Watermelon Chalice Coral
Regular price $59.99 Save $-59.99
This Watermelon Chalice Coral is one of the all around best LPS corals in our collection so far. With intensely bright green eyes (actually mouths) surrounded by luxuriant pink, purple hues and a neon edge, it is truly gorgeous to see. Not only that, it's a fantastic grower and will soon become the focal point in your reef aquarium for years to come.
Fully Aqua-Cultured
Care: Beginner
Size: Varied
Thankfully, the Watermelon chalice is a great beginner coral and isn't unique from others in its genus; Oxypora, Echinopora, Mycedium, Lithophyllon, in regards to special care requirements and does well under a variety of circumstances. The key for success in keeping this LPS is for stable levels of CA, ALK, and MG.
It can tolerate fluctuations better than most, however the range we've had the best success with for both growth and coloration is as follows: calcium levels at or around 450ppm, Alkalinity of 11 - 12 dkh, and Mangesium stable at 1350. Lesser levels are perfectly acceptable, the chalice may not grow as fast, but as long as the water parameters are stable, it should be good as gold assuming nitrates and phosphates are kept at reasonable levels.
Live Coral Feeding
The Watermelon chalice coral greatly benefits from feeding small meaty particles, as can be seen in the video at 2:25. The added health benefits of feeding your LPS corals are tremendous. The watermelon chalice is no exception and will be more colorful and grow faster if a consistent feeding schedule is put into practice.
Remember, in the oceans, corals constantly have access to all kinds of food and are in fact quite vicious creatures. We recommend shutting off the tank pumps for 20 minutes after feeding to give the corals enough time to swallow the food after a good feeding.
Specific Water Flow
When it comes to water movement you're going to want to put this chalice in a location that has a low to moderate flow. You certainly don't want for it to be in a stagnant spot where detritus can accumulate and wreak all sorts of havoc, but at the same time it's not an SPS so don't blast it with the constant linear flow those require.
The last thing anyone wants is to get a high end chalice coral, put it in front of the wavemaker and come back the next morning to it's tissue blown away with all that's left of their investment being a stark white skeleton.
Lighting Guide
The watermelon chalice is a great beginner coral and can benefit from a variety of types of light, including metal halide, fluorescent and the incredible LED's we see in the hobby, the last few decades.
You'll find every chalice is different when it comes to what exactly they prefer, however this one is very adaptable. If you have a PAR reader (a great investment to save corals a lot of initial stress and takes out so much guess work) we recommend a placement that gives the range of 75- 150 PAR. This Watermelon chalice coral can be acclimated to levels around 250+ PAR over time if desired.
If this live coral isn't getting enough light, it will tell you by its appearance. If its tissue looks all swollen up like it's trying its best to get closer to the light, that's exactly what it's trying to do. Just put it a little closer to the light or put it somewhere brighter. On the other hand, if it looks shriveled up like it's trying desperately to disappear into itself, it's getting way too much light and needs to be put significantly lower in your reef aquarium.
Another way to determine if your watermelon chalice gets sufficient light is through its coloring. If kept in a location without adequate light for weeks on end, this LPS will temporarily lose its pink coloration and almost entirely turn green if it isn't getting adequate light, thankfully all its gorgeous pink, purple center coloration comes back within a short time of being in the right lighting zone.
Watermelon Chalice Propagation
This chalice coral is a winner with respect to propagation and sustainable aquaculture. It is extremely robust and can tolerate being fragged with a very low mortality rate, even for an LPS. We tend to cut the colonies into several large frags and allow them to heal in two weeks before cutting again into more selling size frags as it reduces stress on the coral and gives less issues long run.
The watermelon chalice coral is a quick healer, grower and all around a magnificent LPS to obtain. We have enjoyed having this LPS coral in our collection for many years and are confident that you will as well.
