Mushroom Propagation (Ricordea)

[KCheeze]

I am picking up a Ultra Florida Ricordea Mushroom and i was wondering what's the best way to propagate them instead of cutting them i would prefer for them to split on their own. Would i have better luck keeping them on a rock as i see most mushroom colonies on, or would keeping them on a big piece of tile work as well? or even keeping them on a plug in egg crate? What have you guys tried and what works the best?

 

[Saltyreef]

A big tile or basket full of rubble

 

[Alexopora]

I am picking up a Ultra Florida Ricordea Mushroom and i was wondering what's the best way to propagate them instead of cutting them i would prefer for them to split on their own. Would i have better luck keeping them on a rock as i see most mushroom colonies on, or would keeping them on a big piece of tile work as well? or even keeping them on a plug in egg crate? What have you guys tried and what works the best?

I’m not sure about ab Ricordea Florida but I have Yumas. I notice that increased flow and lighting gets them to move and when they move they leave a bit of their foot resulting in babies. You could also try feeding them mysis, that might encourage them to split.

 

[Alexopora]

I am picking up a Ultra Florida Ricordea Mushroom and i was wondering what's the best way to propagate them instead of cutting them i would prefer for them to split on their own. Would i have better luck keeping them on a rock as i see most mushroom colonies on, or would keeping them on a big piece of tile work as well? or even keeping them on a plug in egg crate? What have you guys tried and what works the best?

Oh wait I misread, if that’s the case I just leave them on coral rubble...it’s easier to separate them.

 

[N.Sreefer]

Id go with the basket full of rubble when my green ricordia propagated i had little tiny mushrooms all over my sandbed it would be easy in a basket full of rubble to pick them out and glue them

 

[KCheeze]

Id go with the basket full of rubble when my green ricordia propagated i had little tiny mushrooms all over my sandbed it would be easy in a basket full of rubble to pick them out and glue them

how long did it take for them to produce like that? were you feeding any type of way? im assuming you kept the shroom closer to your sand bed?

 

[N.Sreefer]

Not long after adding to the system mabey 3 weeks i had purchased a colony that covered a 6" rock once they ran out of space it was constant budding and id find shroom babies everywhere. All I was feeding at the time was reef roids but i started that tank with natural seawater so there was probably alot of life for them to eat. Imo if you have fish or crustaceans theres no need to feed the shrooms your livestock will do it with their waste. The odd thing was how much the colour varied from one baby to the next the parents were green but some babies were so light they were almost white. Most of my babies died getting stuck under rocks or buried in the pain in the A ooilitic sand i had in that tank. It would be alot easier if they were in a container with some large grain sand or better yet crushed coral

 

[KomsCorals]

On some larger Ricordea I've had success cutting them in 1/2 with surgical grade scissors. This is when they had a little bit of gravel attached to the foot and no frag plug. Some of the larger ones I've even cut in 1/4ths with the same method and rarely lose any but cutting in 1/2 always had better survival rates.
The natural way is always best of course. I agree with what people mentioned above with the gravel bed idea.

good luck