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Chalice Corals: Care, Placement and WYSIWYG Chalices for Sale


Chalice corals are where pattern collectors end up. A plating or encrusting sheet with scattered raised mouths across the surface, usually ringed in a contrasting color — and the eye-catching ones command real money for patterns that only show under blue light. “Chalice” actually covers several genera the trade treats as one: Echinophyllia, Oxypora and Mycedium among them. What they share is the sheet growth form, the scattered eyes, and the temperament.

Care at a glance

Light (PAR)50–100
FlowLow to moderate
PlacementLower to middle, shaded
FeedingBeneficial — the eyes take food after dark
AggressionVery high — sweepers reach 6″ or more
DifficultyIntermediate

The temperament is the thing to plan around. Chalices carry some of the longest sweeper tentacles in the hobby, reaching six inches or more, and a chalice placed politely between two other corals will eventually clear the space around it. Shaded, low, and with more room than looks necessary is the placement that works for years.

Less light than you think, too. A chalice under SPS lighting bleaches from the plate edge inward; the deep reds and golds develop in the shade. If the colors are washing out, move it down, not up.

Chalices in stock now

Photographed individually under the light they are grown in — the photo is the exact piece that ships.

One thing to know before you order: shipping and packing are charged by the box, not by the coral. A box holds several corals for the same $15 packing fee and the same overnight ride, Florida orders under 6 lb ship overnight for a flat $30, and livestock orders over $399 ship free. If this page puts one coral on your list, it is worth seeing what else belongs in the box — start with corals under $100 or the newest WYSIWYG pieces.

Our stony corals are either aquacultured at the shop in Key West under Florida Aquaculture Certificate #AQ0254072 or conditioned in our Key West systems before they ship, and the photo on a WYSIWYG listing is the exact animal that ships. Corals ship UPS Overnight every Tuesday and Wednesday. If you are ever in Key West, come see the raceways.

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