Pictures of Ricordea in the ocean Part 2

[Speckled Grouper]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14168804#post14168804 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by happyclam
Any more pics? So far I've caught that ricordea, zoanthids, and gorgonians (the commonly available Florodian corals) are normally found on the inshore patch reefs and coral heads and at approx. 30' depth. You also said you can only find green rics in the inshore zone? Do you mean that to find the blue and orange rics you have to go the fore reef or something? Sorry, I'm a little confused, still trying to master reef zones. Also, what fish do you normally see around the patch reefs? Have you ever seen a group of Chalk Bass or Blue Reef Chromis? The reason for these questions is that now after seeing how beautiful the Floridian reefs are, I would like to set up a Floridian/Carribbean/Bahamas biotope reef.
Keep the pics rollin'!

happyclam, our underwater camera is broken right now, I hope to have a better one for this years diving season and take lots more pictures ...The green rics, we call them "inshore rics" are mostly pale green with red mouths and yes they are found much closer to shore than the neon green, forest green, blues and oranges. We do see Blue Chromis at the reef, but no Chalk Bass, they are more common further south, like Haiti etc. but would belong in a Floridian/Carribbean/Bahamas biotope reef. I have two in my tank and I like them a lot. Of course you would also want Pearly Jawfish, Neon Gobies, Royal Gramma, Black Cap Basslet, Swiss Guard, etc....

Here is a picture of my tank, note that the ricordeas are single polyps glued to rock.

 

[happyclam]

Beautiful tank Speckled Grouper!

So you are saying the pale green rics are found really close to shore, versus the more colorful rics that are a couple miles out? But they are all technically in the inshore zone right?

Thank you for your help on these newbie questions, as well as making my biotope tank a real possibility.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

The pale green rics are close to shore, yes. The more colorful rics are 5 to 6 miles out.

 

[drawman]

Great tank pics! I hope you will keep posting your pics of ricordea, etc. from the ocean. I really enjoyed them!

 

[jaxspsreef]

Very nice Pics!!

 

[smurph1415]

wow amazing tank and amazing pics. Which tank is that?

 

[miniwhinny]

absolutly breathtaking. THANK YOU on behalf us a lot of us who are land locked

My favarite mushrooms are the sanctithomae (bubble 'shrooms) and I noticed you have some awesome pics of them. Could you tell me what the flow is like around them? Everything I read about them says they like low flow but I'm wondering how they actually live.
Thanks.

 

[scottallert]

any chance you have coordinates of where you took these pics
i go diving often and can never fine ricordias or zoas. Ive been to the keys many times but never seen anything like this,
are these rics and zoas common.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14202498#post14202498 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottallert
any chance you have coordinates of where you took these pics
i go diving often and can never fine ricordias or zoas. Ive been to the keys many times but never seen anything like this,
are these rics and zoas common.

I could tell ya, but then I would have to kill ya

minniwhinny, I have a few that I keep in medium flow, let me run and take a picture of a VERY special St. Thomas ric and post it for you, it will knock your socks off.......

 

[Speckled Grouper]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14201784#post14201784 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by miniwhinny
absolutly breathtaking. THANK YOU on behalf us a lot of us who are land locked

My favarite mushrooms are the sanctithomae (bubble 'shrooms) and I noticed you have some awesome pics of them. Could you tell me what the flow is like around them? Everything I read about them says they like low flow but I'm wondering how they actually live.
Thanks.

Hot off the press, they are feeling gooood tonite

 

[miniwhinny]

Oh my goodness !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh that's not fair !!! I WANT THOSE HAHAHAHA.

You are SO lucky, those are just breathtaking. WOW !!!!! Thank you for sharing.

 

[KeysSeaCritters]

those red bubbles are pretty rare! nice find!

seems like we dive some of the same area grouper!

here are some of our red bubbles:
http://flickr.com/photos/keysseacritters/3044436457/

that flickr gallery has many other ricordea shots...feel free to browse...

 

[miniwhinny]

DROOL...drool, drool, drool

 

[miniwhinny]

Do you guys know if you can put other mushrooms near bubbles of will the bubbles get stung?

 

[KeysSeaCritters]

bubbles are very sensitive. they seem to get stung by most other corals. it depends on the mushroom of course. sometimes it could go the other way, the bubble could sting the mushroom.

 

[miniwhinny]

Thanks

 

[philter4]

The bubbles, which we call (common name from our ID books) warty corallamorph is one of my favorite type of mushroom. IME they are much more common up here then in the keys, and deeper. I have actually never seen them in the keys, but I don't dive there that often. I have collected them in West Palm at over 100 ft deep. While more common in 60 to 80 ft the deep red ones or the red and green spotted ones are usually deeper, though the brightest one I ever collected was in about 20 ft.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

So Phil, you're back in town? Or still in Cali?

 

[philter4]

Right now in CA, soon though, and I can't tell you how stir crazy I feel right now, the last time I saw the ocean was 4 months ago, I went on a collecting trip to HI, but was only in the water 3 days. I figure the spring I'll be back for a short time then we'll see when I'm back full time.

 

[Speckled Grouper]

Take your time, the water was 61 degrees today....:eek1: :eek2: :eek1: :eek2: