Ricordia losing color and shrinking
- Thread starter FishTri
- Start date
VacavilleFC3S
New member
how much light?
RiverOtter
New member
Also have you been feeding them?
Is the blue one next to the other one?
Have you changed any thing in your tank?
What are your test readings?
Is the blue one next to the other one?
Have you changed any thing in your tank?
What are your test readings?
They are on a rock that is sitting near, but not quite on, the bottom of the tank. Maybe 20" of water above them, then an 8-lamp T5HO fixture about 5" above the water.
The ric that is still losing color is sandwiched between other rics. There are also some red mushrooms on the same rock.
The rics have been target-fed occasionally with oyster eggs and phytoplankton. There are other rics on another rock in the same part of the tank that have doubled in size.
I could run a series of water tests, but in general, other corals in the tank are stable and thriving, including some of the more forgiving SPS (monti caps, digis, staghorn).
The ric that is still losing color is sandwiched between other rics. There are also some red mushrooms on the same rock.
The rics have been target-fed occasionally with oyster eggs and phytoplankton. There are other rics on another rock in the same part of the tank that have doubled in size.
I could run a series of water tests, but in general, other corals in the tank are stable and thriving, including some of the more forgiving SPS (monti caps, digis, staghorn).
Since the original post, the same thing has happened to two or three more. But it happens only one at a time. They lose color, turn white, then shrink down to a little button and - poof. Gone.
Then the next one starts.
Going on the theory there might be something eating them, I pulled the rock and tried to get a closer look. The only thing I found was a tiny clam near the one ric that is white and shrinking now. I doubt he's the culprit, but I pulled him off anyway. What else should I be looking for?
Anyone seen anything like this before? Why are they going one at a time? And only on this rock. There are at least twenty other rics in the tank, all doing well.
I'm stumped.
Then the next one starts.
Going on the theory there might be something eating them, I pulled the rock and tried to get a closer look. The only thing I found was a tiny clam near the one ric that is white and shrinking now. I doubt he's the culprit, but I pulled him off anyway. What else should I be looking for?
Anyone seen anything like this before? Why are they going one at a time? And only on this rock. There are at least twenty other rics in the tank, all doing well.
I'm stumped.
spanishmack
New member
are they getting stung by the red mushies?
or maybe bacterial infection?
you are talking about floridas and not yumas aren't you?
or maybe bacterial infection?
you are talking about floridas and not yumas aren't you?
So far, no one has come with anything.
Its been several weeks since the last one started to turn white. I'm keeping an eye on it. It shrunk a little, but has not continued to shrink and disappear... yet.
One suggestion was to assume there is some predator, and to remove the rest of the rics from the rock, then get rid of the rock.
Before I go through that drill, I'd love to know if there is some common ric predator that other people have had to deal with.
Its been several weeks since the last one started to turn white. I'm keeping an eye on it. It shrunk a little, but has not continued to shrink and disappear... yet.
One suggestion was to assume there is some predator, and to remove the rest of the rics from the rock, then get rid of the rock.
Before I go through that drill, I'd love to know if there is some common ric predator that other people have had to deal with.
I have heard Rics will melt if you dip them so I would be careful. Maybe im wrong though as it seems people have experience with it here.
zachfishman
Active member
I hope this doesn't happen to my new ones. I tried rics a long time ago and they faded and shrunk away. I've heard that they are susceptible to pH and KH variation. This makes sense since I was dosing kalk via the slurry method when I lost those rics.
fvandijk
Premium Member
I had something like this happen several years ago.
In the same tank I had multiple colonies of healthy ricordea (florida collected and/or aquaculture) which were never affected.
I subsequently bought a haitian ricordea off ebay- and over a period of several months that colony dwindled, although they looked otherwise healthy. Nothing else in tank seemed to be affected.
I never figured out what the problem was, but ended up loosing every last one of that colony.
In the same tank I had multiple colonies of healthy ricordea (florida collected and/or aquaculture) which were never affected.
I subsequently bought a haitian ricordea off ebay- and over a period of several months that colony dwindled, although they looked otherwise healthy. Nothing else in tank seemed to be affected.
I never figured out what the problem was, but ended up loosing every last one of that colony.
