Getting a Ricordea to split...naturally
 

What's the best way to get a ricordea to split other than doing it yourself? Any particular area in the tank better than others? I have a single purple ric on a small piece of rock on the sandbed leaning up against a bigger rock.

Feeding them will help speed up the growing/splitting cycle

just how you have it, in time it will spread to the other rock then you will have two.

+1

my single ric has split into 7 or 8 since since I got it 10 months ago. and its trying to split again right now.

I have found a closely watched ricordea never splits :lol: . I have one that I've been keeping a close eye on and it's still just one, another that I had forgotten I had is now 5

IME, this recipe for forcing them to split.

Feed them every second day
High light (MH)
after a couple months put them into complete darkness for a couple days. This is the tricky part. Too long, and you will kill them. Not long enough, and they won't split. I found around the 24 hour mark works well. +/- a few hours depending on type.

If all goes well each one will split into 3 or 4 smaller ones.

salt works
 

Although this is not specifically about a Ricordea, I had a bit of salt creep fall on my Rhodactis, right in the center, and it has now split into three. NOT the nicest way to do it, but pretty natural in my opinion.

if it is on its own rock, rotate the rock so that the shroom it is away from the light and leave it there, it will eventually crawl back towards the light and leave babies along its path

It might have a tough time crawling, it was floating around when I first got it so I glued it to the rock that it's currently on.

What do you feed them?

I feed mine brine and mysis shrimp. They gobble it up, just have to make sure my piggy clownfish get their fill first or they snatch it right out of the Ric's mouth. One of mine split last week and is already feeding well.

This is before it split, just after eating.
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1229905984

Colin

That's my problem just like when I try to feed my sun coral. My two cleaner shrimp are a couple of thieves. I did notice a few weeks ago a brittle star hanging out of the ric's mouth.

And here's its offspring about a week afterward.
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1230227838

And here's noe of my Yuma's attempting a split
http://i397.photobucket.com/albums/p...g?t=1230227887

The yellow at the base is all that is left from its foot, I'm assuming a new Yuma will grow from there.

Colin