QUICK STATS

Care Level: Easy
Coral Type: Soft Coral / Mushroom Coral
Temperament: Peaceful to Semi-Aggressive by Growth
Photosynthetic: Yes
Placement: Lower / Shaded Rockwork
Lighting: Low to Moderate
Water Flow: Low to Moderate
Approximate Purchase Size: Varies by Polyp / Frag Size
Approximate Max Size: Can Spread Into a Colony Over Time

RED DISCOSOMA MUSHROOM CORAL

The Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral is a classic soft coral variety known for its rounded mushroom shape, smooth fleshy surface, and bold red coloration. Depending on the specimen and lighting, it may show red, blood red, cherry red, rusty red, brick red, orange-red, maroon, or deep crimson tones across the oral disc.

Discosoma mushrooms are popular because they are hardy, adaptable, and beginner-friendly. They bring strong color to reef aquariums without the skeletal demands of LPS or SPS corals. Basically, it is a red reef pancake that asks for low light, low flow, and slightly less human nonsense than most corals. Naturally, that is still too much to ask from the species that invented alkalinity panic.

The Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral is photosynthetic and receives much of its energy from reef lighting. It can also absorb dissolved nutrients and capture small food particles from the water column. It generally does best in lower-light areas with gentle flow, especially on lower rockwork, mushroom gardens, rubble islands, or shaded areas that would be too dim for many other corals.

This coral is generally considered peaceful, but Discosoma mushrooms can spread over time and may crowd nearby corals. They do not have long sweeper tentacles, but they can still irritate neighbors by growing into them or shading them. Peaceful, apparently, just means “slowly annoying instead of immediately violent.”

Note: Image is a representation of what to expect. The coral you receive may vary slightly in size, color intensity, patterning, shape, texture, number of polyps, and overall appearance.

AQUARIUM REQUIREMENTS

AQUARIUM SIZE

A minimum aquarium size of 10 gallons or larger can work for Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral, provided the aquarium is mature and stable. Larger systems provide better water stability and more space for the coral to spread.

Discosoma mushrooms do not need a large aquarium, but they do need appropriate placement and stable conditions. They are forgiving, but forgiving does not mean they want to be blasted with light, thrown in a powerhead tornado, and then blamed for having feelings.

PLACEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral is best placed in the lower or shaded areas of the aquarium where it receives low to moderate lighting and gentle water movement. It can adapt to different placements, but it usually looks best when allowed to expand fully without excessive flow.

Rock Placement: Place on lower rockwork, rubble, mushroom islands, or shaded rock areas where the mushroom has room to spread.

Sandbed Placement: Sandbed placement can work if the mushroom is attached to rubble, a plug, or a small rock. Loose mushrooms should be placed in a low-flow container, mushroom box, or rubble cup until they attach.

Mushroom Gardens: This coral works well in mushroom gardens with other Discosoma, Rhodactis, Ricordea, zoanthids, and soft corals, provided growth is monitored.

Shaded Areas: Discosoma mushrooms often do well in lower-light areas, corners, ledges, or zones that receive indirect light.

Spacing: Leave space around the coral for future growth and spreading. Mushrooms can multiply or expand over surrounding rockwork, which is cute until the entire rock becomes a soft coral timeshare.

WATER PARAMETERS

Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral does best in stable reef conditions. It is more tolerant than many stony corals, but stable water quality still improves color, expansion, and long-term growth.

Temperature: 75-80°F
pH Level: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.024-1.026 specific gravity
Alkalinity: 8-11 dKH
Calcium: 380-450 ppm
Magnesium: 1250-1350 ppm
Nitrate: 5-20 ppm
Phosphate: 0.03-0.12 ppm

Discosoma mushrooms often tolerate moderate nutrients better than many SPS corals. Avoid ultra-sterile systems where nutrients are stripped too aggressively. “Clean” is helpful. “Sterile glass prison” is less helpful, despite what reef equipment marketing keeps implying.

LIGHTING

Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral prefers low to moderate lighting. It can tolerate moderate light if acclimated slowly, but strong direct lighting can cause stress, fading, shrinking, or detachment.

LIGHTING RECOMMENDATIONS

Low to Moderate PAR: A general target range of 50-125 PAR works well for many Discosoma mushrooms.

Light Acclimation: New mushrooms should be acclimated gradually to brighter lighting. Start lower or shaded, then adjust slowly based on expansion and coloration.

Color Display: Red coloration often shows best under blue-heavy reef lighting, especially when the mushroom is fully expanded.

Too Much Light: Signs may include shrinking, bleaching, fading, curling edges, gaping, or detaching from the rock.

Too Little Light: Signs may include stretching, dull coloration, reduced growth, or weak expansion over time.

Do not place a fresh Red Discosoma directly under intense lighting because the color looked nice in a photo. That is not coral care. That is photon-based nonsense with a frag plug.

WATER FLOW

Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral prefers low to moderate water flow. Flow should be gentle enough for the mushroom to expand naturally without lifting, folding, or peeling away from its attachment point.

FLOW RECOMMENDATIONS

Ideal Flow: Low to moderate, indirect flow that gently moves water around the coral without forcing the mushroom to fold or flap.

Avoid Strong Direct Flow: Too much flow can cause the mushroom to shrink, detach, or float away.

Avoid Dead Spots: Some water movement is still helpful to prevent detritus from collecting on or around the coral.

Watch the Mushroom Disc: A happy mushroom should expand into a rounded, relaxed shape. If it is folded, lifted, peeling, or flapping around, flow is probably too strong.

If the mushroom detaches and floats around the tank, reduce flow and place it in a protected rubble cup or mushroom box until it reattaches. Because yes, even coral can become a runaway couch cushion.

DIET

Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral is photosynthetic, meaning it receives much of its energy from light through its symbiotic zooxanthellae. It can also absorb dissolved nutrients and capture small food particles from the water column.

PRIMARY DIET

Photosynthesis: Proper low to moderate lighting provides much of the coral’s energy.

Dissolved Nutrients: Moderate nitrate and phosphate levels can help support color and growth.

Broadcast Feeding: The coral may capture fine particles during regular fish and coral feeding.

Small Meaty Foods: Very small pieces of mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, reef blends, or other fine meaty foods may be accepted occasionally.

Fine Coral Foods: Powdered coral foods, amino acids, phytoplankton-style blends, and fine suspended foods may be used carefully in established systems.

FEEDING FREQUENCY

Direct feeding is optional. Light broadcast feeding or occasional target feeding 1-2 times per week can support growth if nutrients are not already high.

Avoid heavy feeding. Mushrooms are hardy, but they do not need to be buried under food like tiny red garbage disposals.

COMPATIBILITY

Red Discosoma Mushroom Coral works well in many beginner, soft coral, and mixed reef aquariums. It is generally peaceful by sting, but it can spread and crowd nearby corals over time.

COMMON TANK MATES

Fish: Reef-safe fish such as clownfish, gobies, blennies, wrasses, tangs, cardinalfish, firefish, anthias, and other peaceful to semi-peaceful community fish.

Avoid: Fish known to nip soft corals, such as some angelfish, butterflyfish, filefish, puffers, and certain triggers.

Invertebrates: Generally safe with cleaner shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, urchins, and most common reef invertebrates. Large urchins, turbo snails, or bulldozing hermits may move unsecured mushroom frags.

Coral: Can be kept with many soft corals, zoanthids, leathers, LPS, and lower-light corals when spacing is managed.

Aggressive Neighbors: Keep away from torches, hammers, frogspawn, galaxea, favias, chalices, acans, and other corals with stronger stings.

Mushroom Spread: Discosoma mushrooms can multiply and spread over rockwork. Consider isolating them on a separate rock if you want easier control.

BEHAVIORAL NOTES

Temperament: Peaceful by sting, but can become semi-aggressive by growth and crowding.

Growth Pattern: Expands as individual fleshy polyps and may multiply over time by splitting, budding, or spreading across nearby rockwork.

Coloration: Red coloration may appear cherry red, blood red, brick red, rusty red, orange-red, maroon, crimson, or deep red depending on lighting, nutrients, stress, and photography conditions.

Texture: Discosoma mushrooms usually have a smooth to slightly textured fleshy surface compared with bumpier Rhodactis mushrooms.

Lighting Preference: Usually prefers lower light than many LPS or SPS corals.

Flow Sensitivity: Too much flow can cause shrinking or detachment.

Hardiness: Generally hardy and beginner-friendly once placed properly.

Attachment: Loose mushrooms can be encouraged to attach by placing them in a low-flow container with rubble. Avoid gluing directly to the fleshy foot because coral glue and soft tissue have the chemistry of bad decisions.

Frag Handling: Handle by the plug, rock, or rubble whenever possible. Avoid squeezing the fleshy polyp.

Dipping: Coral dipping before introduction is recommended to reduce pests and contaminants. Use coral-safe dips according to product directions, but avoid overly harsh dips or excessive dip time.

Pest Awareness: Inspect for flatworms, nudibranchs, algae, vermetid snails, or other hitchhikers before placing into the display.

Placement Reality: This coral is a great option for adding red color to lower-light areas. Just remember that easy-growing mushrooms can eventually become enthusiastic squatters if given unlimited rockwork.

ACCLIMATION PROCESS

This acclimation method helps reduce stress by gradually introducing the coral to your aquarium’s temperature, lighting, and water chemistry.

1. DIM THE LIGHTS

Turn down aquarium lights or place the coral in a shaded lower area at first. This helps reduce stress while the coral adjusts.

2. FLOAT THE BAG

Float the sealed bag in the aquarium for 15-20 minutes to allow the temperature in the bag to equalize with the tank.

3. OPEN BAG, ADD CORAL TO CONTAINER

Carefully open the bag and transfer the coral and shipping water into a clean container. Handle the coral by the plug, rubble, or rock rather than squeezing the fleshy polyp.

4. ACCLIMATE USING TANK WATER

Add small amounts of tank water to the container every few minutes for 20-30 minutes.

5. CORAL DIP

Use a coral-safe dip according to the product instructions. This can help reduce pests and contaminants before the coral enters your aquarium.

6. TRANSFER CORAL TO AQUARIUM

Place the coral in a lower or shaded area with low to moderate indirect flow. Discard the shipping and dip water. Do not pour shipping water or dip water into your aquarium.

7. LIGHT ACCLIMATE

Allow the coral to adjust gradually over several days to weeks before moving it into brighter light. Watch for expansion, coloration, attachment, and tissue health before making major placement changes.