Animated by the report of “flricordia” I would like to communicate now also my experiences with the keeping of Ricordea Florida. I’m interested in Disk-Anemones, particularly however with Ricordea Florida, already since approx.. 20 years. Ricordea Florida was one of my first animals which I maintained in a aquarium. I come both which stood from nitrate and lighting concern to another realization as "flricordia". Before 20 years we did not have yet the many possibilities to keep the nitrate in our aquariums as low as possible. Nitrate over 20 or even 50 was not rarely, rather standard. The care of SPS/LPS was thus impossible from today's view and was not usually also tried. The "Stars" in our aquariums at that time were Ricordeas. They were naturally not as colored as the kinds maintained today, high nitrate values have them constituted as of were reported however not as much. From many discussions with sea biologists and reefer in almost the whole world I know, ricordeas in the aquarium feel particularly well, if the lighting conditions are correct and are the current in the basin not too strong.
Photosynthesis with the assistance of Zooxanthelle plays an important role for Ricordeas concerning its nutrition. E.g. the available food from the environment of the Ricordeas represents further sources of food (e.g. remainders of the fish feeding, etc.). The Ricordeas is fed by me additionally with Phytoplankton from own breed. The reproduction effected via the polyps themselves, presupposed it feel well. They settle on a stone and begin themselves then to divide, as of “flricordia” were already described.
Like develop them beautiful colors of the Ricordea Florida remain to clarifying. These beautiful colors develop not, like many faiths, in farms by breed, but exclusively they develop themselves in the oceans. Ricordeas are world-wide very rare animals, which exhibit indescribable color splendour. Despite the rarity and difficulty Ricordeas to breed and in the seas of the world find, is very simple the attitude and care, since Ricordeas are in principle little fastidious. This simple handling of the polyps leads to the fact that Ricordeas become ever more popular. But how these mad colors develop?
From my experience and intensive observation of Ricordeas in their natural environment I know that the colour is strongly dependent on the depth, in which they live on the temperature, the season and further influences and can be very different therefore. After extensive biological investigations at different institutes and universities we know that Ricordeas can change the colors of their Tentakeln and its mouth at least three times in the year. This phenomenon is to be observed however mainly in its natural environment and occurs in the aquarium rather rarely. Further distinguishers of Ricordeas are their size and their luminosity, which are dependent on the depth and the water temperature to the largest part again. Besides the duration and the intensity of the sunlight plays a relevant role. With tempests, storms or hurricane bleach Ricordea Florida Anemones coloured out and become partly almost transparency. Thus it becomes clear that Ricordeas adapt like a kind Chamaeleon to the outside circumstances. It requires a whole while, until the Ricordeas recovered from its colorlessness again up to the full coloredness in their whole splendour. During the summer the sun exposure is more intensive and the water of the ocean is warmer and clearer around some than in the winter. At this time the color of the Tentakeln changes extremely. In particular colors such as orange in most different developments and combinations are to be observed. However the situation turned around in the winter almost and for colors such as blue and green develops - similarly as the colors of the ocean at this time, in which the water is less clear and which becomes sun exposure per day shorter and less intensive.
In the time between summers and winters the colors of the Ricordeas develop very differently. During this period one finds many so-called multicolored Ricordeas, which unite partially a whole palette of color in itself beside the most different single colors. As above described acting nature leads to the fact that during the entire yearly polyps in most different colors are found. The natural mutation leads to the fact that there are not always directly many polyps of an identical color.
I hope my notes brought a little „Light in the Darkness„ of the colors, attitude, breed and nutrition by Ricordea Florida. That was at least my request.