Florida ricordea, Ricordea floridea, are one of the staple corals that come from the oceans south of my back yard in the Florida Keys. They are a type of soft coral that occur in shallow waters on Caribbean reefs. Generally they are very abundant and grow in large groupings of solid or mixed colors in the wild.
Ricordea grow quickly and are easy to keep, making them very popular with new aquarists. Standard colors are orange, green, rose, and grey/blue, but there are many morphs that are a mix of any of these colors creating a true rainbow of colors. Ricordea from different areas like Puerto Rico or Haiti tend to have unique color morphs that do not appear in most areas of the Florida Keys.
For one species of soft coral to have such a range of coloration depending on its location is truly amazing. I wonder if it would be possible to map out Florida ricordea according to their color patterns . . . more to see on Reef Gardener.
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