Montipora

Montipora for Sale

A Montipora is the SPS most keepers start with, and many never stop buying them. They grow fast, they give a tank a hard-coral look within months, and they forgive more than Acropora does. This page has plating caps, encrusting montis, branching digitata and setosa, and named lines like Jedi Mind Trick, Starry Night and Kung Pao. Every monti is photographed in our Key West systems.

The three ways montis grow

• Plating, the “caps” (Montipora capricornis and look-alikes): thin plates that grow outward in layers. Flow shapes them. Strong flow curls them into scrolls, and gentle flow keeps them flat.
• Encrusting: a sheet that spreads across rock, often with contrasting polyps. These are the easiest SPS you can buy.
• Branching, like Montipora digitata and Montipora setosa: short, thick branches. Digitata grows fast. Setosa is slower and forms tight, twisted bushes.

Montipora never has the single larger polyp at the branch tip that marks an Acropora. The polyps are among the smallest of any coral.

Monti care, in numbers

• Light: depends on the form. Roughly 125 to 200 PAR for encrusting, 150 to 250 for plating and 200 to 300 for branching.
• Flow: moderate to strong, and not aimed straight at the face of a plate.
• Placement: encrusting montis go low to mid. Plates do well mid-tank. Branching montis go higher, where the light is stronger.
• Water: steady alkalinity, calcium and magnesium.
• Feeding: optional. A weekly dose of fine plankton helps but is not required.

Reading the color

A monti turning brown is usually telling you nitrate or phosphate has climbed. A monti turning pale usually wants more light. Change one thing at a time and give it a couple of weeks.

The pest to watch for

Montipora-eating nudibranchs are small white slugs, under a quarter inch, that eat only Montipora. They hide in crevices and feed at night, so the first sign is often a bare patch that grows. Their eggs survive dips, so one dip is not enough. Dip every other day, and check the underside of plates with a flashlight.

Common problems

Tissue loss starting at one edge. Check for nudibranchs at night, and check that nothing is stinging that edge.

Questions we get asked

Should a monti be my first SPS?

An encrusting monti is the usual first choice for good reason. Read our Montipora care guide before you buy.

How fast do they grow?

Digitata and many encrusting montis grow quickly in a stable tank. Setosa is slower.

Shop Montipora by name

These named montis each have their own listing: Beach Bum, Neon Green Spongodes, Green Branching, Neon Green Digitata, Purple Digitata, Red Capricornis, Orange Setosa, Tropicana, Tropic Thunder, Rainbow, Starry Night, Kung Pao, Jedi Mind Trick, Mystic Joker, Mystic Sunset, Emerald Forest, Manilla Spy, Red Chili Pepper, Red Orange, Midnight Dynamite, Love Shack and Nuclear Fusion.

How it ships from Key West

Montis ship UPS Next Day Air on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only, so no box sits in a hub over a weekend. We ship to the lower 48. We do not ship to Alaska or Hawaii.

• Shipping charge: $30 for qualifying Florida livestock orders under 6 lb, and $50 elsewhere in the lower 48. The shipping charge is per order.
• Free livestock transportation: on qualifying livestock subtotals of $299 or more. WYSIWYG pieces count toward the $299. Dry goods do not.
• Box & Handling Fee: $10 per livestock box, and it still applies on orders with free livestock transportation. A box carries up to 6 lb of packed livestock. Heavier orders go out in additional boxes, each with its own $10 fee.
• Live arrival: if something arrives dead, photograph the animal inside the unopened bag within 4 hours of UPS delivery confirmation and send it with your order number.

Keep reading

• Montipora Care Guide: Light, Placement, Pests and Why Montis Turn White or Brown
• Montipora: The Right First SPS
• Encrusting Corals: The Rock Painters
• Coral Pests 101
• Acropora · Encrusting corals · All SPS corals · WYSIWYG corals