Chalice and favia placement
- Thread starter Ncfishguy
- Start date
TangingOut
New member
Is that a yes for the chalice? because I kinda have the same question. I have 4 chalice frags on the sand bed, because I have no where else to put them.
Reef Frog
New member
Favias
While a nice large colony can certainly do well on the sand bed if the light levels and flow meet their needs, I think they do best and grow best if the frags are mounted on the live rock. If you want a large colony faster, you can mount two or more frags near each other and they will grow together. I believe they usually grow on rocks in nature, away from the sand bed. In aquariums, I think the sand can prove to be an irritant to favia polyps in some cases and a barrier rock should be used, or they should be moved onto the rock structure long term.
Chalice
My experiences with these on the sand bed have been a little different. Not saying previous comments are not correct however. Some species seem to want to encrust - in this case a permanent location on live rock is best IMO as they never will expand "on" the sand bed. They do seem to like the lower lighting provided by the sand bed, but also they also seem to be susceptible to tissue irritation as well in some cases if the sand is too close. If encrusting varieties are kept on the sand bed, I think it's best to place frags on a larger underlying piece of rock so they can grow and expand. For me, it can be a challenge finding the right location on the rock work itself and not put them in too strong light. I also believe you'll find these growing on rock in nature.
Except for things like scolys, goniopora and plates for example, I tend to avoid the sand bed for many corals. I seem to be able to cover them with sand during maintenance, and it's difficult to provide good flow to that area sometimes without blowing sand all over the place. And over time the edges of colonies in the sand bed seem susceptible to hosting algae and thus tissue recession in some cases.
The other advantage to moving stuff off the sand bed and on to the rocks is purely opinion. I think it looks good. The colonies have an opportunity to grow large and the tank looks good from a distance for across the room. I think it adds a more mature look.
While a nice large colony can certainly do well on the sand bed if the light levels and flow meet their needs, I think they do best and grow best if the frags are mounted on the live rock. If you want a large colony faster, you can mount two or more frags near each other and they will grow together. I believe they usually grow on rocks in nature, away from the sand bed. In aquariums, I think the sand can prove to be an irritant to favia polyps in some cases and a barrier rock should be used, or they should be moved onto the rock structure long term.
Chalice
My experiences with these on the sand bed have been a little different. Not saying previous comments are not correct however. Some species seem to want to encrust - in this case a permanent location on live rock is best IMO as they never will expand "on" the sand bed. They do seem to like the lower lighting provided by the sand bed, but also they also seem to be susceptible to tissue irritation as well in some cases if the sand is too close. If encrusting varieties are kept on the sand bed, I think it's best to place frags on a larger underlying piece of rock so they can grow and expand. For me, it can be a challenge finding the right location on the rock work itself and not put them in too strong light. I also believe you'll find these growing on rock in nature.
Except for things like scolys, goniopora and plates for example, I tend to avoid the sand bed for many corals. I seem to be able to cover them with sand during maintenance, and it's difficult to provide good flow to that area sometimes without blowing sand all over the place. And over time the edges of colonies in the sand bed seem susceptible to hosting algae and thus tissue recession in some cases.
The other advantage to moving stuff off the sand bed and on to the rocks is purely opinion. I think it looks good. The colonies have an opportunity to grow large and the tank looks good from a distance for across the room. I think it adds a more mature look.
ExpensiveHobby
Member
This is what I have found. Similar to Monti's, some encrust and some plate. You should know what kind you have as it starts to grow. If the rim starts to curl downward its probably an encruster and shouldn't be directly on the sand.
