Reef Discussion

MagicJ · Sep 19, 2016

I have had my large orange Ricordea for a few years but it has never thrown a pup. Given its size (and value) I have always been reluctant to take a knife to it. During a recent talk with @somethingfishy76 he mentioned that a new ric will develop if a part of the foot can be seperated from the rest of the foot.

So, this is a picture of my ric a short time after the lights turned off last night - it has begun to withdraw slightly and you can see a perfect place to seperate part of the foot.

@somethingfishy76 - do you agree that this looks like a perfect place to put the knife into action?

Sam Parker · Sep 19, 2016

There are no guarantees in life, but you know the curiosity will drive you crazy if you don't cut it :)

Buddy · Sep 19, 2016

When my rics get to that stage the small part of the foot usually separates and a new ric forms. It almost looks like a bright green smudge on the rock which makes it easy to spot.

Susan Bates · Sep 20, 2016

MagicJ said:
I have had my large orange Ricordea for a few years but it has never thrown a pup. Given its size (and value) I have always been reluctant to take a knife to it. During a recent talk with @somethingfishy76 he mentioned that a new ric will develop if a part of the foot can be seperated from the rest of the foot.

So, this is a picture of my ric a short time after the lights turned off last night - it has begun to withdraw slightly and you can see a perfect place to seperate part of the foot.

View attachment 55044

@somethingfishy76 - do you agree that this looks like a perfect place to put the knife into action?

I have a large greeny -purple looking one that has 2 pups growing off the side of it

Mattres · Sep 20, 2016

Like others that's what both mine look like when they throw a pup, as yours looks now mine will usually separate within a week.
I've found they will create them much faster when they are moving around, I've got one that over a couple years has left a trail of over 10 as its circled around.
I reckon you'd be safe taking a sharp knife to that spot in between.
Of course we wanna see pictures when u do!

MagicJ · Sep 20, 2016

Mattres said:
Like others that's what both mine look like when they throw a pup, as yours looks now mine will usually separate within a week.

Mine has been like this for a few years :( It did move off the frag disk that it was originally on but since then it hasn't budged.

@somethingfishy76 you will give me a guarantee, won't you :rolleyes

Oceanarium · Sep 20, 2016

Only issue with doing them this way is the time to get a new big ric. Probably years till it is full size, though orange do tend to be one of the faster growers. While they are very small they grow very slow as the get bigger they grow incrementally much faster.

Knife wont hurt the big ric but you probably need to move the bub out from under into the light for it to develop. It is a good low risk tactic.

MagicJ · Sep 20, 2016

Thanks for the confirmation Pete.

Oceanarium said:
Only issue with doing them this way is the time to get a new big ric. Probably years till it is full size ...

I am in no hurry :)

ezza · Sep 21, 2016

It is an amazing colour! I don't think I've seen anything like it! Do you know its name?

MagicJ · Sep 21, 2016

ezza said:
It is an amazing colour! I don't think I've seen anything like it! Do you know its name?

Ummmm - orange with green base Ricordea yuma :confused:

Sorry, but I am not into the super, master, AAA grade names that some like to use :rolleyes

ezza · Sep 22, 2016

MagicJ said:
Ummmm - orange with green base Ricordea yuma :confused:

Sorry, but I am not into the super, master, AAA grade names that some like to use :rolleyes

I was thinking of the Latin name! But it's all good. It is beautiful

ReeferRob · Sep 23, 2016

MagicJ said:
Ummmm - orange with green base Ricordea yuma :confused:

Sorry, but I am not into the super, master, AAA grade names that some like to use :rolleyes

The worst part is, my fellow countrymen keep buying them and there was one at MACNA that was $6000. Someone's laughing all the way to the bank. I buy them up off the WYSIWYG lists all the time, mark them up substantially more than I do other corals and they're the first things to go. And as for the naming them, I'm with you MJ.

MagicJ · Sep 23, 2016

@ReeferRob but why would your countryman pay $000's for a R. Yuma when they can buy R. florida for a fraction of the price?

Sam Parker · Sep 23, 2016

MagicJ said:
@ReeferRob but why would your countryman pay $000's for a R. Yuma when they can buy R. florida for a fraction of the price?

Always want what we can't have :)

MagicJ · Sep 23, 2016

I did put the razor blade into action last night - 3 cuts in strategic parts of the foot so it will be interesting to see what happens.

ReeferRob · Sep 24, 2016

MagicJ said:
@ReeferRob but why would your countryman pay $000's for a R. Yuma when they can buy R. florida for a fraction of the price?

Because they're dumb as a box of rocks? I think that it's all about braggin' rights here. I have the most expensive/biggest/best of whatever it is. Moronic I know, but that's how the dumb ones here roll mate. I laugh all the way to the bank. My standard mark up is double on staple fish/inverts/corals, items like that is 4x. So if I pay $200 for one, I sell it for $800 and they sell out first. I don't think they last more than a day. There are some really nice ones on the list for this Sunday, we'll see what we get. I get quite a few of them too, i don't understand it. A rock with 4 on it is $375 so I break up the rock and sell each one for $375. I'd love to get out in areas where nobody collects to see what colour morphs are out there, there have to be some extraordinary colours out there yet to be collected and propagated.

Savage Henry · Sep 24, 2016

I've had pups forms from the feet of Rics, but I find the pups that form this way are far more sensitive than the parent. I think maybe they fall off the rock. Perhaps to get away from the parent???

I've also formed pups from other mushrooms when the rock they are on breaks apart so bits of the foot are torn off. But those mushrooms were much faster growers than rics and almost always survived.

I would not risk cutting your Ric unless you got advice from one of the pro breeders.

From what I been told Rics appear more susceptible to bacterial infection than mushrooms when cut. So, your Rics could get that condition when they start to ooze crap and then disintegrate. Apparently this can spread to other Rics.

So, I'd consider sawing off a bit of the rock, with the piece of foot attached and then letting that piece of rock hang somehow so that the foot is gradually pulled away from the rest of the Ric rather than cut the foot off. It might be a slow process, but I think there's less chance of infection. I would then place the frag in a protected position.

I had done this with other mushrooms and it's worked really well.

Savage Henry · Sep 24, 2016

Beautiful Ric by the way. Wish I could afford one like that. Equal to Florida in my opinion.

ReeferRob · Sep 24, 2016

ezza said:
It is an amazing colour! I don't think I've seen anything like it! Do you know its name?

Ricordea yuma

ezza · Sep 24, 2016

ReeferRob said:
Ricordea yuma

Yup. Was wondering about the species as far down as you can get- but I know with coral it can be hard to know.