Ricordea Health?

[dlhirst]

Last Summer, there was a week of really warm weather during a time that I was out of town. As my wife doesn't use the AC anywhere near like I do, my tank got quite warm. The water was probably in the mid-80s for a week or more, before I noticed that ALL my ricordeas were just melting away. Well, all save one colony of blues. I started keeping RODI water in the fridge, and would replenish with that cool water to keep the temp down, and also kept the lid off the tank when the lights were on. Still, I lost all my rics except that one colony.

All of the tank parameters were in line with where they have always been. Except of course, the temperature.

pH ~8.2
Alk ~2.8
NH3 < 0.25
NO3 < 2.5
Ca ~430
Mg ~1300+


I really love the ricordeas, so of course, I was crushed by the loss. Until that time, they had all been thriving quite well. Ironically, I had considered them my most (re)productive corals. Now, I am wanting to put some more back in the tank, but I am worried that I am missing some other part of the equation. Is there anything thing that ricordeas might need that other corals would not? A trace element, or perhaps something else that I need to solve for, first?

Any help is appreciated!

[ReeferRob]

As a ricordea nut I would say your over thinking it a bit, which is good. If you obtain healthy pieces from the start they do very well and are very disease resistant.
Rics are incredibly hardy and are easily propagated as well.
The biggest culprit to their demise is as youve found, temperature.

[Wy Renegade]

I assume that your alkalinity is being measured in meq/L?

As Rob said, temperature is an issue, in the past, I have also found stable alkalinity to be an issue in the keeping of Ricordia.

[dlhirst]

Thanks, guys. I was hoping that was the answer. Now, I know to watch the tank closely next Summer. For a little tank like mine, a chiller would be an extravagance, but I can control it with cool water additions, and what not. Now I just gotta let Santa know what I want - rics!

Hope y'all have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[ReeferRob]

Its amazing the difference just a little fan blowing on the surface of the water can make.
RO/DI ice cubes work well too!

[bigbill]

i all so keep a small fan on for the hotest part of the days makes such a big diff

[rmalone]

Well the price of a bunch of Rics would seem to make a chiller money well spent unless you can be sure the ac stays where it needs to be when your gone. I have taken rics to about 83 deg without issue but never warmer. I would agree that rapid ph or alk shifts make them very angry but that pretty much makes everything angry.

[greenstarfish03]

I agree w/ Rob. Temp was probably your issue. I have kept diffferent rics for years and they live through almost anything. I moved and kept them in a horrible small rubermaid tote w/ a heater and PH for way longer then I should ahve and most of them were fine. I find they almost grow better in somewhat dirty water:)