Chalices - Do they only Encrust?

[Haggisman14]

Hey everyone. If you can point me to an article, that would be awesome, but I've got a question. My wife's dying to get some pinks, purples, blues into the tank, and I know that Chalices tend to have some really wild colors. My question is this...do these corals just encrust? I see a lot of people placing them on the sand beds, and others on the rockwork. Right now my tank is all LPS corals with 2 different zoa frags. I do have room on my sandbed that I could put one or two of these....

Do they need a rock in order for them to grow, or as with all corals, will they just continue to produce their own skeleton and continue to grow.

Thanks!

 

[tdileo]

I'm not a chalice guy and don't own any but I have seen lots of pictures of them plating out like montis.

 

[andrewkw]

They will continue to grow but sand is probably the hardest to encrust to. You could always put small rocks under them. What you really want to avoid is them growing around a frag plug onto the bottom. I've even had them encrust to acrylic in the past.

 

[WWIII]

They don't need a rock, but I think it helps some. Some chalice grow out and up a little, hence the name, but they take some time to do so. They will mostly encrust whatever they are on 1st.

Have you looked at or do you like acans? Lots of blues, purples, pinks in those and they do fairly well in bottom of tank generally.

 

[Haggisman14]

WWIII - Thanks for the info. I've actually started a little acan "garden" only have 2 frags so far. At the moment I'm sourcing most of my stuff from my LFS, and their acans aren't as colorful as some of the online vendors.

Good to know they don't need a rock!

 

[ChiCity]

Hey everyone. If you can point me to an article, that would be awesome, but I've got a question. My wife's dying to get some pinks, purples, blues into the tank, and I know that Chalices tend to have some really wild colors. My question is this...do these corals just encrust? I see a lot of people placing them on the sand beds, and others on the rockwork. Right now my tank is all LPS corals with 2 different zoa frags. I do have room on my sandbed that I could put one or two of these....

Do they need a rock in order for them to grow, or as with all corals, will they just continue to produce their own skeleton and continue to grow.

Thanks!

Excellent suggestions by everyone else, I’d like to add if you’re set on getting chalices in order to add that desired element of color, glue them on a flat surface, like a big tile for example...
They are slow encrusters so this helps speed along the process.
But as wwiii mentioned, you’re probably better off with acans as they add color and movement to your tank, plus they grow well too!

 

[mfinn]

Some chalices will plate out when they reach the end of a rock

 

[Haggisman14]

Thanks everyone! Acans definitely have become one of my new favorite corals!

 

[Haggisman14]

Excellent suggestions by everyone else, I’d like to add if you’re set on getting chalices in order to add that desired element of color, glue them on a flat surface, like a big tile for example...
They are slow encrusters so this helps speed along the process.
But as wwiii mentioned, you’re probably better off with acans as they add color and movement to your tank, plus they grow well too!

That's a nice Acan collection you've got! Aside from LFS, any suggestions for your Acans...you've got a nice variety!

 

[emerald525]

I have a few chalices in my frag tank and they will continue to grow and just spread out.

 

[ChiCity]

CherryCorals, hands down...
They have the best variety of unique acans for reasonable prices, especially during their livesales...

 

[nano reef]

They don't need a rock, but I think it helps some. Some chalice grow out and up a little, hence the name, but they take some time to do so. They will mostly encrust whatever they are on 1st.

Have you looked at or do you like acans? Lots of blues, purples, pinks in those and they do fairly well in bottom of tank generally.

Do you know how to get them to grow out like montis and not encrust? I got so ripped on this live sale on here I believe, i guess I shouldnt mention names but had to prepay shipping and they claimed to have plenty for 5 bucks..haha. I did manage to get 2 at that price but everything was purple and green! I wish I had not of put out the first bid early on because I would have been stuck paying 40 bucks for a menace weed like coral(green star polyp) I basically didnt do research, just what was beginner corals and I got all encrusting and brain corals. I want o make a rectangular type bridge of corals and they all need to go on a rock island I believe. Sorry to rant..lol. I did pick up beautiful chalise but it was square on the frag. I see most frags now of them they are round. I sure hope this grows into a round monti type look. My question is how do y ou get them to do that? I am a newbie!

 

[nano reef]

Excellent suggestions by everyone else, I’d like to add if you’re set on getting chalices in order to add that desired element of color, glue them on a flat surface, like a big tile for example...
They are slow encrusters so this helps speed along the process.
But as wwiii mentioned, you’re probably better off with acans as they add color and movement to your tank, plus they grow well too!

Can you keep acans small and trimmed to look like flowers and not grow into that brain kind of look, like a pair of 4 or 5 and put them on the rocks and not on the floor? Are those pics all of acans

 

[Terri Caton]

WWIII - Thanks for the info. I've actually started a little acan "garden" only have 2 frags so far. At the moment I'm sourcing most of my stuff from my LFS, and their acans aren't as colorful as some of the online vendors.

Good to know they don't need a rock!

Be careful of the photos online. Lots of coral vendors use strong blue light and photoshop. When in doubt just post on here and someone will be able to show you a pic of the coral under white lights.

 

[mav3rick478]

Can you keep acans small and trimmed to look like flowers and not grow into that brain kind of look, like a pair of 4 or 5 and put them on the rocks and not on the floor? Are those pics all of acans

If you want your Acans to spread horizontally put them on your rock structure and they should follow it. If you keep them on the sand bed they tend to grow in a sphere shape.
You could not feed them and they will not multiply but they will also shrink and die. If an Acan is happy and fed it will multiply, there is no stopping it but that's what you want to happen.

 

[watchguy123]

If you want your coral to plate and not encrust, there are multiple ways. 1) If you place the chalice on the rock work where it is stable (not blown around by water flow) and you occasionally lift it off for a second and re-place it, it will conform its shape somewhat to the rock work but will not encrust, as long as you do this every two weeks or so. If you forget to lift it up, it will encrust. 2) If it’s on a flat plug (no stem), you can allow the chalice to cover the plug and then as in the previous example, lift it every couple of weeks and it will not encrust on your rock work. In fact, I often lightly glue the flat plug onto the rock work and then before the chalice grows off the plug, I’ll break the glue bond and lift it up every few weeks thereafter. 3). You can take d-d epoxy or equivalent and make a flat pancake that you glue the chalice frag to. It will encrust on the epoxy but most always remain flat.