"challice" pics...lets see em! - Page 36

RandyO · #**876** 10/05/2006, 01:43 PM

If the Echinophyllia is big enough, I don't mount them. If you are growing them out just to make frags, it's easier to cut a piece that's unmounted. If they are kept on the bottom of a bare bottom tank, they grow out nice and flat. I've cut some of my Echinophyllia with just a razor blade because they were nice and thin, and flat.

But I do agree, if it's a small frag, you should mount if. If it gets blown around, it could get damaged. The Watermelon Echino has a very thin skeleton, making it very lightweight. I haven't had the guts to let a small piece lay in my frag tank to grow out flat.

Here's a few old pic's that are probably somewhere in this thread already.

The large pink colonies were kept on the bottom, so they grew flat. But room was in short supply, so the green colony was angled against the rocks. You can see how the bottom conformed flat to the glass. When you put these guys on the rocks, they usually take the form of the rock, conforming over it, or even attaching themselves to the rock. That makes fragging them a little harder.

Thin colonies are pretty easy to cut.

Here is that green colony in 2003, being cut with a razor blade.

A picture from December 2005 of flat colonies, and frags.

The frags will grow out flat and round, if left on the bottom.

This method has worked well for me, but when it came to the watermelon, I left it on the rock.

And it grew over the whole rock, and then wanted to go under it.

So I had to frag it with the tile saw. That was not very fun to hold a piece the size of a golf ball with no rock to grab onto. I had to press on the flesh, which is not very good for the coral.

Though the last time I fragged this guy, I did what Slojmn said, and started popping it off the mount. That worked pretty good too.

Slojmn,
Acanthastrea are not chalice corals.

slojmn · #**877** 10/05/2006, 01:55 PM

Oooooops, duh-Acans not chalices...Thanks Randy, I'm always learning and appreciate the corrections

.

Beautiful corals in those pics. I use your method for cutting my thinner chalices with a razor blade, works great with low stress. When they are mounted on the rocks things get more dicey.

Justin74 · #**878** 10/05/2006, 01:56 PM

I didnt know they could be put so close together! Is this only within certain specie of echino? Or all of em?

-Justin

RandyO · #**879** 10/05/2006, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Justin74
I didnt know they could be put so close together! Is this only within certain specie of echino? Or all of em?

-Justin

I've found that all my Echinophyllia can touch each other. I've had a few of them grow together when touching. Some of them had to be pulled apart, while others I let fuse together.

If you try to put an Echinophyllia next to an Oxypora or Mycedium, they will fight. It's unfortunate that the reefing community has grouped all these corals in the "Chalice" category. If more corals were called by their proper names, it would make it easier for people to group like corals together.

RandyO · #**880** 10/05/2006, 02:20 PM

Close up of the first pic, showing the flesh laying on top of each other.

Another pic that's in this thread a few times.

Two color morphs of Echinophyllia, fused together.

July 05

May 06

I also have a pale blue Echinophyllia that must have picked up a tiny chunk of that pink echino as it was growing. No pics of that one already on the web server.

slojmn · #**881** 10/05/2006, 03:09 PM

Wow, very cool

.

Justin74 · #**882** 10/05/2006, 03:24 PM

That is bad @$$

thank you for the visual! I wonder if that would have an effect on the morphalogy/coloration?My guess is it would, sometimes maybe. Sweet!Now I know, could use the room too

-Justin

IndyMatt · #**883** 10/05/2006, 06:17 PM

How long does it take a brown Chalice to color up? I just got a pink eyed brown one from a LFS.

Fliger · #**884** 10/05/2006, 06:49 PM

That is one of the coolest reefing pictures I have EVER seen!!!!!!

Creetin · #**885** 10/05/2006, 07:38 PM

Hmm I wonder if i can frankenstien something together.

mecold · #**886** 10/07/2006, 01:23 AM

That is wild! Con't wait to see if any of the pigmentation transfers.

Fliger · #**887** 10/07/2006, 05:35 PM

Yeah, I finally get to play - I got this Watermelon, and Aquascene and a couple more coming this week

clkwrk · #**888** 10/07/2006, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RandyO
Close up of the first pic, showing the flesh laying on top of each other.

Another pic that's in this thread a few times.

Two color morphs of Echinophyllia, fused together.

July 05

May 06

I also have a pale blue Echinophyllia that must have picked up a tiny chunk of that pink echino as it was growing. No pics of that one already on the web server.

Wow very cool ! Love the orange .

JotaDe · #**889** 10/08/2006, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RandyO
And it grew over the whole rock, and then wanted to go under it.

So I had to frag it with the tile saw. That was not very fun to hold a piece the size of a golf ball with no rock to grab onto. I had to press on the flesh, which is not very good for the coral.

Question on this comment, I bought a small frag that was growing over a small rock - do I need to worry about how it grows out whether I end up fragging it or not?

paininthewrasse · #**890** 10/08/2006, 06:31 PM

so so nice.. I never see nice colors of echino like these avil by me.

paininthewrasse · #**891** 10/08/2006, 11:41 PM

heres what I have.. nothing to spectacular..

RandyO · #**892** 10/09/2006, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JotaDe
Question on this comment, I bought a small frag that was growing over a small rock - do I need to worry about how it grows out whether I end up fragging it or not?

I would not be too worried about that piece. It looks to be Echinophyllia aspera, or at least the same as most of the ones I posted. They have thicker flesh, and the skeleton tends to want to plate outwards.

Your piece looks similar to this piece.

You can see that it plates out. I would bet yours does the same thing as it comes down the sides of that rock. It's best to leave them alone for long periods of time. If they move around a lot, that can cause the growth to go under.

Very nice piece, btw.
The redder the morph, the slower they grow, IME. Green's and Pinks seem to grow very fast.

JotaDe · #**893** 10/10/2006, 08:55 AM

Thanks for the info, I do hope mine turns out like your orange one. How long does it take to get to that size?

RandyO · #**894** 10/10/2006, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JotaDe
Thanks for the info, I do hope mine turns out like your orange one. How long does it take to get to that size?

It took my piece a couple years to get to that size from a quarter sized frag.

Duce · #**895** 10/10/2006, 04:31 PM

Nice one Randy.
Question on the top down shot where there are 4 in the pics...Are they literally laying on top of each other or they are above (i.e. some higher than others).....and that the pic turned out the way it did.....

bower23 · #**896** 10/10/2006, 06:22 PM

Ok, now that I know how to post pics!! I will!! I know these are the pics from the website but they are better than the ones from my camera. And yes I do own these pieces.

RandyO · #**897** 10/11/2006, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Duce
Nice one Randy.
Question on the top down shot where there are 4 in the pics...Are they literally laying on top of each other or they are above (i.e. some higher than others).....and that the pic turned out the way it did.....

Hey Duce,

In this pic,

The two large pinks and the small red are on the bare bottom of a 40 breeder. The green piece was angled on the rock, but started to plate out flat on the glass. The echinos are all inflated a little, so the flesh overlaps.

Quatro · #**898** 10/11/2006, 01:14 AM

Hey Fliger,

Nice watermelon! Mike has the best stuff, so good for you. Great price on that piece too, I almost got it, but then it was gone =)

Good to know it went to a well set up tank!

Fliger · #**899** 10/11/2006, 02:02 AM

Hey thanks bro - comes tomorrow along with a few other things!

The red watermelon went for close to $400 - I thought it would be more. Way to go Alicia!

slojmn · #**900** 10/11/2006, 09:57 AM

Thanks David

That red watermelon is a sweet little chalice and should go real well with my collection (and yours in time

). I thought the price would run up a bit as well...glad it didn't

. According to Steve Tyree if it had been on ebay it would have gone for more but he runs a different auction now. I'll get pics of it posted to this thread as soon as I get it settled in, maybe this weekend.