Ricordea Yuma

Ricordea yuma is a mushroom coral that lives in the Indo-Pacific and resembles its Caribbean relative, Ricordea florida. The disc is usually 3–8 cm across and its surface is covered with short, bubble-like tentacles. Its distinctive features are a dense cluster of tentacles around the mouth and tentacles arranged in rows of large and small from the center outward. Its colors are usually more vivid and mixed than those of R. florida: orange, green, blue, pink and yellow tones can appear on a single disc. This is why it is more expensive in the trade.

Mushroom corals are not covered by CITES. Yumas propagated by division in the aquarium should be preferred over wild-collected individuals; they are hardier.

It lives on the shallow reefs of the Indo-Pacific, in Indonesia, the Philippines and the islands of the western Pacific, on rock and dead coral in places that get light but are sheltered.

• Light: Moderate light (about 50–150 PAR). Many keepers report that Yumas open and divide better in low to moderate light than when they get too much light; avoid sudden increases in light.
• Flow: Low, indirect flow.
• Placement: The middle or lower-middle zone of the rockwork, in a spot where light does not hit directly.
• Water parameters: Salinity 1.024–1.026; KH 7–11 dKH, calcium 400–450 mg/L, magnesium 1250–1350 mg/L. It is more sensitive to changes than Discosoma; it needs stable water with some nutrients.
• Acclimation: Place a new individual in a shaded spot first, and move it to its final location only after the disc has fully opened; moving it frequently before it opens wears it out.

It is photosynthetic, but regular feeding noticeably increases its growth and division. Small mysis, chopped krill or powdered coral food is placed on the disc 1–2 times a week; the disc wraps around the morsel and digests it.

It has a mild sting; it can make the tissue of corals that touch its disc recede. Keep it 10 cm away from stony corals and zoanthids. It can be kept with other Ricordea and mushroom corals.

It is compatible with fish and the cleanup crew. Some dwarf angelfish and butterflyfish may pick at the discs.

Under suitable conditions it splits in two on its own or drops offspring from the edge of its foot. To propagate it by hand, the disc is cut in two or four with a sharp scalpel; the pieces are kept in a container on small rocks, covered with mesh, until they attach. Let the pieces rest in low light after cutting.

• Shrivels and does not open: Too much light is the most common cause; move the coral lower or into shade.
• Color loss: Excessive light or very stripped water.
• Swollen mouth: A sign of a sudden water change or stress; check the parameters.