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Hey guys, I'm having some issues with my chalice coral and I'm not sure what's going on. I've had it for about 4 months, along with my zoas and the smaller chalice, and my frogspawn for almost a year. The problem is, it hasn't grown at all and the number of 'eyes' seems to be decreasing - the tissue appears to be receding or calcifying.

My other corals seem to be doing okay, though. The zoas are a bit bigger, with a few more heads, and the frogspawn has grown over the past year, but it's not getting any bigger recently. The smaller chalice is still the same size as when I got it.

Some tank info: I've got a 55gal tank with a filtration system that includes Chemi-Pure Elite, Kent's Nitrate Sponge, and filter floss in the baskets. I've also got 2x Hydor Koralia 600's for water circulation.

My lighting setup is pretty standard, and I've got a few fish - a clown, a fairy wrasse, some snails, and a sand sifting star. I don't dose with anything, and I only feed my fish every other day or two. They usually finish their food in 10-15 seconds.

I've included some pictures of my tank and corals below.

1. Here's a general shot of my tank setup. TANK
2. My frogspawn - it's usually more open than this, but the lights are off at the moment. FROGSPAWN
3. My fire and ice zoas. ZOAS
4. The smaller chalice.
5. The larger chalice - the one that's not doing well.

Anyone have any ideas what's going on with my chalice? Thanks for any help or advice!

I've been digging through other threads and forums too, trying to see if I can find anything similar, but so far nothing seems to match the receding tissue on my larger chalice.

I had a similar issue with my chalice coral, and I found that keeping my magnesium levels up made all the difference. Not sure what your current parameters are, but I'd definitely recommend keeping an eye on that. I was having the same problem, and once I started monitoring and maintaining my mag levels, the coral started growing like crazy.

I'm actually doing pretty regular water changes, but I haven't been dosing anything. I use Kent Reef Salt, which supposedly has good magnesium levels. Been stretching the water changes a bit lately, so maybe that's the culprit. I'll get my parameters posted up after the holidays. Appreciate the advice, thanks!

Just did a PWC on Friday and my parameters look good. No mag test, unfortunately.

My numbers are:
NO3 - 0.0
PO4 - 0.25 (color wasn't exact, but slightly darker than 0.0)
pH - a hair off from 8.2, so around 8.1
dKH - 8
Ca - 460

I shaded the larger chalice from the lights a bit, but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I'll get another picture later today, but the maroon tissue is actually less than in the previous picture now. The other corals, including the smaller chalice, are still doing great. I picked up some coral food and can see the smaller chalice eating when I target feed it - the larger chalice might be eating some too, but it's hard to tell.

Went to the LFS and grabbed the only coral dip they had, Seachem Dip. I mixed some aquarium water with a bit of the dip in a cup, then dunked my coral for about 15 minutes. After that, I rinsed it off with aquarium water and put it back in my tank, this time a bit lower and under some shade, plus I sheltered it from a bit more flow. The LFS said I could try the dip, move it lower, or break off a healthy chunk and glue it to a plug – hoping for the best. They also mentioned feeding it a lot. I'll keep an eye on it for a couple of days, and if it looks like it's getting worse, I might try fragging it.

Here's a picture – it looks a bit green, but it's really more off-white/tan.

I've had great success with target feeding my chalice coral. It's made a huge difference in its growth rate. I prepare a mix of dry coral food and Selcon, creating a paste-like consistency. After feeding my fish, I turn off the pumps and carefully apply this paste directly onto the coral's face. I let it sit for about 20 minutes, during which time I can observe the coral's response. If it's receptive to the food, I'll notice the eyes slowly absorbing the paste. It's a gradual process, but it's amazing to see. After 30-40 minutes, I make sure to flush off any remaining food to prevent it from causing issues. By following this routine every other day and maintaining stable Ca, Mg, and Alk levels, I've seen significant growth in my chalice coral.

I've recently started target feeding the chalice, but to be honest, it's not a growth issue - it's more about the rapid tissue loss, especially when my other corals are thriving. Thanks for the advice though, I'm sure my other corals will appreciate the extra food.

After the dip and relocating the coral to a spot with less direct light and more shelter from the flow, I'm still seeing the maroon tissue and eyes disappear. I'm thinking of taking it out of the tank tomorrow, carefully breaking off a healthy chunk of maroon tissue, and gluing it to a plug to see if that'll help.

Fragged the coral today, got a small piece left. About the size of a dime, maybe a bit smaller. Two eyes on it, I think. Glued it to the frag and it's near the other chalice that's doing well. It's secreting its protective film, so hopefully it's still got some life in it. Only time will tell, I suppose.