Chalice Dome?

**DrTerro** · 05-31-2011, 02:37 PM

How's it going? I was wanting to know here I can get your chalice domes? I thank you very much. Take care

Darren

**gooch** · 05-31-2011, 03:24 PM

We have them in stock. $10 each plus $10 flat rate shipping on all orders up to $135. After that shipping is free. We also have a similar product to the chalice dome called Big Uns. We sell them for $9 per pack of two. The chalice domes are bigger than the Big Uns.

our e-mail is info@thealternativereef.com

Thanks for your interest in our products.

Scott
The Alternative Reef

**sexycorals** · 05-31-2011, 03:58 PM

they are great!!! i got a few!!

**nater** · 05-31-2011, 04:22 PM

how can i go about purchasing some of these? thanks for your time

**gooch** · 05-31-2011, 04:45 PM

Just e-mail or pm us and we'll get an order started for you.

info@thealternativereef.com

Scott

**gooch** · 05-31-2011, 05:14 PM

Just to show some that may not know what a chalice dome is. Here are some pictures.

**gooch** · 05-31-2011, 05:16 PM

And these are Big Uns.

**gooch** · 05-31-2011, 05:22 PM

This is what makes them so cool. The chalice forms the shape of the rock but doesn't in most cases attatch to it. So it can be popped off the rock to propagate and then get placed back on the chalice dome to regrow. The domed shape really enhances the growth rim on many of the chalices. Big Uns will do the same thing but are better suited for zoanthids and other encrusting corals like montipora and favia's.

**KLR** · 05-31-2011, 06:20 PM

I still need to grab some of these!

Do you guys take custom orders?

If I wanted discs that were ___ thick and _____ mm/in. in diameter, would you do it?

**lps1212** · 05-31-2011, 07:34 PM

Nice frag plugs I need some

**gooch** · 05-31-2011, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by KLR

I still need to grab some of these!

Do you guys take custom orders?

If I wanted discs that were ___ thick and _____ mm/in. in diameter, would you do it?

PM or e-mail me what you want. We have some sizes we can make but do not offer but it is limited. We have some 3" and 4" square tile molds being built. I think the molds are done but I need to get them delivered yet. I hired out this project and it is taking a lot longer than I expected.

Scott

**CHALICEKEEPER** · 05-31-2011, 11:02 PM

Just put them on small rocks...

**gooch** · 06-01-2011, 01:19 AM

Originally Posted by CHALICEKEEPER

Just put them on small rocks...

There are lots of options out there. This option is for those that want to get a certain look. Many hobbyists want to just drop a coral on a plug in a ready made hole so they do not have to remove it from the plug. Plus it is real easy to pop the chalice off the dome and trim the coral without having to cut through the rock. The dome shape enhances the growth ring in many of the chalice corals. We have many options for different budgets. Lots of people use donuts for the same thing. They just glue or epoxy the plug in the hole and let it grow out. Rubble works good but the Big Uns, Chalice Domes and Donuts just make it a little easier and less stressfull on the corals in some cases.

Also another goal to aquaculture is to be less dependant on things like live rock. Everything we take from the ocean has an impact on the ecosystem. The goal should be for this hobby to be 100% environmentally friendly. We may never get to 100% true aquaculture in this hobby. But we are making strides in the right direction. IMO liverock alternatives have come a long way in look, shapes and performance. More emphasis needs to be placed in these areas and less on harvesting liverock from the reefs. Use what you want. But like our Business Name we provide an ALTERNATIVE to what has been used in the past. We will continue to offer ALTERNATIVEs for people that want to be more environentally friendly and less dependant on things harvested from the ocean. Our goal is for one day hopefully in my lifetime for everyone in this hobby to be an ALTERNATIVE REEFER. But it will be hard to change the culture unless hobbyists embrace change. This is why we do what we do. We not only try to enhance your reefkeeping experience. We also try to reduce the impact on our oceans reefs. With over 750,000 plugs and propagation products made since we started doing this I would like to think I am doing my part. A good percentage of those corals on those plugs are 100% captive grown. So every coral grown out on a plug is one less that will be taken from the ocean. Above everything I do that is what makes me most proud of what we do.

**sf_ramsden** · 06-01-2011, 01:34 AM

I totally agree with everything Scott says above. If you want to use rocks, just use rocks... Don't need to be derailing threads that someone started specifically asking about the chalice domes.

I plan on getting myself a bunch of these to grow out my collection. Mainly for the ease of use and the awesome growth pattern it gives the chalices.

Keep doing what you do Scott, plenty of people here really enjoy and appreciate it!

**PR_Reefers** · 06-01-2011, 01:37 AM

Originally Posted by gooch

Just to show some that may not know what a chalice dome is. Here are some pictures.

Cool!! I was just wondering what they were...

guessed I saw it coming form the name hehe
guess I'll try them out soon..

**Nuocmam** · 06-01-2011, 01:59 AM

What is the diameter of the domes?

**gooch** · 06-01-2011, 02:15 AM

We have about 25 left in stock. Phil makes these as well as the Big Un. We try to keep about 30 in stock. It is a pretty limited demand product. It's a neat product but not something we really push to sell a lot of. I like them but I like the Big Uns myself a lot better. I'm not really a chalice guy myself.

In fact Big Uns are my favorite product we make. If I was to start out another aquaculture program just about every mother colony I had would be grown out on a Big Un or Chalice Dome. Big Uns are actually a product idea from a hobbyist here on Reef2Reef. We had made them initially years ago but chose donuts over them due to the similarity of the products. It wasn't until a customer asked if we could make a product where the frag disk would be flush with the surface of the rock that we reintroduced the Big Un. The Chalice Dome came about when Phil got bored one day and made a variation of a Big Un. It has a smoother texture and a larger diameter that really works well with chalice grow out. That dimpled texture is done by hand and takes him a bit of time. There is a video on another forum where a feather duster colony formed on a chalice dome. The dusters were so small it jus tlooked like fuzz but when something got close to it they all retreated back into those dimpled holes. It was hard to see but it was cool.

**gooch** · 06-01-2011, 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by Nuocmam

What is the diameter of the domes?

They vary. Somewhere between 3" and 5" across. Usually between 3.5"-4.5". Some customers want them bigger and some want them smaller so we make them in a range of sizes. They are usually 2-3" tall.