Chalice Gardens... let's see them!!!

[inactive]

Its not the pictures, its the chalices. I can't afford all this BA stuff everyone else has... It's like brining a 82' Toyota pickup to a Supra meeting.

 

[Acroholic]

I bought some clear 1/2" ID pvc. I cut it into 1" lengths, and epoxied these onto the rock structure. My chalices are on frag plugs, and these fit into the pvc pipe. chalices grow out pst the edge. Makes fragging a breeze. And you can move the chalices around for low or light requirements

I have a Miami Hurricane colony 5 inches across that is a plate, and is still movable because it sits on a 1" diameter frag plug on these small pieces of clear PVC.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

Its not the pictures, its the chalices. I can't afford all this BA stuff everyone else has... It's like brining a 82' Toyota pickup to a Supra meeting.

Trust me, everyone will appreciate you showing pictures of how you mount the chalice you have. This isn't a contest.

 

[Gonzo]

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I bought some clear 1/2" ID pvc. I cut it into 1" lengths, and epoxied these onto the rock structure. My chalices are on frag plugs, and these fit into the pvc pipe. chalices grow out pst the edge. Makes fragging a breeze. And you can move the chalices around for low or light requirements

I have a Miami Hurricane colony 5 inches across that is a plate, and is still movable because it sits on a 1" diameter frag plug on these small pieces of clear PVC.

That's pretty neat. Do you ever have a problem with them blowing over or getting knocked over by fish?

 

[JR's Reef]

I mount most of mine on the rocks but some are on the sand bed. Ill try to get a pic when the lights come on

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

Nice jgonzz! Care to share your method?

 

[SDguy]

I especially like this one... :wink:

what's your method of attaching them to the rockwork? and do you just yank them out from the rockwork when it's time to frag?

LOL, I'm still not convinced that is the best place for it... I may still move it, since it really prefers more light.

I glue them to the rockwork. I don't frag my chalices much (actually, except for a couple large pieces, I never frag my chalices). If I want a frag of one, I glue a frag disc/plug to the edge, and let the coral grow onto it. Once enough has grown, I snap the plug off and cut the connecting tissue. It's not the fastest way to do it, but I never "cut to order" either.

 

[SDguy]

jgonzz - gorgeous! Just the way I would do it!

 

[Gonzo]

Superglue lol most are on frag squares or disks except the colonys.

I just glue them with maxi cure thick, then I can remove them easily if I need to frag!

most I have never fragged before I like to look at them more than sell them lol but I will be fragging a few soon.

 

[MarvinsReef]

I bought some clear 1/2" ID pvc. I cut it into 1" lengths, and epoxied these onto the rock structure. My chalices are on frag plugs, and these fit into the pvc pipe. chalices grow out pst the edge. Makes fragging a breeze. And you can move the chalices around for low or light requirements

I have a Miami Hurricane colony 5 inches across that is a plate, and is still movable because it sits on a 1" diameter frag plug on these small pieces of clear PVC.

you got a pic of the MH colony? just interested to how it grew... Thanks...

pretty neat idea... another idea I had was buy some tongan brack rock and have them sticking out from the scaping a little bit... kinda like a flying saucer... :wink:

 

[MarvinsReef]

jgonzz: awesome man... I may try to do some with just gel glue.. just gotta use a lot of it, eh? but it looks pretty cool... thanks for sharing...

 

[terryagi]

Its not the pictures, its the chalices. I can't afford all this BA stuff everyone else has... It's like brining a 82' Toyota pickup to a Supra meeting.

It's all good. I would rather be in the '82 pickup anyway.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I know a good place to get the gel cheap Marvin.

CA Glue

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

Great thread! I am enjoying this and learning as well.

I have been growing my chalices on acrylic that rests on the glass bottom of my tank. The tank is only 9" deep, so the chalices are shallow. The best view of my tank is from the surface of the water not the glass. I don't use any of the vertical space in my tank, all the chalices are flat on the bottom. I adjust fixture heights and use screens for shading. Its definitely not a garden, more like a plant greenhouse nursery but I wanted to share anyway because my ideas and style is so much different than everyone else. If I have an issue with a pest or parasite/algae, I just wipe it off the acrylic with my thumb. Chalices cannot fall in my tank or have a rock land on them or have sand get stirred up on them. There is no live rock in my tank with the chalices (seperately plumbed). I like looking from the surface and the shallow culture means I don't even have to get my hands wet when I siphon out detritus or feed with my turkey baster. I am huge on target feeding so doing so without sticking two feet of my arm in the water is important for me (it takes me 1.5 hours now to target feed every mouth in my tank every other night). Thats a pruney arm! I don't have any fish to steal the food. When you look into my tank from the surface all you see is the corals, they are organized precisely, there is no live rock or fish to distract you.

This is not to take away from all of your beautiful gardens everyone. I envy broadcast feeding and love the natural look.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

Great thread! I am enjoying this and learning as well.

I have been growing my chalices on acrylic that rests on the glass bottom of my tank. The tank is only 9" deep, so the chalices are shallow. The best view of my tank is from the surface of the water not the glass. I don't use any of the vertical space in my tank, all the chalices are flat on the bottom. I adjust fixture heights and use screens for shading. Its definitely not a garden, more like a plant greenhouse nursery but I wanted to share anyway because my ideas and style is so much different than everyone else. If I have an issue with a pest or parasite/algae, I just wipe it off the acrylic with my thumb. Chalices cannot fall in my tank or have a rock land on them or have sand get stirred up on them. There is no live rock in my tank with the chalices (seperately plumbed). I like looking from the surface and the shallow culture means I don't even have to get my hands wet when I siphon out detritus or feed with my turkey baster. I am huge on target feeding so doing so without sticking two feet of my arm in the water is important for me (it takes me 1.5 hours now to target feed every mouth in my tank every other night). Thats a pruney arm! I don't have any fish to steal the food. When you look into my tank from the surface all you see is the corals, they are organized precisely, there is no live rock or fish to distract you.

This is not to take away from all of your beautiful gardens everyone. I envy broadcast feeding and love the natural look.

That is a very cool approach to keeping these animals. You described it so well that I can envision it all in my head.

 

[fenderguy1]

reefgems i would love to see a top down shot of that tank.

 

[MarvinsReef]

Great thread! I am enjoying this and learning as well.

I have been growing my chalices on acrylic that rests on the glass bottom of my tank. The tank is only 9" deep, so the chalices are shallow. The best view of my tank is from the surface of the water not the glass. I don't use any of the vertical space in my tank, all the chalices are flat on the bottom. I adjust fixture heights and use screens for shading. Its definitely not a garden, more like a plant greenhouse nursery but I wanted to share anyway because my ideas and style is so much different than everyone else. If I have an issue with a pest or parasite/algae, I just wipe it off the acrylic with my thumb. Chalices cannot fall in my tank or have a rock land on them or have sand get stirred up on them. There is no live rock in my tank with the chalices (seperately plumbed). I like looking from the surface and the shallow culture means I don't even have to get my hands wet when I siphon out detritus or feed with my turkey baster. I am huge on target feeding so doing so without sticking two feet of my arm in the water is important for me (it takes me 1.5 hours now to target feed every mouth in my tank every other night). Thats a pruney arm! I don't have any fish to steal the food. When you look into my tank from the surface all you see is the corals, they are organized precisely, there is no live rock or fish to distract you.

This is not to take away from all of your beautiful gardens everyone. I envy broadcast feeding and love the natural look.

pics please...

 

[marreef]

keep it up guys im listening to all the different methods

 

[Acroholic]

you got a pic of the MH colony? just interested to how it grew... Thanks...

pretty neat idea... another idea I had was buy some tongan brack rock and have them sticking out from the scaping a little bit... kinda like a flying saucer... :wink:

Here is a front/back pic of the MH colony, flash and no flash, and a couple other pics of my chalice tank. Notice the MH colony is all skeleton, besides the frag plug. That is a result of it growing above the rocks on the pieces of pipe. Not necessarily natural looking, but good for fragging, if I ever frag any of my chalices!
Dave