There are many articles on the subject of reef tank chemistry and I won't delve into that for it would take a book or many books for that matter(all of which are great reads and will be beneficial to your tank, they are a great place to start when getting into the hobby). I will go as far as saying between 8.5 and 9.5 IS NOT stable. Stable would IMO be within a tenth of a point in either direction from a baseline number. What would be a good baseline number you ask? If your doing regular water changes to your tank(which WILL help with overall coloration and health) I would suggest your baseline alkalinity be at or very near the alkalinity figure for your water change source(whether you mix your own seawater or purchase it from your lfs etc.). IMO chalices can be just as finicky as sps when it comes to alk swings.
, biweekly feelings of high quality zooplankton based foods(I have had good luck with Elos product which I believe is available through our sponsors), and good lighting with a definite er to a bluer spectrum(ie: 80/20 blue to white min. Or 20k+). In my experience shaded chalices will definitely lose their pop comparable to an acro browning out if that's something you are more familiar with. They need good lighting ime and if you want color and pop as well as overall healthy looking specimens then simply put they need to be in good health, which you will achieve through stable params and quality consistent feeding. It can take some work to get it right...but the results will speak for themselves and are quite rewarding if your into this kind of stuff. Hard work pays dividends as they say. Good luck and happy reefing bro!
