Watermelon Chalice (Echinophyllia sp.) Care Guide
The Watermelon Chalice is an aquacultured Echinophyllia sp. colour morph named for its green-and-red coloration; care follows the Echinophyllia genus.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
The Watermelon Chalice is an aquacultured colour morph of the genus Echinophyllia, named for green and red coloration reminiscent of watermelon. It is a propagated trade selection rather than a separately described species, so its husbandry follows that of the Echinophyllia chalice corals. Plating colonies bear bright corallite eyes with a textured, slightly bubbly surface.
Taxonomy
- Family: Lobophylliidae
- Genus: Echinophyllia
- Trade designation: Echinophyllia sp. 'Watermelon'
- Note: 'Watermelon' is an aquaculture colour morph, not a formally described species
Origin
Specimens in the trade are aquacultured, farmed and propagated in dedicated facilities. Under proper care Echinophyllia can grow rapidly and is a strong candidate for fragging and propagation.
Aquarium care
- Temperature: 24-26 degrees C (75-79 degrees F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Salinity: 1.024-1.026 SG
- Alkalinity (KH): 8-11 dKH
- Calcium: 400-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1280-1350 ppm
- Difficulty: advanced
- Minimum tank maturity: about 6 months
Lighting and flow
As a chalice coral, the Watermelon Chalice is kept under lower to moderate light, around 50-150 PAR, with direct high-intensity light avoided to prevent bleaching. Moderate to low, indirect flow keeps the colony clean while preventing the tissue recession that strong direct currents can cause. Insufficient light can cause the pink and purple tones to fade toward green, with colour returning once lighting is corrected.
Feeding
The morph is primarily photosynthetic through its zooxanthellae but benefits from occasional spot feeding with small meaty or planktonic foods such as mysis; chalice corals are slow eaters and feed best after dark.
Compatibility
Chalice corals can extend long sweeper tentacles that sting neighbouring corals, so colonies should be placed with ample spacing from other corals. The morph is reported as reef-safe alongside fish and shrimp.
Watermelon Chalice (Echinophyllia sp.): Propagation Guide
Overview
The Watermelon Chalice is a high-color designer morph of the genus Echinophyllia, a colonial large-polyp stony coral native to the Indo-Pacific. Like other Echinophyllia it is partly encrusting and partly forms laminate plates, with corallites usually level with the surface on the upper face. The 'Watermelon' name refers to the red, green, and pink coloration prized in the aquarium trade.
Reproductive Mode
Echinophyllia chalices reproduce sexually by gamete release in the wild, but designer morphs such as Watermelon are perpetuated entirely by asexual fragmentation so the color strain is preserved. The fluorescent corallites mark the live polyps each frag must keep.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
The morph is fragged by cutting sections of the encrusting plate, ensuring at least one eye per frag, avoiding cutting through an eye, and leaving a mouth to feed in each piece. Because cut edges are prone to bacterial infection, an iodine dip is recommended before the frag is glued to a plug to heal.
Conditions for Propagation
Chalices do best under lower-moderate lighting, around 100 PAR, with moderate to lower flow that keeps debris off the tissue. Stable, low-nutrient reef parameters help maintain the intense color of designer morphs while the frag re-encrusts.
Common Challenges
High-color chalices grow slowly and can lose their vivid pigments under unstable or excessive light, so lighting consistency matters. Bacterial infection of cut edges and stinging interactions with neighbors are the other principal risks during the healing phase.