Chalice Education

[mobyreef]

Can someone educate this new-to-chalice reefer on the high price of, and most importantly,... how fast these chalice frags grow? I am not trying to criticize about the price. I am just trying to wrap my head around the attraction, and the price. Some are very nicely colored, however, I don't understand the high price unless they grow fast enough to repay the investment in a few months time. If they can pay for themselves then I might buy one. Looking from a business point of view, it costs to maintain the aquarium through monthly electric, salt, ro water, equipment, much less man hours to maintain the said equipment etc. the longer I have to keep a coral in my system the more expensive it would be in the expended resources used to grow that coral. So in that context these must be very S L O W growers. I just don't see why chalice corals are upwards of $500.oo for a 1" coral with one-eye (which is actually a mouth?). I have some sps that have grown over two inches in just 4 months (some montis grow a lot faster). Again, don't throw me under the bus. I am not looking for any argument I am wanting to understand and be educated because I am ignorant of the species and the prices of them. Do most of you who own these expensive varieties have a species tank just dedicated to them and their care? Do they grow best under MH, T5's, or LEDs?

All the best!

 

[sendo]

Hey mobyreef,

I had the same question when I started 5 years ago and if you think about it in economic terms, the price will make sense.

All coral prices are subject to basic supply and demand (not just chalices). Chalices in particular are very slow growers on average, hence a low supply. This drives up the prices on chalices, even if there is only moderate demand.

Here are a few examples from my relatively short experience in this hobby.

- Sunset Monti (fast grower): 4 years ago it was $100+ per frag, now I can't even give a frag away.

- Oregon Tort (slow grower): This coral has been in the hobby for a while, yet still holds it's relatively high price.

Similar to housing, you should buy a coral because you like it, not because you think it is an investment.

Hope this helps!

 

[mobyreef]

Thanks Sendo,
You answered the biggest part of my inquiry. I can start to understand the higher price if it is a slow grower. I personally dont like plugs and dont like the look of a fragment of coral with one mouth surrounded by a perfectly round white/grey ceramic plug. I would really like to know what the growth rate is if any body has some idea. I have been around long enough to know that certain conditions spurr growth and feeding does help in my experience. I also know that you have different growth rates between species. So, generally, how long does it take to cover a plug for example?

Hey mobyreef,

I had the same question when I started 5 years ago and if you think about it in economic terms, the price will make sense.

All coral prices are subject to basic supply and demand (not just chalices). Chalices in particular are very slow growers on average, hence a low supply. This drives up the prices on chalices, even if there is only moderate demand.

Here are a few examples from my relatively short experience in this hobby.

- Sunset Monti (fast grower): 4 years ago it was $100+ per frag, now I can't even give a frag away.

- Oregon Tort (slow grower): This coral has been in the hobby for a while, yet still holds it's relatively high price.

Similar to housing, you should buy a coral because you like it, not because you think it is an investment.

Hope this helps!

 

[KLR]

I would really like to know what the growth rate is if any body has some idea. I have been around long enough to know that certain conditions spurr growth and feeding does help in my experience. I also know that you have different growth rates between species. So, generally, how long does it take to cover a plug for example?

It varies so much from species to species. Assuming the frag was originally 1 eye. Some chalices can take a year or even two to cover a plug and some can cover a whole plug in roughly 4 months.

 

[Clay4AU]

I think chopping them up hurts the growth rate. 5 eyes can feed something a lot more than 1 can and 20 can do a lot more than 5.

The Miami Hurricane I have seemed to take 3 months to go from 3 eyes to 6 with a rim, now a couple more moths later its at ~25 eyes and 4" across with a full rim.

 

[jcdeng]

My 3G mummy eye grew an extra eye after I had him for 10 days, and its spreading across. while my other no name chalice did not grow at all after 2 months. They are placed close to each other so the amount of lighting, food, and flow is almost identical. (not so close that they will fight each other though)

 

[robsreefs]

I have a my Miami chalice with not really any growth for six months the within 2-3 months it popped 5 new eyes

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mainereefer]

if you think about it corals are seperate animals feeding one colony. a one eye frag of a chalice will grow 3 times slower than a 3 eye frag in the same conditions
but ppl are willing to pay more for one eye so thats how its sold