Description:
Our Red Plating Montipora is probably a Montipora capricornis. Their form is a plating shape that extends outward from the aquarium rock and may shade corals underneath. Frags of the mother coral are approximately 1” in diameter and may ship loose (without a frag plug) depending on the size. All frags are cut and healed prior to going up for sale. The Red Plating Montipora is an SPS (small polyp stony) coral that forms large spiraling leafy plates. Montipora corals come in so many different forms and colors, but this variety of montipora capricornis is a nice red to orange coloration. Also called a Vase coral by some, montipora corals grow into the most beautiful shapes. Aquacultured plating montipora are one of the easier SPS corals to grow and maintain. They grow fairly quick in an established reef aquarium.
Difficulty Easy
Aggressiveness Peaceful
Water-flow
This coral requires moderate to high water flow
Lighting
Montipora of all types love bright light. Intense lighting is recommended for best coloration and overall health. Use either Metal Halide lighting, a large grouping of high output fluorescent or strong LED's. If without proper lighting, the colors of Montipora may fade. Like other SPS such as Acropora, Montipora can change colors dramatically depending on the type of light provided. Expect some changes in color when moving Montipora from system to system.
Acclimation
When acclimating your new coral we recommend placing it lower in the tank to prevent shock due to high lighting. If you're familiar with the tanks light intensity(PAR) place the coral in the recommended ranges stated above. If your coral turns brown It could be due to a lack of light or excess nutrients(NO3,PO4) If your coral turns white or pale it could be excess light or lack of nutrients. I recommend giving a coral several weeks to adjust to it's new location before moving it.
Diet and Feeding
This coral is photosynthetic. Meaning a good portion of its nutrition comes from the algae zooxanthellae, through the light they receive. We recommend additional feeding weekly for faster growth. Feed a micro-plankton reef aquarium food designed for filter feeding invertebrates. Target feeding gets the corals fed using less food while keeping your nitrates and phosphates lower.
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