Orange Ricordea Yuma

Ricordea Yuma Mushroom
(Ricordea yuma)
Placement: Low
Light: Moderate
Flow: Low
Care Level: Moderate
Type: Soft Coral
Compatibility: Semi-Aggressive (requires space)
Growth Rate: Moderate
Photosynthetic: Yes
Special Care:
The Ricordea Yuma is a unique member of the Corallimorpharia order. They grow as fleshy polyps
and do not create a hard skeleton like LPS or SPS corals. The Ricordea Yuma is found in a wide
variety of colour morphs, with green and purple being the most common and least expensive. It is
very similar to the Florida Ricordea. However, the Ricordea Yuma tends to have alternating rows of
large and small tentacles, whereas the Florida has only small tentacles. They are also both
considered semi-aggressive, which is rare for mushrooms, and should be given space between
them and other corals. They reproduce by longitudinal fission, which simply means that they
develop a second mouth and then “pinch” into two separate polyps.
Ricordea Yuma are found in the Indo-Pacific region, but due to their popularity and ease of
propagation much of what is available in the hobby is aquacultured. They are found at shallower
depths than many other mushroom species. However, in a home aquarium they are best placed at
the bottom of the tank where they will be protected from high flow.
Like other mushrooms, Ricordea Yuma prefer lower levels of flow. The flow should be sufficient to
keep detritus from building up, but gentle enough that the coral is not blown around aggressively. If
the flow is too high the coral may even detach and be moved around the tank and possibly sucked
into a powerhead. Ricoredea Yuma are more tolerant of high light levels than other mushrooms and
will do well in a variety of conditions although total shade and extreme intensity should be avoided.
Ricordea Yuma are photosynthetic and are capable of meeting their energy needs through the
aquarium lighting. However, they benefit from weekly feedings of very finely chopped meaty foods.
They do not seem to respond to phytoplankton solutions. The addition of Amino Acids, such as
Aquaforest AF Amino mix, will also help with growth and colouration. While Ricordea Yuma are not
as fast growing as some other mushrooms, they will divide over time and new polyps can be gently
removed from the rock and encouraged to attach to a frag plug or rubble rock.