Coral

Bounce mushrooms are being found in a rainbow of colors

Bounce mushrooms are taking the marine aquarium hobby by storm, and catapulting mushroom anemones to the top of elite coral reefers most-wanted list. About a month ago we reported on one especially endowed specimen of theoriginal Bounce Mushroomselling for a record-setting $6000 for a single polyp.

In the ensuing weeks the heat has been on to find the next greatRhodactismushroom with equally or even more impressive fluorescent bubble vesicles. For years the onlycorallimorphthat any aquarist cared about was a nice large and brilliantly coloredRicordea yuma. However these ‘shrooms did not propagate very well, or not fast enough.

So when the ‘Jawbreaker‘ type mushroom anemones showed up with their thick tissue, brilliant colors, and especially their propensity to being cut, grown and shipped around to different aquariums, the hunt was on to find more shrooms to satisfy our growing desire for the next best mushroom anemones. The reef aquarium hobby, especially the frag traders and coral collectors have now clearly shifted gears to focus on finding and growing more ‘Bounce Mushrooms’.

We are happy to declare that there is already a litany of new and different strains ofRhodactismushrooms which sport incredible colors, huge vesicles and an otherwise collector-worthy appearance. Thanks to Dan Lacitignola ofThe Coral Kings, today we are sharing with you a sampling of three such newly acquired specimens ofRhodactiswhich carry the torch of the original Bounce Shroom and beyond.

Rhodactishave come a long way from the days of bing simple ‘bullseye mushrooms’ which were sold for $40 to $80 per rock. Now if yourRhodactishas even a hint of potential, you’re easily looking at that same priceper polyp! Unlike rare fish or super bright LPS, what makes Bounce Rhodactis shrooms so exciting is that you don’t really know what these polyp animals will do in a captive home aquarium.

它需要一种特定的扩展nurture and develop the new bullseye shrooms to their full potential – the rewards of growing and cultivating your own specimens of Bounce mushroom can result in awesome specimens such as these, and many more strains and colors are being discovered for the marine aquarium hobby on a daily basis.

Jake Adams

Jake Adams has been an avid marine aquarist since the mid 90s and has worked in the retail side of the marine aquarium trade for more than ten years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and has been the managing editor of ReefBuilders.com since 2008. Jake is interested in every facet of the marine aquarium hobby from the concepts to the technology, rare fish to exotic corals, and his interests are well documented through a very prolific career of speaking to reef clubs and marine aquarium events, and writing articles for aquarium publications across the globe. His primary interest is in corals which Jake pursues in the aquarium hobby as well as diving the coral reefs of the world.