1st chalices.... What now.?

gotmesalty77 · Dec 13, 2019

Just picked up a couple of chalice today. That being said I've got no idea what to do now. Seems like lots of conflicting care advice. Anybody got any general tips?

Daddy-o · Dec 13, 2019

Start with low/med light and flow
Cheers! Mark

DSC reef · Dec 14, 2019

IME keeping alkalinity consistent. Chalices reacted poorly to chemistry swings. Low to medium light, low indirect flow. Once acclimated you'll start seeing a feeding response which smaller particulate foods are welcomed. I always mixed reef roids with reef nutrition oyster feast and it would sit over the chalice like a cloud with the power heads off. Keep space between them and other corals as some species can have very long and damaging sweepers.

gotmesalty77 · Dec 14, 2019

Daddy-o said:
Start with low/med light and flow
Cheers! Mark

DSC reef said:
IME keeping alkalinity consistent. Chalices reacted poorly to chemistry swings. Low to medium light, low indirect flow. Once acclimated you'll start seeing a feeding response which smaller particulate foods are welcomed. I always mixed reef roids with reef nutrition oyster feast and it would sit over the chalice like a cloud with the power heads off. Keep space between them and other corals as some species can have very long and damaging sweepers.

I've got a huge CB blue flamethrower and miami hurricane. Not sure if they need wide berth but I'm going to be safe

King Turkey · Dec 14, 2019

Nice! Chalices are pretty hardy in my experance. I just feed once or twice a week with reef roids. What's water look like: ph ca alk mg nitrate phosphate salinity temp? As others stated start with bottem of tank low light low flow. I have mine at medium light flow.

NanoDJS · Dec 14, 2019

Congrats , and youve got the best advice I can think of already on this matter , I will add that your miami hurricane is the variety which will have sweepers at night , sometimes upto 6" long when they get bigger , the blue flamethrower is a acan rotundaflora which is alot more easy to place it wont bother its neighbors too much. The Hurricane is an Echinopora variety and those you need to watch. "Chalices" actually refers to a massive group of corals which are all differant but have the same growth / structure properties. They are all very differant .

gotmesalty77 · Dec 14, 2019

NanoDJS said:
Congrats , and youve got the best advice I can think of already on this matter , I will add that your miami hurricane is the variety which will have sweepers at night , sometimes upto 6" long when they get bigger , the blue flamethrower is a acan rotundaflora which is alot more easy to place it wont bother its neighbors too much. The Hurricane is an Echinopora variety and those you need to watch. "Chalices" actually refers to a massive group of corals which are all differant but have the same growth / structure properties. They are all very differant .

Yea that's something i just learned about corals with the chalice moniker. It kind of surprised me actually.

NanoDJS · Dec 14, 2019

Like DSC said , the feeding regime is really the only PITA thing about them also feed roids like they mentioned, then again its most chalice owners favorite part of owning them , just shutting off flow completely for a good 20 mins is not so easy to do for alot of systems. Wait till you feed these guys , its entrancing. a side note. I have to distract feed my other fish crabs snails to keep them off the chalices , clams on the half work great for this throw one as far away from them as possible and it will buy you the time then need to eat .

gotmesalty77 · Dec 14, 2019

@crabcore
No3 10-20
Po4-.05- .12
ka 10.2
Ca 482
Ph 8.26
1.026
77.8°
I've never tested for mg before i plan on buying a kit soon, I've been told as long as i keep up WC i should be good there.

gotmesalty77 · Dec 14, 2019

NanoDJS said:
Like DSC said , the feeding regime is really the only PITA thing about them also feed roids like they mentioned, then again its most chalice owners favorite part of owning them , just shutting off flow completely for a good 20 mins is not so easy to do for alot of systems. Wait till you feed these guys , its entrancing. a side note. I have to distract feed my other fish crabs snails to keep them off the chalices , clams on the half work great for this throw one as far away from them as possible and it will buy you the time then need to eat .

Yea the distraction feed I always find tough. My wrasses seem to be smarter than the rest of the gang. So that is usually my biggest PITA.

NanoDJS · Dec 14, 2019

Aye mine too I feed after they in the sand ....

Leadfooted · Dec 14, 2019

DSC reef said:
IME keeping alkalinity consistent. Chalices reacted poorly to chemistry swings. Low to medium light, low indirect flow. Once acclimated you'll start seeing a feeding response which smaller particulate foods are welcomed. I always mixed reef roids with reef nutrition oyster feast and it would sit over the chalice like a cloud with the power heads off. Keep space between them and other corals as some species can have very long and damaging sweepers.

About them sweepers Mr.DSC Reefer speaks of

King Turkey · Dec 14, 2019

gotmesalty77 said:
@crabcore
No3 10-20
Po4-.05- .12
ka 10.2
Ca 482
Ph 8.26
1.026
77.8°
I've never tested for mg before i plan on buying a kit soon, I've been told as long as i keep up WC i should be good there.

Nice looks good to me. I would personally get No3 down to 5 and keep Po4 .05 if you can .03.
Dr Tim's waste away is a pretty easy way to keep those in check. I agree water changes are the easiest way to keep numbers In check. How big a tank?/ how often and how much for water changes?

gotmesalty77 · Dec 14, 2019

crabcore said:
Nice looks good to me. I would personally get No3 down to 5 and keep Po4 .05 if you can .03.
Dr Tim's waste away is a pretty easy way to keep those in check. I agree water changes are the easiest way to keep numbers In check. How big a tank?/ how often and how much for water changes?

Ive got a lot of wwc coral and they keep no4 really high 20-30ppm so i just try to stay around there. I just upgraded my fuge light to a H380 so i think things are still getting dialed in. Once it does i know I'll have a hard time keeping my head above zeros. My tank is a 80g shallow with 40g breeder sump. I figure I've got around 100g total volume maybe slightly more. I usually do 10g/10% once a week. Im running a bashsea Reactor with Rox.08 and a bubble magus curve D8 skimmer. Its a hodgepodge of decent gear.

King Turkey · Dec 14, 2019

gotmesalty77 said:
Ive got a lot of wwc coral and they keep no4 really high 20-30ppm so i just try to stay around there. I just upgraded my fuge light to a H380 so i think things are still getting dialed in. Once it does i know I'll have a hard time keeping my head above zeros. My tank is a 80g shallow with 40g breeder sump. I figure I've got around 100g total volume maybe slightly more. I usually do 10g/10% once a week. Im running a bashsea Reactor with Rox.08 and a bubble magus curve D8 skimmer. Its a hodgepodge of decent gear.

Nice that's a good size system that alot of water change for just those 2 chalices you probly fine doing once a month do you feed heavy?

King Turkey · Dec 14, 2019

Hear is my 50g all in one

King Turkey · Dec 14, 2019

You should add some pics

gotmesalty77 · Dec 14, 2019

crabcore said:
Nice that's a good size system that alot of water change for just those 2 chalices you probly fine doing once a month do you feed heavy?

Oh shoot im pretty stocked with fish and coral a few colonies of this and that, bunch of frags, mini colonies and royal gramma, melunarus, ruby headed wrasse, snowflake clown,normal ocellaris, bluew green cromis, bi color blenny, n exquisita firefish, CUC, huge RBTA.