Ricordea Reproduction

[DaveG99]

I got some of my first rics the other day. I have purple and green ones. I have about 15-20 polyps of them. Some are about 2" in Diameter and some are very tiny. How do they spread over the rock and at what rate?

 

[kiknchikn]

If they're Ricordea floridas they primarily reproduce through bilateral fission (splitting in half), but they can also leave pieces of themselves behind if they move from one rock to another.

Ricordea yumas primarily reproduce by sending out a "foot" and detaching it to form a bud that grows into a new yuma.

 

[LarryW]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9900862#post9900862 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kiknchikn
If they're Ricordea floridas they primarily reproduce through bilateral fission (splitting in half), but they can also leave pieces of themselves behind if they move from one rock to another.

Ricordea yumas primarily reproduce by sending out a "foot" and detaching it to form a bud that grows into a new yuma.

so, What would be the best method to get new yuma babies on small pieces of LR? put small pieces of LR around the mother colony, and wait for them to drop buds? Also could you move buds that are attached to the main rock? Could you used the rubberband method for yuma's? if so what is the best way to do that?

 

[kiknchikn]

To get baby yumas on small pieces of rock I'd use a dremel tool or a wet tile saw to cut the rock between the yumas if you can.

I've never tried the rubberband method for a yuma, but I've had something similar work pretty well for Ric floridas. I would think it would work for yumas too, but at higher risk, since yumas are more sensitive.

As for the best way... I don't think I'm experienced enough in that method to give sound advice, but I'd personally use a smaller gauge rubber band and try not to make it too tight to start with and maybe insert something (thin rock maybe?) underneath the rubberband on the other side of the rock as more tightness is needed to cut through the polyp.