Lighting
50-150 PAR is a starting range; fleshy tissue should expand without paling, stretching, or pulling against skeleton.
LPSIntermediateCare score 6/10
Chalice Coral
Echinophyllia spp. / Oxypora spp.
Identify Chalice Coral by thin encrusting or plating body and bright eyes or mouths; then set low placement, moderate flow, and enough separation from Montipora Capricornis and Favia.
Compare thin encrusting or plating body, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Snapshot
Quick Care Snapshot
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Care score
- 6/10
- Placement
- Low
- PAR range
- 50-150 PAR
- Flow
- Moderate
- Aggression
- High
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Minimum tank age
- 4 months
- Minimum tank size
- 20 gallons
Care note
This entry has low confidence or is marked for expert review. Treat the ranges as conservative starting points and compare them with your own system.
- Verify taxonomy before species-level SEO or care claims.
Images
Reference Photos
Photos are shown only when a source includes reusable license metadata. Always verify appearance against the coral in your own lighting and flow.
Primary reference: Philippe Bourjon
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Paul Muir
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
Photo: Michelle Jonker
Source: Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY 4.0
Ranges
Water Parameters
These ranges are approximate starting points from the coral database and should be adjusted to the stability and history of your system.
- Temperature
- 76-80 F / 24.4-26.7 C
- Salinity
- 1.024-1.026
- Alkalinity
- 8-9.5 dKH
- Calcium
- 400-460 ppm
- Magnesium
- 1250-1400 ppm
- Nitrate
- 2-15 ppm
- Phosphate
- 0.03-0.1 ppm
Care
Care Notes
Flow
moderate indirect flow should move tissue gently without folding it into sharp skeleton or neighbors.
Stability
For Chalice Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue.
Variability
Chalice Coral requirements vary by specimen, aquaculture history, shipping stress, and tank maturity; use these ranges as starting points, not guarantees.
Feeding
Feeding
- Benefits from feeding
- Yes
- Food types
- small meaty foods, LPS pellets, mysis
- Frequency
- weekly when feeder tentacles are extended
ID
Identification
Key features
- thin encrusting or plating body
- bright eyes or mouths
- sweeper tentacles at night
Common colors
- Red
- Green
- Orange
- Blue
- Yellow
Similar coral references
How to tell apart
Chalice coral is fleshy with visible eyes, unlike thin SPS Montipora plates with tiny polyps. Separate Chalice Coral from Montipora Capricornis and Favia by checking thin encrusting or plating body, bright eyes or mouths, and sweeper tentacles at night in normal white light. Then confirm corallite walls, polyp shape, tissue inflation, and where recession begins; avoid using a trade name as the only ID evidence. Because trade photos can exaggerate color, skeleton shape, polyp layout, and expansion pattern are stronger clues than color alone.
Placement
Compatibility
Compatibility depends on specimen size, flow, growth, aggression, and spacing. Use these references conservatively and watch for contact over time.
Usually compatible with spacing
Use caution near
Avoid close placement with
Spacing recommendation: keep about 6 inches of clearance, then adjust based on extension and neighboring coral response.
Troubleshooting
Common Problems
Use these as troubleshooting checks, not a diagnosis. Symptoms may point to more than one issue.
Chalice Coral nighttime sweeper damage from the growth edgeOpen for symptoms, likely causes to check, and practical next steps.
Symptoms that may indicate it
- nearby corals retract while the chalice edge looks intact or slightly pale
- Chalice Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline
- changes are localized rather than a confirmed single-cause condition
Likely causes to check
- too little spacing, flow carrying sweepers into neighbors, or hidden nighttime contact
- recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Chalice Coral
- possible irritation from neighbors, pests, detritus, or handling depending on the coral group
Quick checks
- check Chalice Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact
- reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton
- increase spacing and observe the coral under white light and after lights out
Checklist
Common Mistakes
- check Chalice Coral after lights out before trusting daytime spacing
- placing Chalice Coral before confirming thin encrusting or plating body and its spacing needs
- using Chalice Coral color or trade name alone instead of comparing it with Montipora Capricornis
- changing light, flow, and chemistry together when Chalice Coral looks irritated
- ignoring fleshy tissue protection from direct flow when keeping Chalice Coral
Compare
Similar Corals
Neighbors
Compatible Corals
These corals are usually compatible with spacing, observation, and stable conditions. This is not a guarantee.
Usually compatible with spacing
Favia
Dipsastraea spp. / Favia spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Favites
Favites spp.
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Aggression
- Moderate
Usually compatible with spacing
Acan Coral
Micromussa lordhowensis
- Category
- LPS
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Aggression
- Moderate
FAQs
FAQs
Is Chalice Coral beginner friendly?
Chalice Coral is better treated as intermediate because placement, flow, feeding response, or aggression can vary by specimen.
Where should Chalice Coral be placed?
Start Chalice Coral low in the tank or on the sand/low rockwork when its tissue form allows it. Use 50-150 PAR and moderate flow as a starting point, then adjust from tissue extension, color, and nearby coral response.
Should I target feed Chalice Coral?
Chalice Coral may benefit from careful target feeding with small meaty foods, LPS pellets, and mysis. Use the listed frequency as a starting point: weekly when feeder tentacles are extended. Feed only when the coral accepts food and avoid forcing food into stressed tissue.
Can Chalice Coral touch other corals?
Give Chalice Coral about 6 inches of clearance as a starting point. Its database aggression level is High. Use caution near Blastomussa, Candy Cane Coral, and Brain Coral. Avoid close placement with Zoanthids, Mushroom Coral, and Acropora. Compatibility is not a guarantee, so check contact points as colonies expand.
What should I check if Chalice Coral looks stressed?
Use this as a troubleshooting check. For Chalice Coral, nearby corals retract while the chalice edge looks intact or slightly pale and Chalice Coral shows less normal extension, inflation, or feeding response than its recent baseline can indicate Chalice Coral nighttime sweeper damage from the growth edge. Likely causes to check include too little spacing, flow carrying sweepers into neighbors, or hidden nighttime contact and recent placement, lighting, flow, or chemistry changes affecting Chalice Coral. Start with these database checks: check Chalice Coral alkalinity trend and look for nearby stinging contact and reduce direct flow if tissue is pressed against skeleton.
What stability issue matters most for Chalice Coral?
For Chalice Coral, verify salinity and alkalinity trends before changing placement; repeated moves and direct corrective swings can irritate fleshy tissue. The database lists 4 months as the minimum tank age and 20 gallons as the minimum tank size. For LPS-style care, protect fleshy tissue from repeated moves, direct flow, and abrupt chemistry corrections.
Coral Identifier
Identify Chalice Coral.
Compare likely matches.
Use the app to compare photos, lookalikes, and key visual clues when you want a second pass on an ID.
Compare thin encrusting or plating body, care range, and nearby lookalikes while checking an ID.
Photo-based coral IDReference photosLikely matches
