Chalice, Elegance questions

[kyley]

Hi All,
A couple quick questions I'm hoping someone can help with:

1. I have a crocea clam on a flat rock with a little space beside it. I was thinking of putting a chalice next to it (on the flat rock). My questions on this:
a. Would a chalice coral sting a clam beside / above it or just other corals?
b. Would the chalice just grow flat until it runs out of space, or would it start growing up the side of the clam shell or something?

2. I may get an elegance to place in the sand facing the glass in front of some zoanthids. I assume an elegance coral would sting zoanthids? Do you think it would it "sting backwards" (a few inches behind it) to get at the zoanthids?

Thanks for your help,
--Kyle

 

[kyley]

Bump! Any thoughts on the above questions? Thanks,
--Kyle

 

[tnwillia]

Kyle, don't have either but I'd thing the Elegance will sting in what ever direction the water flows within it's reach. Have fun!

 

[redsea reefer]

Kyle, don't have either but I'd thing the Elegance will sting in what ever direction the water flows within it's reach. Have fun!

+1, Don't really know Kyle. I have never had either one...

 

[CPL376]

I have an Elegance and I think the best answer to your question is. They don't know front from back. They will sting in all directions. I would recomend being very picky about the Elegance that you bring home as they are not the same corals that where on the market several years ago when I got mine. Also just a warning they can balloon up and become very large when they want and without warning. That being said I love my Elegance and it's probably my favorite coral in the tank

 

[kyley]

Thanks all - any thoughts on a chalice near the clam? No big deal - just didn't really know if they'd harm a clam's mantle above it - or not even be able to reach it (most likely?). Take care,
--Kyle

 

[Wakeskater02]

Thanks all - any thoughts on a chalice near the clam? No big deal - just didn't really know if they'd harm a clam's mantle above it - or not even be able to reach it (most likely?). Take care,
--Kyle

Well, chalice's can get quite large. Most of the rare ones grow pretty slow. As far as I know they do not really have sweeper tenticles, so I wouldn't worry about it. If given enough time I am sure the chalice would try to encruse the shell of the clam. I doubt it would actually get to that, however, I am sure it would attempt it.

As for the elegance, just as any coral goes. They are fighting for survival, if anything gets in it's way it will sting it until it either kills it, or you move it. The elegance will kill the zoas... So if you like them, I would move them. And I will concur elegance corals can expand with out warning to monsterous proportions. So beware with the other corals that are surrounding it!

 

[kyley]

Thanks for your advice - that's pretty much what I thought on the chalice and just trying to be careful (but also trying to get good use of the space in my tank).

As for the elegance, I think I have enough room, but this helps me to think through how to position one and such - good info on ballooning up. I'll get a relatively small one and definitely an Australian one (hopefully it will be hardy and do okay in my tank). Take care,
--Kyle

 

[Wakeskater02]

Thanks for your advice - that's pretty much what I thought on the chalice and just trying to be careful (but also trying to get good use of the space in my tank).

As for the elegance, I think I have enough room, but this helps me to think through how to position one and such - good info on ballooning up. I'll get a relatively small one and definitely an Australian one (hopefully it will be hardy and do okay in my tank). Take care,
--Kyle

Just make sure it is a reputable dealer, as some times elegance corals are marked as Aussy... But really aren't, yet they are charging an Aussy coral price! I believe the ones from indo. are much less expensive, but aren't has hardy.

 

[kyley]

Yeah, hard to know what's *really* Aussie and what isn't... Take care,
--Kyle