Little Shop of Coral
Bi-Colour Chalice (Echinophyllia spp.) (A36)
Bi-Colour Chalice (Echinophyllia spp.) (A36)
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Chalice corals (Echinophyllia and related genera) are encrusting LPS with thick, plating skeletons and remarkable colour potential. Some morphs sit among the most prized corals in the hobby. Chalices reward stable systems with steady growth and intense colouration, but care should be taken with placement, lighting, and neighbours.
Why we love it
•      Striking colour and pattern variety, especially under blues
•      Encrusting growth fills out frag plugs and rockwork
•      A staple of high end frag collectors
•      Polyp eyes and texture show beautifully in close up
Suggested parameters
•      Temperature: 24 to 26°C (75 to 79°F)
•      Salinity: 1.025 to 1.026 SG
•      pH: 8.1 to 8.4
•      Alkalinity: 8 to 10 dKH (stability matters most)
•      Calcium: 400 to 450 ppm
•      Magnesium: 1250 to 1400 ppm
•      Nitrate: 5 to 20 ppm
•      Phosphate: 0.03 to 0.12 ppm
Care and placement
•      Difficulty: Moderate
•      Placement: Lower to mid rockwork (avoid bright direct light initially)
•      Lighting: Low to moderate (acclimate slowly, many morphs prefer shaded spots)
•      Flow: Low to moderate (enough to prevent detritus settling on the plate)
Feeding
Chalices have a strong feeding response and benefit from regular feedings.
•      Reef roid powders, mysis, or finely chopped meaty foods
•      Target feed once per week, usually after lights out when feeder tentacles emerge
•      Reduce flow when feeding so food can settle on the polyps
Compatibility and spacing
Chalices can deploy long, stinging sweeper tentacles at night.
•      Allow several cm of clearance from neighbouring corals
•      Mind placement near smaller, slower growing corals
•      Some morphs are more aggressive than others, watch new placements carefully
•      Reef safe with fish and inverts (some fish may pick at polyp edges)
What you are buying
•      You will receive: 1 Chalice frag
•      Mounted on a frag plug or small tile
•      For WYSIWYG listings: you will receive the exact frag shown. For non WYSIWYG listings: the frag will be similar to those pictured but each piece is unique.
Colour, pattern, and polyp size can vary between systems and may shift slightly during acclimation due to lighting, flow, and nutrient levels.
Collapsible content
LIGHT
LOW: Place coral at the bottom of the tank. Depending on the type, coral may need to be placed off sand and therefore mounted on a ceramic disc of piece of rock.
MEDIUM: Place coral at mid-range of the tank. Best placed/glued on top of a rock scape at mid-range height.Â
HIGH: Place coral from mid range to just below water level. SPS coral are shallow growing so they require and are able to tolerate intense light.
FLOW
LOW: Most soft coral do well with a small, gentle pulse. There are certain corals that can even be placed in areas of indirect flow, meaning places aside a rock structure or set into a entrance to a cave style space.
MEDIUM: Many LPS types of coral prefer medium pulse current. Most Euphyllia or corals that have more tissue structure connected to their skeleton, don’t like to be in a high flow area like the direct flow of the wave pump.
HIGH: Similar to high light, SPS enjoy being in some heavy current. Most LPS and SPS that branch encrust or plate prefer high flow that simulates the top water waves.
SKILL
ENTRY: While some may say beginner level, "Entry" is a good term to be used when starting out in the world of corals and marine life. Prior to adding livestock, you want to ensure that your reef has the proper parameters including zero levels of ammonia and nitrite. Seeing traces of nitrate in your waters is a good sign - just keep them at a lower level of 2ppm to 10ppm. Maintaining correct temperature and salinity are a huge factor to stable parameters. Starting to monitor your PH, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium is a great habit to get into to keep a successful reef.
While some soft coral don’t require too much light, having a proper reef light that puts out the proper pars is very important. You'll also want to have a good amount of flow and protected rock areas, as placing corals in their happy spot is ideal for success.
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