Orange Ricordea
Orange ricordea are a species of mushroom coral that are named aptly for their richly colored shades of orange that cover its colonies. Like other ricordea coral, the orange recorders surface is covered in its characteristically unique texture of raised circles of contrasting hues of orange.
Orange Ricordea Distribution
Although orange ricordea are extremely plentiful in the wild, the species do vary based on geographic location- Ricordea Yuma from the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and Ricordea Florida from the Caribbean.
Orange Ricordea Popularity
Orange ricordea is extremely popular among aquarists because of its ability to transform what was previously a drab environment of dull, live rocks into a colorful and vibrant showcase of corals. What is also appealing is the orange ricordeas ability to intensify in coloring when under fluorescent actinic lighting.
Orange Ricordea in the Reef Aquarium
When first transitioning the orange ricordea to an artificial environment, the orange ricordea should be placed fairly low within the aquarium, giving the polyps time to open completely. Once the orange ricordeas polyps are fully open, the orange ricordea can be moved to a location of your choice within the tank. One word of caution- orange ricordeas are semi-aggressive, so be careful to leave a good amount of space between the orange ricordea and other specimens or corals currently in the tank. Even though the orange ricordea lacks attacking tentacles, they can harm nearby corals if feeling threatened- an act that is usually fatal.
Feeding Orange Ricordea
Although the orange ricordea does use photosynthesis (via symbiotic algae in its tissue) to provide its own nutrients and sustenance, the orange ricordea does eat food directly. In general, weekly feedings are a good starting point for orange ricordea. Experiment with providing supplemental feedings to the orange ricordea and watch the effects that feedings may have on the orange ricordeas growth and overall health. If spot feedings are given to the orange ricordea, food such as plankton, fish flesh or small invertebrates (i.e. small crustaceans, brine, or mysis shrimp) are good choices. Food can be provided to the orange ricordea through an oral syringe, dropped gently into the orange ricordeas center, being careful to avoid actually touching the orange ricordea. Some aquarists claim that orange ricordeas grow at a faster rate and have better overall health when given supplemental feedings, but this theory varies from source to source.
Obtaining Orange Ricordea
Generally speaking, R. Florida orange ricordea are more easily obtained than R. Yuma orange ricordea, which may have to do with it’s popularly among aquarists. The geographic location of the aquarist versus the ocean waters which orange ricordea populate is also a factor that should be considered. However, for the most part orange ricordea that are brighter and more colorful are going to be the hardest (and priciest) to obtain.
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