Saltwater Aquarium Blog

Mushroom Corals

Mushroom Corals
–(Corallimorphs)

Mushroom Coral

Mushroom Corals, or Corallimorphs are some of the easiest species to care for and are recommended for aquarists at all levels. They are often called mushroom corals because the individual polyps are large and fleshy. In lower light environments, the polyps seem to stretch upward in the water column, creating a mushroom-like appearance.  In normal-to-higher light environments, the polyps lie flat along the substrate and take on a discoid shape.

Mushroom corals are generally found in lower light, nutrient rich environments, which makes them somewhat ideal inhabitants in a mixed species tank including fish and coral. Most mushroom corals are photosynthetic and require low to moderate light, are not picky about flow and can be kept in less than pristine conditions.  They will reproduce in your tank asexually, through budding or splitting.  Budding is a process where a small portion of the foot extends, then detaches, forming a new polyp (colonies can be seen ‘creeping’ forward in this fasion).  Splitting is a process where the corallimorph actually forms a second mouth and bifurcates down the center, essentially cutting itself in half—while each half re-grows to full size.

Saltwater Aquarium Blog Tip: If you plan to keep these coral with smaller fish, avoid large mushroom species like the ‘Elephant Ear’ or ‘giant cup mushroom’, which will snack on unsuspecting smaller fish who get too close.

 Advanced Aquarist Note: Not all Mushroom species are for beginners. If you consider yourself an intermediate or advanced aquarist and want to add a more challenging mushroom to your tank, consider adding a mushroom from the Genus Ricordea.  The two most popular species in the aquarium hobby are Ricordea florida and Ricordea yuma.  These species require more pristine conditions and generally have a higher light requirement.

Are you new to the hobby and wondering what kind of tank you should set up? Take a look at this thread and decides what kind of saltwater aquarium set up is right for you.