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Bounce Mushroom

Rhodactis indosinensis · also called Bounce Shroom, OG Bounce, Inflated Rhodactis

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Bounce Mushroom

The 'Bounce Mushroom' is a highly sought, high-value phenotype of Rhodactis (trade-attributed to R. indosinensis) covered in inflated, balloon-like vesicles. Genetically a mushroom corallimorph, but the prized bubble trait makes it slower-growing and pricier than ordinary shrooms.

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Quick facts

SizePolyps 1-3 in (2.5-7.5 cm) across; slow to spread compared to common mushrooms
Lifespan10–25 years
Social needsgroup
Native regionIndo-Pacific reef slopes, lagoons and channels (Indonesia, Tonga, Fiji)
OriginOld World
Climate🌴 Tropical
Water type🌊 Marine
FamilyDiscosomidae
GenusRhodactis

Part of the Mushroom Corals

Soft, disc-shaped corallimorphs (Rhodactis, Discosoma, Ricordea, and bounce morphs) that carpet rockwork in fluorescent colors. Hardy, low-light, low-flow, and among the best beginner reef invertebrates.

Discosoma (Red Mushroom)Rhodactis MushroomRicordea mushroomRicordea Yuma

Habitat & space requirements

From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.

Photo coming soon
Minimum

Stable nano reef

10+ gal / Alk 8-9 / NO3 5-15

Mushroom corals are the easiest "coral" for new reefers — low light, low flow, tolerate higher nutrients. Place low. Detaches/walks if unhappy. 'Bounce' Rhodactis morphs have bubble-textured caps — show colours; expensive frags; same care as standard mushrooms.

Photo coming soon
Recommended

Established 30-gal reef

30+ gal cycled 6+ mo

Established reef with shaded/low light + low flow. Frag-friendly and spreads.

Photo coming soon
Ideal

Mature reef + dedicated mushroom garden

75+ gal / display rock with named morphs

Mature reef with named mushroom morphs in a shaded zone — Bounce, Yuma, Ricordea morphs reach show colour with stable params. 'Bounce' Rhodactis morphs have bubble-textured caps — show colours; expensive frags; same care as standard mushrooms.

Life & growth stages

How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.

Photo coming soon
Planula larva

Corals begin as a free-swimming planula larva released into the water column after spawning or brooding. The tiny, ciliated larva drifts and swims until it finds suitable hard substrate to settle on.

Photo coming soon
Single polyp

Once settled, the larva metamorphoses into a single founding polyp that secretes a calcium-carbonate (or proteinaceous) base and extends a ring of tentacles to feed. Reef-building corals begin laying down skeleton at this stage.

Mature colony stage
Mature colony

The founding polyp buds asexually into a colony of many genetically identical polyps, building the species' characteristic growth form — branching, plating, encrusting, or massive. A mature colony can reproduce and contributes to reef structure.

Color & pattern variants

Natural variants occur in the wild; selectively bred (man-made) variants were developed in captivity.

Natural
OG Bouncerepresentative

OG Bounce

The original imported bounce phenotype — earthy base with scattered colorful inflated bubbles; the foundation for most named bounces.

Rainbow Bouncerepresentative

Rainbow Bounce

Premium multicolor morph with red, green, orange and blue bubbles across a single disc; among the highest-priced corals in the hobby.

Sunkist / Orange Bouncerepresentative

Sunkist / Orange Bounce

Bright orange-to-yellow bubble field; a popular, intensely fluorescent color variant.

WWC OG Bouncerepresentative

WWC OG Bounce

RareBeginner

The original, foundational bounce mushroom: a teal-to-green disc studded with fat, inflated orange and yellow vesicles ("bounces"), with hints of purple. Not a rainbow morph, but the bubble structure that defined the entire trade category. WWC describes the OG as having uniquely massive vesicles that most later bounces don't match.

Tip: Place low in the rock or on the sandbed in low flow and low-to-moderate light (under roughly 75-150 PAR); harsh flow or strong light flattens the prized bubbles. Target-feed small meaty foods weekly to keep the vesicles plump.

Sunkist Bouncerepresentative

Sunkist Bounce

RareBeginner

A bright citrus-orange bounce: typically a blue-green disc carrying fat, fully tangerine "sunkist" vesicles that fluoresce hard under blues. One of the most recognizable orange bounces in the trade.

Tip: Give it stable low flow and low-to-moderate blue-heavy light low in the tank; target-feed small meaty foods weekly to keep the vesicles plump and colored up.

JF Raunchy Red Bouncerepresentative

JF Raunchy Red Bounce

RareBeginner

A blue-based bounce with raised red frills and red bubbles; the outer tentacles shift between orange, yellow and red depending on lighting. A bold red-and-blue contrast piece that stays red in any light.

Tip: Use blue-rich light low in the tank to pop the red vesicles, and keep flow gentle so the inflated bubbles stay raised; feed lightly to maintain the red coloration.

Frankenstein Bouncerepresentative

Frankenstein Bounce

RareBeginner

A patchwork bounce splattered with green, orange, red and purple zones over big inflated vesicles, often offered in a higher-grade "Rainbow Frankenstein" version. The chaotic mottled coloration earns the "Frankenstein" name.

Tip: Place low in low flow under moderate blues; the more even and gentle the conditions, the better the vesicles inflate and the mottled colors hold.

Godspawn Bouncerepresentative

Godspawn Bounce

RareBeginner

A high-color collector bounce, predominantly blue-based with mixed warm and neon vesicles. Generally carries smaller and fewer bubbles than the WWC/OG, though standout pieces approach OG-level bubble density.

Tip: Settle it low in the rockwork in low flow and feed lightly; like other premium bounces it sulks in strong current, so keep the bubbles relaxed and inflated.

Interstellar Bouncerepresentative

Interstellar Bounce

UncommonBeginner

A painted-style bounce with swirled multicolor pigment across the disc and inflated pseudotentacles, the colors shifting noticeably under blue light. Essentially a fancy "painted Rhodactis" that bounces.

Tip: Use blue-heavy light low in the tank to swell and color the pseudotentacles, and keep flow low so they inflate fully.

Skittle Bouncerepresentative

Skittle Bounce

UncommonBeginner

A multicolor candy-toned Rhodactis bounce mixing reds, oranges, greens and yellows reminiscent of skittles, set over inflated vesicles. A mid-tier collector bounce.

Tip: Keep low in low flow under moderate blues; avoid blasting it with current so the bubbly vesicles hold their shape and color.

Indo Toxic Bouncerepresentative

Indo Toxic Bounce

UncommonBeginner

A toxic-green Indonesian Rhodactis bounce with bright acid-green coloration and raised vesicles. A solid-color collector bounce named for its almost neon "toxic" green.

Tip: Give it blue-rich light low in the tank to bring out the toxic green fluorescence, with gentle flow to preserve the inflated bubbles.

King Julius Bouncerepresentative

King Julius Bounce

RareBeginner

A WWC house bounce: a blue-to-purple disc carrying orange and gold vesicles. A large, well-established named Rhodactis bounce that WWC grows out to display size.

Tip: Place very low in the reef in low flow under less than ~100 PAR; WWC recommends target feeding roughly once per week to speed growth and budding.

Powerball Bouncerepresentative

Powerball Bounce

UncommonBeginner

A bulbous, vibrantly colored Rhodactis bounce known for dense, well-developed vesicles. A recognizable named bounce in current vendor catalogs.

Tip: Target moderate PAR (~70-120) and gentle flow; too much light or harsh, direct current flattens the bubbles, while very lean water also reduces vesicle inflation.

Insanity Bouncerepresentative

Insanity Bounce

RareBeginner

A named bounce with fluorescent neon-orange vesicles over a light sky-blue base and a forest-green body. A high-contrast collector Rhodactis bounce.

Tip: Keep low in the tank in low flow under moderate blue-leaning light; feed lightly and avoid strong current so the neon vesicles stay inflated and colored.

Selectively bred (man-made)
Kryptonite Bouncerepresentative

Kryptonite Bounce

UncommonBeginner

An intensely bright neon-green Rhodactis bounce that glows almost radioactively under actinics, with raised green vesicles. A vivid solid-color bounce.

Tip: Run blue-rich/actinic light low in the tank to maximize the neon fluorescence, with gentle flow to keep the vesicles raised.

Uranium Bouncerepresentative

Uranium Bounce

UncommonBeginner

A glowing yellow-green "uranium" toned Rhodactis bounce with bubbly vesicles, sold as a vivid fluorescent collector mushroom. Closely related in look to the neon green bounces.

Tip: Place low under blue-leaning light to push the fluorescent glow and keep current gentle so the bubbles stay inflated; too much flow can detach it from the rock.

Habitat & enclosure

Best in a **stable, established reef tank of 10 gal (38 L) or larger**. The bubble phenotype holds best in slightly nutrient-rich water (nitrate ~5-15 ppm) — sterile ULNS conditions can cause loss of the inflated vesicles. Parameters: temperature **76-80 F (24-27 C)**, salinity **1.025 SG**, pH **8.1-8.4**, alkalinity **8-9 dKH**, calcium **420-440 ppm**, magnesium **~1300 ppm**. Place low in the tank.

Substrate

Attach to a **frag plug or low live rock**. Set fragments in a perforated container with rubble in gentle flow until the pedal disc grips. Not a sand species. Once mounted it stays put unless stressed.

Equipment & setup

Moderate reef lighting (**PAR ~50-100**) — many keepers find bounces color and bubble best at the lower-moderate range, not blasting SPS-level light. Low to moderate flow. Heater, salt mix, and optional skimmer. A target/spot feeder (pipette or feeder) is recommended given how responsive it is to feeding.

Diet

**Photosynthetic** but a notably enthusiastic feeder — regular **spot-feeding** of fine meaty foods (mysis, brine, oyster eggs, amino/coral foods) 2-3x weekly is widely credited with maintaining the prized bubble morphology and growth. The bounce trait is partly nutrition- and light-dependent, so feeding matters more than for plain mushrooms.

Behavior & temperament

Peaceful with **no sweeper tentacles**; will not sting tankmates. Slow to multiply, which is part of why specimens command high prices. Can deflate and relocate if conditions are wrong. Handle only with gloves. Because of its value, give it a dedicated, low-traffic spot where it will not be bumped or shaded.

Health

Hardy once settled, but the bubbles can recede ('melt' to a flat disc) under low nutrients, excessive flow, or unstable lighting — recovery is possible by restoring moderate nutrients and feeding. Watch for detachment; corral loose polyps in rubble. Losing the bounce trait is the main 'health'/value concern rather than true disease.

Tips, DIY & hacks

Frag like other Rhodactis — bisect a healthy polyp through the mouth with a sterile blade and let each half heal in a rubble container. Keep nutrients in a 'dirty-reef' sweet spot and feed consistently to preserve the bubbles. Note taxonomy is unsettled: R. indosinensis (1943) is likely a synonym of R. rhodostoma, so the 'bounce' name is a trade phenotype, not a distinct biological species.

Sources

  1. A Guide To Aquarium Mushroom Corals - Quality Marine (retailer guide)
  2. Rhodactis bounce mushroom scientific name - Reef2Reef (forum)