Tips for Ricordea Care

[reefer7]

Hello all, I have recently acquired several Ricordea frags: FL Orange, FL Purple/Blue, FL Green/Maroon, and on frag is a Pacific Lime Green.

I recently discovered that it is possible to feed the Ricordea small bits of food. For those of you that keep Rics, what food would you recommend? Any tips on how to feed would be great too.

Also, I am considering the addition of an Iodine supplement to my tank. My reef is currently made up of only soft corals: Zoos, Mushrooms and Ricordea.

Any suggestions on a particular brand of Iodine supplement or method by which to dose?

MY SETUP:

36 Gallon Bow Front (All-Glass)
38 lbs Fiji LR
Current - Orbit Light( 65w Dual Daylight/ 65w Dual Actinic / built in Moon lights) ~I run a 24/7 lighting simulation ;)
Prism Protien Skimmer
SKILTER 250 (skimmer disabled- used for pre-filter and water movment)
2 Rio 800 Power heads
Rena Cal 100 wat heater

[Sloth]

Here is what I do to feed:

1. Get some raw cocktail shrimp out of the freezer.
2. Cut it up into little pieces with kitchen shears. As small as possible. I'll almost "shave" pieces off the shrimp. Trying my hardest not to chop my fingers off.
3. Turn off the pumps in my tank.
4. Grab the little pieces of shrimp in my fingers and stick them onto the rics.
5. Wait for the rics to at least 1/2 way swallow the shrimp.
6. Turn the pumps back on.

Sometimes rics won't eat for awhile when they're new. Also, some will eat like crazy and others will never take food. And some will take food only some of the time. You just need to figure out which ones like to eat.

As for iodine. Don't add it if you don't test for it. Get a test kit and determine if you need it first. Overdoses of iodine are no fun - so I've heard.

Good luck!

[EricHugo]

Overdoses of iodine will bleach corals and kill small inverts. I don't think iodine is necessary. Foodwise, use the coral food recipe at the top of the forum, or just use Artemia nauplii, Cyclopeze and/or Golden Pearls.

[jopop]

I feed the shrimp every two weeks and my ric has tripled in size.

[SOREVIV476]

do a search on liquid life they have a great product they have cyclopeeeze

[onthefly]

I don't feed mine a thing and a single Ric is now 14.......8 months later