Getting Rics to spread

[jacksonpt]

Everything else in my tank is growing/spreading like crazy - SPS, LPS, softies, polyps... everything. Everything except my rics. I've got them in a 12g Aquapod under a 70w halide. I've tried them in various locations in the tank... more flow, less flow etc etc.

Has anyone had luck getting them to split/spread? Any suggestions? Or are they just really slow growers?

[RHagemann]

Jackson,
There's a really good article in Aug/Sept 07 (Volume 4, Number 4) of Coral Magazine. There's a multi-page, multi-article spread on mushrooms in general, then an insert on Page 36 titled "Induced Longitudinal Fission" by Daniel Knop.

Looks like he's had some success inducing splitting by mounting a Ricordia at two separate points (on base rocks) then letting gravity assist it to naturally stretch or separate its self (in weak current by the way).

End result, after it separates there are two Ricordias, on two different base rocks. Pretty sweet!

If you're interested, it's a very good read and a pretty logical approach.
Personally, I'd try it on a more common Ricordia before one of the more expensive ones.

Happy Splitting,
Rob

[Savas]

I buy one Ric with two mouths from a local dealer - he charges by the ric, not mouth. I split them by hanging the ric vertically and letting gravity split them. I have 100% success and no issues.

My rics have never split horizontally and I have had one with three mouths for over a year.

Just becareful to catch the split ric before it attaches somewhere you do not want it.

[gsusfreak]

thanks for the info guys....i never knew that....i thought rics could be fragged up like mushrooms

[RHagemann]

Same concept as Savas, except the Ric is mounted at two points before being placed (hung) horizontally.....

Good Luck

[Rosseau]

Now are you really increasing the total biomass? OR/ does this type of splitting only really divide up your ric's?


Does each ric max out at some size? Do younger rics grow faster? etc.

[RHagemann]

It stretches first, then as it's stretching, it appears to develop another mouth (in the pictures of the article, it has one mouth, then after stretching to a certain point, a new mouth appears where it wasn't before), the the petals finally separate and you have two somewhat smaller rics. Eventually, I'm sure the two smaller ric's grow into normal size.

[Bernie21]

I've read a thread where some cuts a frag of the ric with scissors, places it else where and after it recovers, the frag seems to develop a mouth.

[Goodwood]

Bernie is right on, it works you actually only have to cut half way trough them

[NanoReefWanabe]

from what i have heard they dont like to moved either....

i have had some in my tank for over 5 months with multiple mouths and none have split yet...neither floridas or yumas....

[gsxunv04]

how do you hang/attatch the rics? and hang ?

[Jarob]

Ive had success cutting the ric in half with scissors and placing them in a little solo dish until they healed (week or two) and they grow fine from that, you can even cut them in half again after they heal a little more. To get them off the rock in order to cut them, use a blunt tip and kinda gently pry the foot off the rock, it works as long as youre patient.

[chujai]

im new at this but when i added 2 rics in my system it both split at the exact same time. and they were placed next to each other flat... took a really long time... like, 6 months?

but now that i hear about this method of using gravity, ill defiantly try it out.

so basically if i have it on an edge where half of it is hung over, it will induce the split?