By Blane Perun
Ricordia Propagation Rate: (24 Ratings)
To begin with I use several tools in addition to a clean cloth, plastic cutting board, and a new razor. Just before a major session of coral propagation I do a water change and the discarded water I use to work with.
First, to engage in Ricordia Yuma propagation the location of
the cut should be closely identified by inspecting the base.
However, cutting through Ricordia is not the same as with other
propagations. It’s very important to understand how to properly
perform Ricordia Yuma propagation.
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When it comes to making the cut you should
take your time. Ricordia Yuma propagation should be performed
slowly and with patience. The disk can be
compared to a vinyl
based plastic and it is quite thick. Most other mushrooms tend
to have a disk with an ultra thin layer of elastic the Ricordia
Yuma had one that was quite thick. It was actually quite difficult
to cut the Ricordia Yuma quickly and with a clean cut without
making a ripping motion.
Mushrooms occasionally expel intestines, but it was surprising to see the amount of intestines spilling from the Ricordia Yuma. The photo shows how the intestine cavity is rigid and how the walls are strong. Many mushrooms appear like jelly after they have been cut, however after being cut this particular Ricordia Yuma stood strong and it was unexpected to see such wall strength.
Having little experience with this type of
mushroom I was hoping past experience with other mushrooms would
serve me in this particular application with Ricordia
Yuma as
well. I imagined that the fact that the Ricordia Yuma had such
a strong wall and the amount of intestines would not allow the
specimen to close in on itself easily similar to the way that
Ricordia Florida does or the way other Yumas do. I was pleased
to have moved on to the hang on breeders so that I could closely
monitor the healing process of the Ricordia Yuma.
After checking on the piece of Ricordia Yuma five or six times I was surprised that it remained in good condition. In contrast to many other Ricordias, I noticed with this Yuma, like others, that the incision site was slimy near the incision. I used a small pipette to squirt off the group several times per day. This was tedious and time consuming to perform on the RIcordia Yuma, but it was a necessary process in my opinion.
Without caring for the Ricordia Yuma propagation infection may have resulted. Several photos were taken on a daily basis and the most dramatic photos have been included here to be able to see how the healing process took place. This step was the most stressful and certainly the most risky despite having done this many times with common Discosoma and Rhodactis. Cutting the Ricordia Mushroom coral that was so expensive was certainly the most challenging aspect throughout the whole process.