I am new to chalice corals give me the chalice 101 lesson!

[DiscoDave]

Keep hermit crabs away IMO. I've had dozens of hermit crabs throughout the years but it only took one to clean the flesh right off an expensive chalice.

How would you go about keeping hermits away?

 

[fagundespavinp3]

ok so I have read threw this thread and the prob that Im having with my new Chalices (Mummy Eye 2 eyes and Miami Hurricane 3 eyes) they are both at the same level on the sand bed and about 2-3 inches away from each other the mummy is showing signs of tissue resection (the Edges are puffing up and getting milky opaque color) but he Miami is doing fine. both are still extending feeder and opening their mouths so im kind of lost.

 

[Neptune1707]

I run LED's and have had no problem. My chalice is perched on a low rock close to bottom with medium current. Last year I had a crash in my tank (not sure why) but a year later my mushrooms have come back full force, torch coral doing well. Initially the chalice had all but melted away...I saw a small 1/8 inch diameter of tissue left...so I left it alone. A year later the chalice has completely recovered and roughly 3 inches in diameter. I do have several tangs in the tank and I know my nitrates are around 15ppm, and I never directly feed the chalice. Working on upgrading my entire 90g system (10years old) to a Red Sea S series 175g that has better filtration/lighting so that I can improve water quality and keep some acros, clams, etc. Good Luck!

 

[that Reef Guy]

ok so I have read threw this thread and the prob that Im having with my new Chalices (Mummy Eye 2 eyes and Miami Hurricane 3 eyes) they are both at the same level on the sand bed and about 2-3 inches away from each other the mummy is showing signs of tissue resection (the Edges are puffing up and getting milky opaque color) but he Miami is doing fine. both are still extending feeder and opening their mouths so im kind of lost.

My Chalices all started Receeding.

I saved them by Dipping them in Bayer.

 

[fagundespavinp3]

ok I will give that a try... Did a Water Change Last night to see if that would help

 

[Shep]

So this has probably been asked and answered but is it better to place them on a rock to encourage growth or will they grow all the same just on the sand bed?

 

[tatorswife]

I have 2 of mine in sandbed and one on a low rock. I have a ORA easter egg chalice on the sandbed that was about 3x3 when we bought it and about 1 yr in with it, its grown to about 6x6. I have a miami hurricane frag in sand. haven had it very long. I have a mummy eye chalice on a low rock but cant tell that its growing.

 

[CastAway]

I have about four chalices, under LEDs, kept in lower lit areas and low flow. One eats very well, a greenish "super chalice" and the other three I don't think I've ever seen eat, a golden eye, a rainbow and a stunner. Mine grow very slowly. On occasion I cover with the cut off top of a pop bottle and feed through the spout to keep my crabs and shrimp from robbing them blind.

 

[Vivid Aquariums]

Chalices & Echinophyllia all color best under lower light (PAR levels of 80-200). We have grown them under T5's, Halides, and LEDs. They have grown well under all types of lighting. It is important, as with all coral, to keep your levels stable and within the recommended range. Nitrates of 2-3 ppm are preferable to 0 ppm. Feeding them 2-3 days a week will help them grow faster. Moderate flow and placement lower in the aquarium seem to work best.

Be aware of fish that pick at them. We have had many rogue Tangs and Blennies bother our Chalices & Echinophyllias even though they are considered "reef safe" fish.

Dave

 

[Bayou City Reefer]

I'm starting to see my Flame Angel picking on my Pink ****** Chalice. So I moved the chalice to my bio cube under a AI Prime.

 

[ExpensiveHobby]

I'm starting to see my Flame Angel picking on my Pink ****** Chalice. So I moved the chalice to my bio cube under a AI Prime.

one of the reasons I'll never own a dwarf angel of any type.

 

[reeffreak911]

From what I noticed there's always a real good spot in the tank flow,light ,nutrients.you just have to find it and clear it to put your chalice mines is towards the back left side except for my atom bomb likes the center left side

 

[ExpensiveHobby]

Chalices & Echinophyllia all color best under lower light (PAR levels of 80-200). We have grown them under T5's, Halides, and LEDs. They have grown well under all types of lighting. It is important, as with all coral, to keep your levels stable and within the recommended range. Nitrates of 2-3 ppm are preferable to 0 ppm. Feeding them 2-3 days a week will help them grow faster. Moderate flow and placement lower in the aquarium seem to work best.

Be aware of fish that pick at them. We have had many rogue Tangs and Blennies bother our Chalices & Echinophyllias even though they are considered "reef safe" fish.

Dave

I had a chance to check out Vivid when I was in LA in August. I'd be curious to know what the parameters are in the long display tank which houses some awesome chalices. I have a Vivid Riddler chalice I bought about 9 months ago (not directly from vivid). It hasn't grown at all but it hasn't receded either.
My system houses only chalices, approximately 90-100 different types

salinity 1.026
temp 77
calc~ 440
alk ~ 7.5
mag ~ 1550
I run my LED's very low intensity, my coloration is phenomenal but growth is slower than a turtle.

Important to note I do not dose. I have dosing pumps on hand and two-part but I've been scared to start dosing for fear a swing my wipe out my corals. I use Reef Crystals and perform strict water changes 20% every other weekend.

 

[Tegridy Reef]

What's people advice when recession happens after u dip fragging the only option? Usually have more of that problem with the smooth skin

 

[California Reef Co.]

I had a chance to check out Vivid when I was in LA in August. I'd be curious to know what the parameters are in the long display tank which houses some awesome chalices. I have a Vivid Riddler chalice I bought about 9 months ago (not directly from vivid). It hasn't grown at all but it hasn't receded either.
My system houses only chalices, approximately 90-100 different types

salinity 1.026
temp 77
calc~ 440
alk ~ 7.5
mag ~ 1550
I run my LED's very low intensity, my coloration is phenomenal but growth is slower than a turtle.

Important to note I do not dose. I have dosing pumps on hand and two-part but I've been scared to start dosing for fear a swing my wipe out my corals. I use Reef Crystals and perform strict water changes 20% every other weekend.

Do you spot feed any of the chalices? As Dave said, spot feeding chalices does help them grow. We definitely see more chalice growth when we spot feed our chalice colonies/frags. Coral Frenzy pellets. Reef Roids. Mysis. It's all good stuff for them to munch on, but don't let un-eaten food/detritus sit on corals for too long; it can cause dead spots or kill them.

What's the old saying? How do you know when you've been in this hobby for a while? When you start to see chalice growth.

 

[ExpensiveHobby]

Do you spot feed any of the chalices? As Dave said, spot feeding chalices does help them grow. We definitely see more chalice growth when we spot feed our chalice colonies/frags. Coral Frenzy pellets. Reef Roids. Mysis. It's all good stuff for them to munch on, but don't let un-eaten food/detritus sit on corals for too long; it can cause dead spots or kill them.

What's the old saying? How do you know when you've been in this hobby for a while? When you start to see chalice growth.

Lol that is a great saying and so very true. I think that's why they cost so much money because they have to grow for years before they get big enough to frag. I've been in the hobby ten years. Didn't get bit by the chalice bug until about 1.5 years ago. I scrapped everything and began a dedicated chalice system.
As for feeding I do it heavy and I do it often. I feed a combo of reef roids, RODs Coral blend, and Cyclopeeze 2-3 times a week. I've never heard of the food causing death from sitting too long. I let my corals eat for about 2 hours before turning the pumps back on. Check out my tank here...http://reef2reef.com/threads/my-custom-sized-chalice-tank.216413/#post-2496071.
I just created a new video tonight in the last post you can find it.

 

[ksr1026]

I've heard vendors using LEDs - 100% Blues and 100% UV - anyone else have experience with this?

 

[Tegridy Reef]

I've heard vendors using LEDs - 100% Blues and 100% UV - anyone else have experience with this?

My 2 cent would b u have to acclimate them to that level of what's working for u y change but if u just shot it up to that level good chance u will bleach but that's just my opinion

 

[gmoney243]

Do you spot feed any of the chalices? As Dave said, spot feeding chalices does help them grow. We definitely see more chalice growth when we spot feed our chalice colonies/frags. Coral Frenzy pellets. Reef Roids. Mysis. It's all good stuff for them to munch on, but don't let un-eaten food/detritus sit on corals for too long; it can cause dead spots or kill them.

What's the old saying? How do you know when you've been in this hobby for a while? When you start to see chalice growth.

When spot feeding i like to get the chalice out in a bowl with tank water and spot feed that way the chalice can eat in peace and you dont have to worry about uneaten food in tank.

 

[Amps Reef Life]

Awesome thread. Thanks everyone. I've kept sps but never a chalice. Was thinking about buying my first one and came here to get all the information I could about it.

Great information.