its just the T5s

Well, goobe, if everything else seems right, then it's one of those things that some tanks just can not seem to keep. The longer I stay in this hobby, the more I learn that there are just some things that can not be explained, and some tanks just don't work for some weird reason for some coral and great with others. In my tank, for example, my millepora, wild acro, purple acro, blue tort and a gaggle of lps and sps are just growing and thriving like weeds. OTOH, my GSP are stagnant, my colt is so-so, and I have so far killed off 2 separate frags of stylophora despite everything seeming to be right. And stylo's are supposed to be easier than most! Can't figure it out, other than that's just the way it is

Kshack · 02/07/2011, 10:34 AM

I had the same problem with a 250 gal tank. We moved three years ago and I found a large (over 2 foot) Eucinid worm when I broke down the tank. Once that thing was out I have had no problems with rics. Get a red light and check out your tank for several nights when the lights are out. Good luck.

02/06/2011, 10:00 AM	#1
goobe Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 82	help i cant keep ricordia Hey guys, i thought i finnaly post and ask the question to the pros. i am unable to keep ricordia in my tank. They all just seem to melt away im pretty sure its no a lighting problem since im running 6x24 ATi fixture and the nutrient levels are low since i have a refugium full of cheeto and a deltex MCE600 for my 29 gallon tank. Ive been able to keep everything else with great success. SPS clams anemones and a bunch of other LPS. just not ricordia does anyone have the same problem. id love to start keeping them since there colour are really pretty. PS these are normal ricordia, not yummis. thanks

02/06/2011, 10:11 AM	#2
Ntvper Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: NM Posts: 798	too much light? as with most ricordia like mushrooms they dont need or want high grade lighting. a list of current water parameters and livestock will help narrow down the problem for ya. __________________ CJ Aint no kill like overkill Current Tank Info: 90G DT 55G Sump/refuge, Saving for 300G

02/06/2011, 10:58 AM	#6
R33f3r Anemones Anonymous Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: 29.763N:95.363W Posts: 3,114	Rics will adjust to high lighting. The problem imo, is 6-T5's are very strong and can bleach some corals unless you gradually acclimate them. Once acclimated, you can put them up higher in the tank. Place the rics at the bottom or even under a shaded area for now. __________________ Member of the starboard cult.

02/06/2011, 11:06 AM	#7
Palting Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,912	Ricordeas like low to moderate light and low to moderate flow, closer to low than moderate. I transfered my Rics from a 110g with PC lights, where they were thriving, to my current 150g with 150 W MH. Despite being on the substrate 27" down, they lost their deep coloration and looked shriveled. I thought they just needed to acclimate, and left them there. Well, they did not melt, but they did not improve either. I put a screen and shaded them, an lo and behold, they doubled in size and got color back within a week. I have since moved them under a rock outcropping, and they are multiplying. Try them in the lowest light area in your tank with moderate flow, maybe even shade them, and see how they do. HTH! __________________ Anything I post is just an opinion. One of many in this hobby. Believe and follow at your own risk of rapid and complete annihilation of all life in your tank :) Current Tank Info: Incept 3/2010, 150 RR, 50g sump, 20g fuge, 150w 15K MH x3, T5 actinics x8, moonlight LED x6, 1400gph return, Koralia 1400 x4, 300 g skimmer, 4 tangs, 2 mandarins, 2 perc, 6 line, 3 cardinals, 2 firefish, SPS, LPS, zoas, palys, shrooms, clam

02/06/2011, 11:16 AM	#8
Peef Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Key largo, Florida Posts: 72	+1 to Palting, great advice! __________________ PFat Current Tank Info: Ask me!

02/06/2011, 10:21 AM	#3
allsps40 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,627	Dont assume you water parameters are in check always test! Do a water test and post results. Mushrooms are among the easiest corals to keep.

02/06/2011, 10:22 AM	#4
BEEKER1 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 58	Where in the tank are you trying to keep them. I keep mine on the sand bed and they do fine.

02/06/2011, 10:48 AM	#5
nanojg Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lubbock, Texas Posts: 2,174	Too much light, can you shade them?

02/06/2011, 11:54 AM	#9
noahm Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 2,736	They can do poorly in ULNS if they are also not fed. In an average system, feeding isn't usually an issue. Light can also be an issue, but they can be acclimated to a variety of lighting pretty successfully.

02/06/2011, 12:23 PM	#10
goobe Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 82	hey, ive done reaserch on them and i know they would rather have low lighting so ive kept them bottom of the tank and even some of them in a little cave. still nothing i also dose my tank with phytoplankton (plankton genisis) the SPS seem to like it as the polups are always out. and its weird bc i had MH lights before my ATi fixture and with the MH they were doing great its just the T5s

02/07/2011, 10:34 AM	#12
Kshack Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ridgefield, WA Posts: 202	I had the same problem with a 250 gal tank. We moved three years ago and I found a large (over 2 foot) Eucinid worm when I broke down the tank. Once that thing was out I have had no problems with rics. Get a red light and check out your tank for several nights when the lights are out. Good luck.