Chalice

Chalice Corals for Sale

Chalices are bought for the eyes: bright, contrasting mouths scattered across a plate of a different color. There are hundreds of named strains, and the same name can look different from one seller to the next, which is why we photograph every chalice in our Key West systems and WYSIWYG listings are the exact piece you receive.

What “chalice” covers

Chalice is a trade name for several genera in two families, grouped because they grow the same way: thin, encrusting or plating skeletons with scattered polyps.

• Echinophyllia: the classic chalice, with bright eyes that contrast sharply with the plate. Ribs are toothed.
• Oxypora: thinner, more jagged plates. The eyes tend to blend in with the plate instead of popping.
• Mycedium: corallites shaped like little noses that all face out toward the rim.
• Echinopora: small corallites on plates that grow in whorls. Some grow fast.

Chalice care, in numbers

• Light: around 100 PAR is a good starting point. Many strains color well anywhere from 75 to 200 once acclimated.
• Flow: moderate. Plates act like sails, so strong flow against the face will tear them loose or stress the edge.
• Placement: a flat spot low to middle on the rock where the plate can spread out.
• Feeding: chalices eat slowly. An occasional feeding of mysis or brine shrimp helps, but most of their energy comes from light.

Spacing

Chalices fight when they touch. Some strains send out sweepers, and two different chalices growing into each other will damage one another. Leave at least an inch around a chalice, and about 6 inches between different chalice strains.

How fast they grow

Faster than most people expect. Thin-skeleton strains can double in size in about four months in a stable tank, so plan the space before the plate fills it.

Common problems

The edge is turning white. Check whether it is touching another coral, then check flow on the face of the plate.

Colors changed after a move. Give a new chalice a few weeks under its new light before you change anything.

Questions we get asked

Are chalices good for a newer tank?

They do best in a tank that has been stable for a few months.

Why does the same name look different elsewhere?

Chalice names are not standardized, and color shifts with lighting. Buy from a photo of the exact piece, under accurately described light.

How it ships from Key West

Chalices ship UPS Next Day Air on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, so no box sits in a hub over a weekend. We ship to the lower 48. We do not ship to Alaska or Hawaii.

• Shipping charge: $30 for qualifying Florida livestock orders under 6 lb, and $50 elsewhere in the lower 48. The shipping charge is per order.
• Free livestock transportation: on qualifying livestock subtotals of $299 or more. WYSIWYG pieces count toward the $299. Dry goods do not.
• Box & Handling Fee: $10 per livestock box, and it still applies on orders with free livestock transportation. A box carries up to 6 lb of packed livestock. Heavier orders go out in additional boxes, each with its own $10 fee.
• Live arrival: if something arrives dead, photograph the animal inside the unopened bag within 4 hours of UPS delivery confirmation and send it with your order number.

Keep reading

• Chalice Corals: Care and Placement
• Encrusting Corals: The Rock Painters
• Reef Tank Lighting: PAR, Spectrum and Photoperiod
• Encrusting corals · Montipora · All LPS corals · WYSIWYG corals