Ricordea

[reef-nut]

Ricordea is my all time favorite, but I am not a expert. I have several colonys, but my blue is loosing its color. Its the only one doing it. The orange and green are the same color they was when I got them several months ago. They are in a 20 gal. nano with 130 watts pc. The blues are the lowest ones in the tank. All the others are higher than the blues. Actually the blues are about 18 inches under the lights and all the others are about 12 inches. They all have opened great everyday since I got them. They all seem very very happy, but the blues are fading. Actually I do not remember a day where they did not open great. They are all getting bigger also.

 

[Azurel]

Can you get a pic? Have you tried to shade them? I have my blues in direct MH lighting I wouldn't think the PCs would be to much light for them even in a small tank like that.....Have you tested the water any lately?

 

[reef-nut]

Surely there is someone out there that knows more about ricordea than I do???

 

[aquarius77]

The man who posted above you is a ric master and he asked you a few questions, answering them will help get the ball rolling on figuring out where your blue is going.

 

[reef-nut]

Yes I have moved them into the shade with no luck.The water test fine. I can post a pic, but all you will see is a 13 polyp light blue ricordea colony that I paid $250 for before shipping. They came in a awesome blueberry blue, now they are a steel blue almost a light purple color. Its not a ugly color, just not the blue I bought.

 

[aquarius77]

I have had the blueberrys go steel blue on me, i roached them under some 10k halides, i recently changed lighting and now they look almost grey. My vote is for overlighting but if shade has not helped id try blasting them with your lighting and see what happens. Rics dont seem to mind decent flow ime. When a ric is at full expansion or beyond its going to seem less colorful than when its shrunk down smaller, so a little more light or a little more flow might keep them from expanding all the way and dulling their colors. I dont know quite why it is but i would think it has something to do with the tissue wich is colord being streched out more. Kind of like when you take a red ballon thats red before you blow it up and then looks more pink when its all expanded.

 

[Azurel]

That is a good point Aquarius I have had the same thing happen.....

Reef nut what are some of the specs of the parameters? I have noticed that when alk is on low(still within acceptable range) end my rics tend to be less vibrant in color. I have all my rics in med to med/ med-high flow. Florida ric really can handle more flow then Yumas can. Have you tried to feed them anything like phyto or amino-acids? The problem with alot of these type of issues is that rics are highly morphable in different conditions......Blues I have found to be the most as all of the blues that I have are somewhat a different color then the blue that they came to me in. I have a type of blue that has pink in it and If I don't have it shaded it will bleach out and lose the blue but also the pink.... Try posting a pic of it and we can go from there....Also please post what the parameters are as well that you have tested. It's hard to say what is going on blind from the situation in the tank itself...

 

[adamfajge]

Ricordias

I have some Florida Rics and some Yumas. In general they are very hardy andI have not nitcied any color change in my rics under my sunpod 2 150 watt DE 20,000 XM bulbs. I once had a red a green yuma that melted from moving him to much I believe. I have 2 more pink red yumas that are doing great. The trick with them is to not move them once they are happy.
ADam