R. sanctithomae -- suggestions, etc?
 

I really like these 'shrooms but I am having a bit of difficulty finding valid info on them.

Is there a way to judge how much light is too much or not enough? Do they prefer more blue light or less? I ask because both colonies are becoming a less vibrant color over time, losing the red highlights (high light, high flow colony) and purple highlights (lower flow, lower light) respectively.

I have some in relatively high flow and they are performing much better than another rock in a much lower flow area. What has been the experiences of others out there?

They seem to actively feed; I often notice one or two polyps on the lower flow rock closed after feeding, and I am guessing that they caught a stray. Does this coincide with others' experiences? The ones in higher light don't respond to food at all.

Any other observations are truly encouraged!

TIA!

you wont find much info because they are pretty rare. i was lucky enough to find one a few months back that has sprouted 2 new babies already. i have the purple/green variety about mid tank depth, approx 2 feet from my 400W 10k halides. they are in strong intermittent flow as i have an ocean motion. i have not noticed any lightening of the coral since i had it. they do actively feed, as i have seen them catch pellets and brine out of the water column.

liveaquaria had some awesome bright red ones a few weeks back, it was like 4 shrooms for $250!

[b]sabodish[/b]: Are yours shaded by the reef in your tank or do they receive the direct light from your bulbs?

If I had to say that one colony is doing better than the other, I would say that the high flow/light colony appears much better in terms of the bubbling effect of the polyps on the 'shroom, overall inflation, etc, but not as good as the low light/flow colony in terms of coloring.

Beautiful and distinct 'shrooms but a bit frustrating, atm. Hopefully this thread can bring together the thoughts, opinions and observations of those who are successfully keeping them.

they arent shaded,but they are off to the side so dont get blasted with the lights at all. heres a pic of mine.

[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/sabodish/170%20gallon%20cube/9-7-07/100_1118.jpg[/IMG]

Here's an extreme close-up of mine that shows the hues that I am losing.

[IMG]http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa231/nattoken/IMG_1458.jpg[/IMG]

Since I took that, the polyps are uniformly shifting to a non-descript shade of brown... I can see the smallest amount of the rich, purple hue in the flesh near the mouth, but the individual bubbles have lost it.

Yours is beautiful!

thanks!
i would try moving yours so its not in direct light and see how it reacts.