Mushroom Corals: Types, Care and WYSIWYG Mushrooms for Sale

Mushroom corals are the most forgiving animals we grow, and the largest single group in our raceways. Flat fleshy discs that spread across rock on their own schedule, in colors that run from solid neon to full jawbreaker patterns worth hundreds of dollars a polyp. They tolerate the parameter swings a new tank still has, which is why they headline our beginner corals page — and the high-end morphs keep experienced keepers collecting long after the beginner phase ends.

Discosoma, Rhodactis or Ricordea?

Three genera sell as one category, and surface texture separates them. Discosoma are smooth and flat with no visible bumps. Rhodactis carry branched, sometimes hairy outgrowths across the disc. Ricordea are covered in dense round bobbles, evenly spaced, like beading — and the Atlantic species, Ricordea florida, is a local specialty we collect under license. The full comparison, with photos of each texture: Discosoma vs Rhodactis vs Ricordea.

Care at a glance

The one mistake people make with mushrooms is giving them too much. Too much light, too much flow. A mushroom that detaches and travels is not dying — it is telling you the spot is too bright or the current too strong, and it is moving somewhere dimmer. Put them low, in the calmest water in the tank, and let them be.

Mushrooms in stock now

Every WYSIWYG mushroom is photographed individually — the photo is the exact animal you receive.

One thing to know before you order: the $10 Box & Handling Fee is charged by the box, not by the coral, and UPS Next Day Air is one flat shipping charge per order. A box holds several corals for the same $10 Box & Handling Fee and the same overnight ride, Florida orders under 6 lb ship UPS Next Day Air for a flat $30, and livestock orders of $349 or more ship free. If this page puts one coral on your list, it is worth seeing what else belongs in the box — start with corals under $100 or the newest WYSIWYG pieces.

Our stony corals are either aquacultured at the shop in Key West under Florida Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072 or conditioned in our Key West systems before they ship, and the photo on a WYSIWYG listing is the exact animal that ships. Corals ship UPS Next Day Air every Tuesday and Wednesday. If you are ever in Key West, come see the raceways.