Over-run by Ricordea's
 

So my tank is slowly being over-run by brown ricordea's. I thought they were neat at first so didn't touch them. Then they kept spreading so I "harvested" some to keep them in check but I seemed to do a lot of damage to the reef trying to cut them off. Knocking stuff over (darn clown fish kept biting me when I stick my hand in) so I stopped cutting and now they are EVERYWHERE!

I have some SPS corals (motipora I think) but they are now getting taken over by the ricordea so I need to either get rid of the hard corals and let the ricordea take over the whole tank or get rid of the ricordea so I can grow SPS. Anyone have ideas how the get rid of the ricordea??

If there is no easy solution to getting rid of the ricordea I'll want to trade my SPS for other corals that can compete with the ricodrea and just go with a soft coral tank.

Not sure how to post pics but I'll take some post when I get some more free time.

All suggestions & ideas welcome!

tagging along.

Been over run as well and thinking trying SPS so would like the thin them
out first

Really? Ricordeas? I'd love to see pics. I've been working on my small patch for about 3 years and its just starting to get fairly substantial (12"x12"). Are you sure they aren't mushrooms? If not what are you doing to make them so prolific? I'd love to know :biggrin:

Not wanting something is a surefire way to get it to grow completely out of control.......I think we should all attempt to have hair algae tanks and make hair algae extinct :razz:

Agreed! And embrace our Aptasia!!!

I agree, that and orange mushrooms. I just removed two rocks full of them. Sadly they've planted themselves in other areas as well but at least its "manageable"

I'd like to see this as well !
discosomas and rhodactis are a pain but I tough ricordeas were less overwhelming...

To remove these completly only way I know is with a chisel and a hammer !

And see.. I can not get your orange mushrooms to take off in my tank! If your tossing any save them for me next time your down??

Do they look like this but brown?

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...TU8cv339cpJo8g

:surprise:

OMG I've been trying to grow out my orange mushrooms but they just refuse to spread/reproduce/grow. I think Marie is on to something!!

.. you hear that orange mushrooms?! I don't want you anymore. I hope you all shrivel up and DIE!!! DIE DIE DIE!!!!

THATS WHAT I THOUGHT, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT MAJANOS:twised:

you bet, I'm hoping to not have any left by then :razz:

I have some fuzzy mushrooms in a bad spot. I can't move the rock to get it out and cutting would be hard.
I covered it with a layer of kalk paste. It shrank it good, and I'm repeating till dead.
hasn't affected anything else in my tank.
Sure makes it cloudy for a bit but it goes away.
I dose kalk anyway so I just don't dose for the day.

Oh and shut off all my pumps and let the slurry just sit on it as long as possible.

can only do a few at a time or the tank chemistry will go WAY off. mine doesn't seem to mind a few shrooms at a time.

Here are some pictures. I've never paid much attention to what they actually were, the rocks had a few of them on them when I started the tank up about 1.5 yrs ago and have proliferated since then.

Attachment 10616

Attachment 10617

Attachment 10618

Attachment 10621

If only one, just one would grow in my system:cry:

I guess this just goes to show, one man's gold is another man's garbage.

If it weren't for the hard corals getting killed by them, I'd be thrilled! I had intended the tank to be mostly stony corals so when the ricordias started taking over it was a bit of a let-down. However, if there are some suggestions of other corals that can compete for space with the ricordias, please let me know. I'm pretty well resigned to get rid of the stony's and just keept it a soft coral tank now. However, I sure would like some diversity too!

While I'm complaining about coral growth, how big do leather corals get in a nano tank? Hard to see but the one in the front left is now dinner plate size. The clowns love it since they don't have an anemone but wonder if there is a way to "contain" it's growth without just cutting it's top off?

Wow! That is crazy! I can see how its become a pain though.