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Description
Rhodactis are found in the islands of the Indo-Pacific including Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef.
Rhodactis mushroom corals are corallimorphs of the order Corallimorpharia.
They are an oddity in terms of classification.
Because of their soft bodies and lack of a skeleton they often associated with Soft Corals or even Anemones, but in terms of taxonomy have more in common with stony Corals.
The main distinguishing feature of soft corals vs stony corals is their polyp segments. True Soft Corals have Polyp segments in multiples of eight while Stony Corals have Polyp segments in multiples of six.
In this regard, corallimorphs are more similar to stony corals because they have polyp segments in multiples of six.
Rhodactis Mushrooms are covered with numerous hair-like tentacles, giving it a "hairy" appearance.
Rhodactis Mushrooms are found in a variety of Colors to include green, brown, tan, pink, and purple. The tentacles colors usually contrast with the body.
The Rhodactis genus of mushrooms corallimorphs are arguably the most diverse mushrooms in the reef aquarium hobby. They can range in size from the 1” Tonga bullseye varieties to gigantic 18” elephants ear mushrooms.
Lighting Requirement
You will be glad to hear that Rhodactis is fairly light tolerant.
If you need to keep your tank at a brighter light level for other species,
Rhodactis will generally adjust. If you need your tank to be dimmer for other species, Rhodactis typically do just fine.
Some aquarists think that brighter light will bring out Rhodactis colors more vividly. While brighter light may help visitors see your Coral better, the actual coloration probably won't change much.
The number one thing to remember is you don't want to burn your Rhodactis.
What this means in terms of your lighting will vary depending on what type of lighting you use and the size and height of your Rhodactis species.
Speaking of placement, Rhodactis actually aren't too picky about where you place them. Placement should be dictated by their environment and care needs.
Water Flow
Rhodactis typically does best in a low flow environment. It can tolerate medium flow as long as it is not placed directly in the flow path.
Mushrooms, in general, are pretty hardy. Low to moderate water flow is preferred - they do not like heavy water movement.
If your Rhodactis Mushroom does not get sufficient lighting and/or water movement, it will just detach and float around the tank until it finds a more suitable home.
When introducing a new mushroom to your reef, please take into consideration that all Mushrooms are semi-aggressive.
They don't usually start trouble but, like many Mushrooms, they need their space to grow, thrive, and colonize.
They don't usually start trouble but, like many Mushrooms, need their space.
Water Parameters
Here are some quick stats about the ideal water chemistry for Rhodactis care
- Calcium: 350 - 450 ppm
- Phosphates: 0,05-0,2
- Nitrates: 2,5 and 20 ppm
- Magnesium: 1200 - 1350
- Strontium: 8 - 10
- Temperature: 72°-78°F (22°-26°C)
- Salinity / Specific Gravity: 1.023 - 1.025
- pH: 8.1 - 8.4
Diet / Nutrition
Through their symbiotic relationship with a Photosynthetic algae, known as Zooxanthellae, Rhodactis Mushrooms receive many of their nutrients.
They also filter-feed on the nutrients in the water column.
However, certain species may need more targeted feeding to thrive.
The main challenge you will face with feeding Rhodactis Coral is exactly that - targeting the food source.
In most cases, expect to have to turn off the pumps entirely and wait for the water to calm before you start.
From there, using an eye dropper, turkey baster or similar tool to deposit krill or Mycosis Shrimp or whatever food is recommended for the species you have chosen can be an effective delivery method.
How will you know your Rhodactis is feeding successfully?
If you decide to use targeted feeding, you may see your Coral folding over small meat delicacies or increasing in size to soak up dropper foods and supplements.
Fragging / Propagating
Should you decide you want to propagate your Rhodactis Coral, there are two methods you can choose from based on whether you are in a hurry or not.
The first method is to simply let nature take its course.
Rhodactis are asexual, which means they self-propagate from within themselves. This can take some time.
What you will see is your Rhodactis starting to grow a second mouth feature.
At some point your Coral will literally divide themselves in half and - voila - you have a second Rhodactis in your tank.
The second method is more invasive but faster. You can go in and shear your Rhodactis in half.
If you do this, make sure you allow both halves to stay attached to the substrate.
Re-attaching Rhodactis to the substrate can be challenging even at the professional level.
You also need to make sure your Rhodactis is big enough to survive the halving process.
You will also need to watch out for infection at the shear site.
