Mussoides Mushroom (Rhodactis mussoides) Care Guide
Rhodactis mussoides is a large Indo-Pacific mushroom corallimorph with prominent radial papillae, kept in low-to-moderate light reef tanks.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Rhodactis mussoides is one of the larger mushroom corallimorphs in the order Corallimorpharia, distinguished by prominent radial papillae across the oral disc. Like all corallimorphs it is closely related to stony corals but lacks a calcareous skeleton. The World Register of Marine Species treats this name as a synonym and currently lists the species under Platyzoanthus mussoides (Saville-Kent, 1893), following a revision by Fautin; the name Rhodactis mussoides remains in common aquarium use.
Taxonomy
- Order: Corallimorpharia
- Family: Discosomatidae
- Genus: Rhodactis
- Scientific name: Rhodactis mussoides
- WoRMS revision: accepted as Platyzoanthus mussoides (Saville-Kent, 1893)
Habitat
The species occurs in the Indo-Pacific. Tropical corallimorphs of this type have short columns and wide oral discs, and on natural reefs they may spread across the substrate in carpets, contributing to shifts toward soft-coral-dominated reef communities.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 80 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- dKH: 8-11
- Lighting: low to moderate
- Water flow: medium
- Lifespan: 5-50 years
Diet
The animal is zooxanthellate and derives most of its energy from photosynthesis by symbiotic algae. It supplements this by capturing particulate food, and large specimens can take small prey. Occasional weekly feeding of meaty or planktonic foods is sufficient.
Compatibility
Peaceful and reef-safe with fish and shrimp. Butterflyfish, which graze on cnidarians, should be avoided.
Rhodactis mussoides (Mussoides Mushroom) Propagation & Fragging Guide
Overview
Rhodactis mussoides is a larger hairy mushroom corallimorph. Like other Rhodactis it is related to stony corals but lacks a stony skeleton, belonging to the order Corallimorpharia. Reef Builders documents an unusual asexual behaviour for this form, treated under the name Platyzoanthus mussoides, describing it as the only corallimorph that undergoes asexual reproduction via incomplete longitudinal fission, where polyps may remain partially attached and form colonial structures.
Reproductive Mode
R. mussoides reproduces mainly asexually in the hobby. Beyond pedal laceration shared by mushrooms generally, Reef Builders specifically attributes incomplete longitudinal fission to this form, in which dividing polyps stay partially joined. Sexual reproduction in corallimorphs is broadcast and pelagic and is not a hobby pathway.
Asexual Propagation / Fragging
It can be propagated by the standard mushroom fragging method. Reef Builders reports that mushroom corallimorphs heal well from cutting and grow quickly, while the difficult part is reattaching the cuttings, since glue and rubber bands do not bond the soft tissue directly.
The working technique is to place each cutting on a small piece of substrate and glue that substrate to a larger rock, letting the mushroom anchor itself as it heals. Polyps generated by its incomplete fission can also be separated once well attached to a frag plug or rubble.
Conditions for Propagation
Reef Builders advises medium to low light and minimal flow for shrooms, with the best extension in near-stagnant water; the calm flow also lets dislodged polyps settle and attach. These conditions suit healing R. mussoides cuttings and newly divided polyps.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction is broadcast spawning with pelagic larvae and cannot be completed in a closed aquarium, so hobby propagation of R. mussoides is asexual.