New chalices

[The Escaped Ape]

I've been hankering after some chalices for a while, but they're not often sold in Japan in particularly interesting colors. Finally I managed to find a couple of decent ones, one ordered online from Osaka and one found locally in a rubbishy LFS that nonetheless occasionally accidentally gets some cherries in.

The good thing is that these decent size corals probably didn't cost much more than the square inch frags you see in the US. The downside of no chalice craze here is that you don't see the variety, but the upside is that they're not too over-priced!

Here's the one from Osaka. It's either in a temporary position or I will have to relocate the Turbinaria frag above it.

Close up.

Under actinics.

From the crappy LFS. A small bit of white flesh at the front, but otherwise looking reasonably healthy.

Close up. I'm pleased with the range of colors - you see red ones with blue-white streaks quite often here, but in addition to the main pinky-red I can see turquoise streaks and yellowy-gold tips.

Do both look like Echinophyllia aspera to people?

 

[LittleFish2012]

First one might be watermelon type if it develops a rim.

 

[Justin74]

Already has one, if you look closely you can see part of it tucked under it's edge.

1st one very likely E.aspera
second one not so likely
I use to own that same morph and lost it due to a tank mishap a few years back. It's distinctive trait is it's solid red mouths that always seem to be kinda pouting outward, and the yellow highlights will also develop through out it's body like I can start to see comin in now. Here's an old shot of mine:

Really miss that one..

-Justin

 

[Justin74]

Im almost thinking as different as they are from each other in growth form, it's not the best way to ID, but the first one looking closer at all the beading on its body, and being you are in Japan..
Makes me think it might possibly be this:
http://sdmas.com/corals/138.php

But really all one can do is give an educated guess but a guess nonetheless without you dipping that badboy in an acid bath and mailing it off to a taxonomist..

-Justin

 

[The Escaped Ape]

Thanks both.

Justin - interesting to see you had the second morph and even more interesting to hear your thoughts on the species. Would kind of explain why they were available here. Thanks for the insight!

They're both started expelling zooxanthellae (the pinky red one yesterday, the purple today). I'm wondering if the tank's quite a bit brighter than the lighting they were under in the shop (corals are often kept in pretty low light tanks in LFS here). Still, they're both more or less near the bottom of the tank. Also the pink one's mouths are no longer open and it's looking happy right now, so I'm hoping it's only a temporary thing. Should I be worried?

 

[The Escaped Ape]

Extra question - will they get on when they meet? They're on the same largish rock at the moment. Once they grow will they stay relatively civil or end up eating each other?

 

[klrreef]

Extra question - will they get on when they meet? They're on the same largish rock at the moment. Once they grow will they stay relatively civil or end up eating each other?

Nice pick ups! To answer your question, the quickest growing chalice will eventually win the growing battle. However, if one's feeder tentacles are a lot more dangerous than the other's, it could sting its way to being the dominant chalice on the rock.

If they were the same sp. they would just grow around each other, touching, but not necessarily killing in the process.