Many reef hobbyists, myself included, may have had their first foray at coral husbandry courtesy of a corallimorph. These so-called “mushroom-corals” of the taxonomic order Corallimorpharia are not true stony corals phylogenetically, but instead, represent a sort of “missing link”…
Rhodactis bryoides: The shroom that thought it was an anemone!
Thanks to our friend and colleague Joe Rowlett’s book Indo-Pacific Corals new insights were provided on many different coral families. One new development I found particularly interesting concerns the taxonomy of corallimoprh since not much new work has been done…
A Wild Encounter with Ruby Red Jawbreaker Shrooms
When it comes to spotting them in the wild, Jawbreaker Discosoma are very similar to anemones in many ways. In the same way as Bubble tips anemones (Entacmea quadricolor), you either find a large size colony of various corallimorphs or…
I Got Stung By a Ball-Tentacle Shroom!
Shrooms or corallimorphs are classified as some of the most innocuous of all stinging ‘corals’ and they tend to be at the bottom of the aggression pyramid in most reef environments. The smooth surfaces of Discosoma and most Rhodactis don’t really have…
Paracorynactis Ball Tentacle ‘Anemone’ is a Starfish Killer!
The Ball tentacle Anemone is a very unusual tropical reef cnidarian that has a more than few interesting things going for it. You would think that such an attractive critter would be a popular aquarium candidate but there are some…
Bean Bag Yuma Ricordea is a New Show-Stopping Shroom
The ‘Bean Bag Yuma’ is an interesting color morph of the popular Ricordea yuma which is somehow familiar in coloration, but wildly different in its appearance. Ever since the stratospheric rise of shrooms, spearheaded by the iconic WWC Bounce Shroom,…
Hallelujah Bounce Shroom is a Miracle of Colorful Bubbles
The Hallelujah Bounce Shroom is an incredible new strain of Rhodactis mushroom anemone that has just bubbled up to the surface thanks to Reef Raft Canada. This veritable miracle of colorful vesicles is unlike any other so-called ‘Bounce’ shroom strain we…
This is an Exceptional Batch of Rainbow Top Ricordea
Ricordeas from both the Atlantic florida and Pacific yuma species have long held a special place in the mindshare of reef keepers for their colors and their unique appearance. Despite their shaggy, long pseudotentacles that makes them resemble a small…
Gato Island Dive Site, Should Be Called Corallimorph Mushroom Mountain!
Gato Island Corallimorph Mushroom Mountain If you’ve ever been scuba diving around Malapascua, chances are you went to the Gato Island dive site. This small rock island offers a spectacular swim through but very few guides, dive shops or reviews…
This is one of the Nicest Eclectus Jawbreaker Shrooms Ever
Eclectus, jawbreaker, Vincent’s Revenge, whatever you call it this is one of the nicest Discosoma corallimorph shrooms we’ve ever seen. Shared by Taiwan’s own VP Corals this single psychedelic polyp is really the cream of the crop for this group of…
