Ricordia

[Reefer769]

will RICORDIA require special lighting?


-i have a 15w flourecent on my 30gal cube, will i need to upgrade?

[Reefland]

Yes, I would recommend either Power Compacts or VHO at a minimum.

Scott Z.

[Ninong]

You will need to upgrade from your original equipment 15w normal output flourescent lamp to keep ANY photosynthetic animals at all. There are no photosynthetic corals that can be kept under 15w total lighting.

There are two species of Ricordea: R. florida from the Caribbean and R. yuma from the Indo-Pacific. Both species can tolerate a wide range of light intensities, including high-intensity light but they generally do better in indirect light and semi-shade. My R. florida in completely shaded and receives indirect light reflected off the sand bed.

Your picture shows only R. florida. The pink and orange specimens are usually found in very shallow water and can tolerate high light intensity. The other colors, when they are found in shallow waters, will have their oral disc perpendicular to the surface to reduce exposure to high light intensity. Usually the pink and orange specimens will have their oral disc parallel to the surface.