Montipora Care
Montiporas are a family of live corals that come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. They are delicate and peaceful creatures that can do very well in a home reef aquarium tank. However, they can be moderately difficult to take care of without the proper equipment and environment in your aquarium tank.
Montipora Care & Placement
First, placement of the corals needs to be considered. Some montiporas will grow rather large, or they have branch-like features like the montipora digita, which will need space to grow vertically. Plated and encrusted montiporas will need room to grow wide, like the Montipora capricornis varieties which are narrow at the bottom but grow tall and wide. Other types of montiporas like the superman, orange and sunset varieties can grow pretty large, too, under the right conditions and you want to make sure the corals are not touching each other or crowded by other corals.
Montipora Care, Water Conditions
Water movement and flow are very important for montipora health and growth. In nature, most montiporas are found in shallow, lagoon-like environments. Their normal water flow is usually rather turbid from constant flow and movement from waves breaking near the top. To simulate this movement, there are a number of water pump options. Most tanks use an overflow system. In this system, water is drained in a sump and then is pushed back into the tank. Multiple power heads also work; they are submerged into the water and pump the water in and out. Other options are propeller pumps and gyre tanks. Many of the newer aquarium tanks come with a water movement system installed or pre-drilled holes for the proper pumps.
Montipora Care, Temperatures
Aquarium tanks need to be heated properly, as well. Montiporas thrive in water temperatures between 72 and 78 degrees and no warmer than 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Montipora Care, Lighting
Proper lighting is probably the most important factor in montipora care. The process of photosynthesis is critical to live corals existence. In nature since montiporas traditionally are in more shallow water, they have great access to sunlight. Sunlight is what keeps the production of zooxanthella steady zooxanthella is an algae that corals use as food. It is only produced through light, water and oxygen. Most montiporas need medium light, but some need high light. Many lighting options are available fluorescents, metal halide light and LEDs. Studies have shown that montiporas do well under all types of lights. In some cases, for instance with the superman montipora, the corals color is brighter when metal halide light is used in the tanks. Be sure to place your tank near electrical outlets so you can plug in your lights, heaters and pumps.
Montipora Care, Additives
All montiporas also benefit from added chemical supplements to the tank water. Calcium, which improves the corals skeletons, should be added and tested appropriately, along with other trace elements and strontium. Regarding diet, all montiporas need a weekly feed of micro-plankton.
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