Chalice coral care and questions
Chalice coral care and questions
I've got a couple of chalice corals in my tank, and to be honest, they don't seem to be growing much. I've got them with some montipora digita and a frogspawn, and those guys are thriving - growing fast. But the chalices, which I've had for about a month now, seem to be stuck at the same size. My tank's running at 75-76 degrees, alk's at 7.2, calcium's around 480-550, and phosphate's at 0.20 - I'm trying to get that down, though. I do water changes every couple of weeks. Am I just being paranoid or is there something I should be worried about
Re: Chalice coral care and questions
General chalic question
I'd look into bumping up the alk to around 8-9, see if that helps. Also, have you checked the Mg levels?
I've got a couple chalice frags, similar size, went in at the same time. One I was able to mount really flush to the live rock, and it's been growing out nicely. The other one, not so much - it's having to grow down, covering its base and the epoxy before it can spread.
I'd look into bumping up the alk to around 8-9, see if that helps. Also, have you checked the Mg levels?
I've got a couple chalice frags, similar size, went in at the same time. One I was able to mount really flush to the live rock, and it's been growing out nicely. The other one, not so much - it's having to grow down, covering its base and the epoxy before it can spread.
Re: Chalice coral care and questions
I haven't tested the Mg yet, but I'll add it to my list. You're right about the placement, one of my chalices is on a ball and it doesn't seem to be growing much, but the other one is on a flat disk and it's doing better. Thanks for the help, I'll try to bump up the alk. That brings up another question though - how do I do that without raising the calcium too? I'm currently using a two-part calcium and alkalinity system (C-Balance) manually, and I also add Kalk whenever I do a water change.
Re: Chalice coral care and questions
To adjust your alkalinity, you can use just the alk component of your two-part system to bring it up slightly, then revert to your regular calcium and alkalinity regimen to maintain stability.
Regular water changes, ideally once or twice a month, should help keep magnesium levels in check, but it's still a good idea to test, as calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium are interconnected and can be more challenging to stabilize when one is out of range. You can find more information on this in the chemistry forum. It's also worth noting that if you're considering using TechM magnesium additive to combat algae, you'll need to monitor your magnesium levels closely. In this case, a reliable test kit like the Red Sea Pro is worth the investment. When using the Red Sea Pro kit for the first time, be sure to read the full instructions, as the quick start guide can be unclear on a few important steps.
Mounting your LPS corals as close to the rock as possible is crucial for promoting growth and spreading. I always try to remove most LPS corals from their frag plugs and attach them as flush as possible to encourage this.
Regular water changes, ideally once or twice a month, should help keep magnesium levels in check, but it's still a good idea to test, as calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium are interconnected and can be more challenging to stabilize when one is out of range. You can find more information on this in the chemistry forum. It's also worth noting that if you're considering using TechM magnesium additive to combat algae, you'll need to monitor your magnesium levels closely. In this case, a reliable test kit like the Red Sea Pro is worth the investment. When using the Red Sea Pro kit for the first time, be sure to read the full instructions, as the quick start guide can be unclear on a few important steps.
Mounting your LPS corals as close to the rock as possible is crucial for promoting growth and spreading. I always try to remove most LPS corals from their frag plugs and attach them as flush as possible to encourage this.
Re: Chalice coral care and questions
Appreciate the advice, I'll give that a shot and pick up a test kit for Mg. Currently using Hanna checkers for the other parameters.