All About Rainbow Neglecta Mushrooms - Reef Gardener

All About Rainbow Neglecta Mushrooms

Today I wanted to write a bit about Discosoma neglecta mushrooms, commonly known as "Umbrella mushrooms".You may have noticed them on our website in the ricordea section recently, wondering what exactly they are. These are an easy to keep type of mushroom coral that occur throughout Caribbean waters. In the past the only colors that were collected and imported into the U.S. were tan, greys, and green color morphs.

Neglecta mushroom in the ocean  

(tan & green morphs)

More recently divers have been learning that most of us reef aquarists like bright and exotic colors in our aquariums and have been harvesting much more brilliant, rainbow colored morphs. These ultra colorful Neglecta mushrooms fluoresce under blue lights and are striking. These mushrooms also grow quite large, the largest specimen we have received to date was 4 inches across. There are very few vendors carrying these mushrooms, we are lucky enough to get some a few times per month. 

CARE:

Neglecta mushrooms like to be acclimated in lower light (150 - 200 par) and seem to like about as much light as bounce mushrooms, yuma, and other higher end mushrooms. They don't do well in high light or ultra low nutrient systems, their colors will fade and bleach in that setting. They like medium - lower flow and can be fed small meaty foods once or twice per week. I tend to feed my corals after I feed my fish or once my lights turn off and only my moonlights are on.

 

 

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1 comment

Finally— a nice and informative article about these beauties! I’ve been so obsessed with these types of mushrooms ever since I “accidentally” got one in a coral shipment and for the longest time, I could not find ANY information on them, or their care! It’s crazy! I used every search engine possible and nothing. So, this is so awesome! Thank you tons and tons!

Aileen Antoinette

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