Mushroom Corals Care Guide: Discosoma, Ricordea & Rhodactis

1. What Are Mushroom Corals?

Mushroom corals are not actually true corals [1]. They belong to the order Corallimorpharia, a separate group within the class Anthozoa that sits taxonomically between soft corals and stony corals [1]. They lack a hard skeleton, lack stinging sweeper tentacles, and reproduce by splitting and budding rather than spawning — making them some of the most resilient and easy-to-propagate corals in the aquarium hobby. [2]

Their bodies are simple: a flat or undulating disc with a central mouth, ringed by stubby tentacles (or in some species, papery folds and rounded vesicles) [3]. They attach loosely to rockwork, and unlike most corals they can detach themselves and crawl across the substrate to relocate [2]. Mushrooms can shrink, expand, and even disappear from view for days, only to reappear unchanged. [4]

From a reefkeeping perspective, mushrooms are extraordinary: low light tolerance, low flow, low parameter precision, and they breed like rabbits [5]. Pay attention to species and morph, however, and the same family contains some of the most expensive single-polyp corals in the hobby — Bounce Ricordea morphs that retail for $200–$2,000 USD per single specimen [3]. [2]

2. The Four Major Genera

Four genera dominate the mushroom-coral hobby trade [6]. Identification matters because care, value, and propagation methods diverge dramatically by genus. [7]

Discosoma

The original beginner mushroom. Smooth-surfaced discs in red, blue, green, striped, and spotted variations [8]. Discosoma are the cheapest and most forgiving corals in the hobby [9]. A single rock covered in red Discosoma is the cliché starter tank for a reason — they tolerate every kind of beginner mistake [2].

Ricordea

The premium genus. The disc is densely covered in finger-like vesicles that give it a beaded or knobby texture [10]. Two species dominate the trade: Ricordea florida (Caribbean origin, smaller, denser vesicles) and Ricordea yuma (Pacific origin, larger, longer vesicles with distinct color patterning) [4]. The vast majority of designer mushroom morphs are R. yuma — including the entire Bounce category. [11]

Rhodactis

The hairy mushroom genus. Long, thin tentacles cover the disc surface, creating a fuzzy appearance [12]. Rhodactis can grow to dinner-plate size and includes the “Bullseye” (concentric color rings) and hairy mushroom morphs [13]. Some species (R. mussoides) are aggressive feeders that capture and consume small fish — the only mushroom corals with meaningful predatory behavior [5].

Actinodiscus

A loose hobby term that often overlaps with Discosoma [14]. Sometimes used for smooth-disc mushrooms with shorter texture than Ricordea [1]. Taxonomic distinction is fuzzy and not critical for care — treat the same as Discosoma. [2]

3. Ricordea: florida vs yuma

Among hobby mushroom corals, Ricordea commands the premium and drives the collector market [3]. Distinguishing the two main species matters for both price and care. [4]

Why Yuma Dominates the Designer Market

Two reasons. First, yuma have larger, more dramatic vesicles that can carry distinct colors — producing the patterned “Bounce” effect where vesicles glow different colors than the disc base [8]. Second, yuma reproduce faster under aquarium conditions, allowing serious propagators to multiply a single hot-name morph into hundreds of frags within a year — without crashing the per-frag price. [9]

4. Bounces & Designer Morphs

A “Bounce” is a Ricordea yuma where the vesicles carry distinct, often fluorescent colors that contrast dramatically with the disc base — producing what looks like a coral covered in glowing beads [10]. Bounces are the most actively-traded designer corals in the hobby, with named lineages that hold premium pricing for years [3].

5. Tank Requirements

Mushroom corals are the most parameter-flexible corals in the hobby [3]. They thrive across a wide range of water conditions and tolerate swings that would kill more sensitive corals [4]. The flip side is that they prefer slightly higher nutrients than most reef tanks aim for [2].

Mushrooms are the canonical “ULN-resistant” coral [5]. In an SPS tank tuned to nitrate below 2 ppm and phosphate below 0.03 ppm, mushrooms often pale, shrink, and slow their growth [6]. Bouncier morphs in particular fade their vesicle colors when starved [7]. A tank that suits both SPS and Bounce mushrooms typically runs at the upper end of SPS-safe nutrients (NO3 around 5–8, PO4 around 0.05–0.08) [8]. See the reef chemistry guide for the broader picture. [9]

6. Lighting & PAR

Mushroom corals want low to moderate lighting [10]. Standard reef LED fixtures running 60–100% intensity in the lower third of a typical reef tank place them in the right PAR zone [6].

PAR Targets by Genus

• Discosoma / Actinodiscus: 30–100 PAR [11]. Will live and grow at PAR as low as 20.
• Ricordea florida: 50–120 PAR. Slightly more light-loving than Discosoma. [12]
• Ricordea yuma (including Bounces): 70–150 PAR [13]. Bounce vesicle colors intensify with moderate PAR [14]. Above 200 they bleach.
• Rhodactis: 50–120 PAR. The hairy texture handles low light surprisingly well. [1]

Spectrum

Mushrooms look their best under blue-heavy reef spectrum [2]. Bounce vesicles in particular fluoresce intensely under royal blue (420–440 nm) and violet (390–420 nm) supplementation [3]. Avoid pure white spectrum — it makes Bounces look muddy [4]. Standard Radion, Hydra, or Mitras settings work well. [5]

Acclimating to New Lighting

Mushrooms are unusually robust to light changes, but Bounces are the exception — they can bleach quickly if dropped into high-PAR [6]. Place new Bounces in the lowest-PAR zone of the tank for the first 2 weeks before evaluating where they want to be [7]. See the acclimation guide for the full protocol [8]. [4]

7. Flow

Mushrooms want low to very low flow. They evolved on protected lagoon bottoms and reef-flat backwaters where currents barely move the water column [2].

• Direct laminar flow folds and damages mushroom discs. [9]
• Mushrooms exposed to high flow shrink to half-size and stop feeding. [10]
• Place in the calmest zone of the tank — behind rockwork, in the sand bed corner, or off to the side of return flow. [11]
• Ricordea (especially yuma) tolerate slightly more flow than Discosoma but still prefer the low end. [12]

The classic sign of too-much-flow on a mushroom is rapid shrinkage followed by detachment — the mushroom literally lets go of the rock and tumbles into a low-flow corner [13]. This is a feature, not a bug: mushrooms are self-relocating [14]. Catch them and move them yourself if they end up somewhere problematic. [1]

8. Feeding

Mushrooms are opportunistic feeders. They absorb dissolved organics through their tissue and capture particulate food when it lands on them [2]. Target feeding is unnecessary for survival but accelerates growth and color intensity. [3]

• Tank-feeding is sufficient. The dissolved organics from fish feeding support mushroom growth. [4]
• Optional target feeding: Reef Roids, Coral Frenzy, or finely chopped frozen mysis once per week. [5]
• Rhodactis (hairy mushroom) feeding: Some Rhodactis (particularly elephant ear types) close around prey items and digest them [6]. They will eat shrimp, small fish, and pellets if offered — the only mushroom corals with meaningful active predation [5].
• Bounce color intensification: Heavier feeding (2–3 times per week, modest amounts) accelerates vesicle color saturation in designer Ricordea. [7]

9. Compatibility & Aggression

Mushrooms have no sweeper tentacles and don’t engage in classic coral chemical warfare [8]. They are largely peaceful with other corals [9]. However, they have one significant aggression behavior: [2]

• Overgrowth. Mushrooms reproduce by splitting and budding [10]. An established mushroom rock will eventually cover every adjacent surface, smothering slower-growing corals like SPS and even some LPS [11]. Active management is required.
• Allelopathy. Mushrooms (especially Rhodactis) release low-level chemicals that can suppress nearby SPS growth in heavy concentrations [12]. In a mature tank with many mushrooms, this can become visible as slowed SPS coloration. [13]
• Mushroom-on-mushroom touching is generally fine, even between species and morphs [14]. Different colored Bounces will sit next to each other indefinitely. [1]
• Avoid placement near LPS sweepers. Mushrooms can’t fight back — an aggressive torch coral or Goniopora will sting a mushroom into submission. [2]
• Fish: Most reef fish ignore mushrooms. Large angelfish and some butterflyfish will pick at them; avoid those combos. [3]

10. Propagation & Fragging

Mushrooms are the easiest corals in the hobby to propagate [4]. They split themselves naturally; you just have to choose how to multiply faster [5]. See the complete fragging guide for general fragging context. [6]

Natural Splitting

Healthy mushrooms split spontaneously every 2–4 months [7]. The disc develops a fold across the middle and gradually divides into two genetically identical mushrooms [8]. No intervention required. A single Bounce in an established tank can become a colony of 10 within a year. [9]

Manual Fragging

The String Method (Ricordea)

For Ricordea (especially Bounces), some propagators use the “string method”: a fine fishing line is laid across the disc, and the mushroom is left to grow over and around it [5]. After 4–8 weeks, gently lifting the string pulls the mushroom apart at the line, producing two attached halves [6]. Lower stress than cutting, slower process. [7]

11. Common Problems

Mushroom Won’t Open

Causes: too much flow, too much light, parameter swing, recent stress (handling, dipping) [8]. Move to lower flow / lower light, leave alone for 2–4 weeks [9]. Healthy mushrooms recover from temporary closure within days. [10]

Mushroom Detaching

Mushrooms walking away from their rock is normal behavior, not a problem [11]. They’re looking for better conditions [12]. Catch the wandering mushroom, place it in a container with rubble in a calm zone of the tank, and let it reattach over 3–5 days. [13]

Bounce Vesicles Going Pale

Color loss in Bounces is usually one of: too much light (PAR above 200), too low nutrients (NO3 below 2 ppm, PO4 below 0.03), or recent introduction stress [14]. Drop the mushroom to a lower-PAR zone, increase feeding, and wait 4–8 weeks for color recovery [1]. [7]

Overgrowth Crowding Other Corals

Mushrooms spreading across rockwork is a feature, but in mixed tanks it becomes a problem [2]. Manage by manually removing excess mushrooms (peel off, sell, trade), siphoning out new buds before they attach, or designating specific “mushroom rocks” physically isolated from SPS frags. [3]

Mushroom Disease (Rare)

Mushrooms rarely contract disease in well-maintained tanks [4]. The most common issue is bacterial infection following physical damage — tissue dissolves around a wound [5]. Treatment: cut back to clean tissue with a razor, dip briefly in iodine solution, return to a low-flow recovery container [6]. [3]

12. Where to Buy

AllCorals tracks mushroom corals from 14+ Thai reef shops [7]. Browse current inventory:

• Discosoma listings
• Ricordea — florida and yuma
• Bounce listings — designer Ricordea yuma morphs
• Rhodactis — hairy mushrooms
• Jawbreaker listings when available

Mushroom corals make excellent first corals for a new tank or first additions to a maturing tank [8]. See the beginner corals guide for stocking sequence, the zoanthid guide for the other beginner colony-builder, and the shops directory for individual Thai reef shops. [9]

13. Frequently Asked Questions

References

1. Corals of the World — Corallimorpharia overview (taxonomy, biology) [1]
2. Tidal Gardens — Mushroom Coral Care Guide
3. Reef2Reef — Bounce Mushroom Pricing & Lineage History [2]
4. Reefs.com — Ricordea florida vs Ricordea yuma identification [3]
5. Reef Builders — Rhodactis predation behavior (fish-eating mushrooms) [4]
6. Bulk Reef Supply — Mushroom Coral Care
7. Saltwater Aquarium Blog — Mushroom Coral Care Guide [5]
8. Cherry Corals — Designer Mushroom Morph Lineage House [6]
9. Reef2Reef — Mushroom Fragging Techniques (string method, cutting protocols) [7]
10. Reef Chasers — Mushroom Coral Care
11. Advanced Aquarist — Corallimorpharian Biology & Husbandry
12. CoralRx — Coral Dipping Guide (including mushroom acclimation) [8]
13. Melev’s Reef — Mushroom Coral Long-term Care Notes [9]
14. World Wide Corals — WWC Designer Mushroom Lineages [10]