With the dark-rimmed yellow mouths and green base of a Raja Rampage, and the blue streaks of a Jelly Bean Chalice, the second we saw this coral we knew we had to find out more. Blaine Shivley from Top Shelf Aquatics gives us the background on this standout new addition to their collection…
This naturally occurring grafted Mycedium chalice was hand-picked from ACI Aquaculture and imported from South East Sulawesi. This strain has now been with us at Top Shelf for almost half a year at this point. With unique color bleeding across the entire coral, it was a piece we knew we would love to add to our aquaculture collection.
Before being able to release the chalice publicly we were looking to ensure that the piece was a healthy strain, so that once launched from our farm we could know that the coral’s generational frags would contain resistant traits to help with its longevity both within our own farm and in the tanks of those interested in owning a piece.
The mother colony of the original hand-picked chalice has been put to the test here at the farm through rigorous inspections, dipping, and debugging, and we have come to the point with the colony’s development where we’ve had success growing out several mini colonies and have begun fragging those down. From what it originally arrived to us when it was first picked to now, this piece has transformed to really thrive in the aquarium environment and has only begun showing its true potential. Getting this chalice to adapt to our LED lighting of the hobby was our main goal.
Jason Fox Raja Rampage
We have taken several of the mini colonies and scattered them through our farm to try and create a better understanding of what parameters and settings they grow the best in. For now, we have come to the general conclusion that these have very similar care requirements to that of a JF Raja Rampage Chalice. It is a very hardy coral that is fast-growing as well.
Daniel, one of our lead aquaculture specialists, dubbed this chalice “Raja in Pajamas” and it immediately stuck. The inspiration came from the classic striped pajama-styled pattern that the chalice developed with the green base and blue stripes. What makes this chalice so unique is the way the striping has developed naturally over time, which in turn has created very fine veining, unlike other multi-colored chalices which end up growing more so a 50-50 split in coloration. Mycedium is known for its sparkling, but on this particular piece we saw metallic sparkling occurring in the eyes, including green streaks as well through that vibrant orange. The streaking seen in this chalice with the complementary blue colors makes this one a real stunner!
Chalices come in a wide variety of colorations, but this naturally grafted strain could be a stand-out addition to any reef aquarium. Everyone at the farm is abuzz about this new addition to the facility and for good reason! Happy Reefing!
Meet the contributor
Blaine Shively is a Content Creator and coral enthusiast. Ever since the age of 8, Blaine has been keeping saltwater fish tanks on and off throughout several moves across the country. As of 2023, he has joined the Top Shelf Aquatics Team as their YouTube content creator/videographer. Though he’s only been in the industry on a career path for less than a year he has over 20 years of reef-keeping experience under his belt. His mission has always been to learn more about this hobby as it is a never-ending learning experience, and share whatever knowledge he gathers along the way.
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