Sunset Montipora
The sunset montipora is a very beautiful and rare coral. It is considered a collectors piece and is hard to find and rather expensive (more than $100 per fragment). Similar to montiporas in its family, the sunset montipora is a peaceful coral and will interact nicely with other live corals in a reef aquarium tank.
Sunset Montipora Characteristics
Its characteristic feature is a deep, intense orange pigmentation with bright florescent green polyps. Up close, the polyps are so large they appear as bright green sprouts or tiny flowers. The intense pigmentation of this coral is a rare find. The polyps on a sunset montipora are uncharacteristically large for a montipora. Montiporas usually only open their polyps at night, but the sunset montipora opens its polyps at all times during the day. Further, the sunset montipora contains a very strong skeleton that makes it more stress resistant than other montiporas and can bounce back quickly.
Sunset Montipora Poritidae
Reef experts have yet to identify this special type of montipora into a particular group of montiporas. However, due to its large polyp size, it may eventually be classified under the Montipora poritidae, Montipora foveolata or Montipora venosa. Since it has not been properly classified, it is most commonly called the sunset montipora. Reef experts do know that the coral comes from the Indo-Pacific region, the same area of origin as most common montiporas.
Sunset Montipora Ideal Environmet
Sunset montiporas need moderate water flow to thrive in a reef tank environment. To maintain the brilliant orange pigmentation and the bright green polyps, moderate lighting should be used, preferably a metal halide kept at 10-15 inches away from the coral. Water temperatures for a sunset montipora should stay between 74 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. When using the metal halide lights (recommended for sunset montiporas) they can add more heat than desired and should be kept a distance from coral.
Sunset Montipora Additives
Calcium and alkalinity should be monitored in your reef aquarium tank, especially for this rare coral. Most experts and scientists agree that calcium should be maintained in the range of 400-450 mg/l range. Alkalinity, an inorganic carbon source, is also crucial as a part of the photosynthesis process. This should be maintained at 160 mg/l or ~3.25 meq/l. Biocarbonates, an alkalinity booster, can also be added to promote the coral growth and health.
Sunset Montipora Placement In The Reef Aquarium
When placing a fragment of sunset montipora in your tank, consider affixing it to an exposed rock in the top half of the reef tank. In that location, the fragment will be in the target zone for proper water flow to bolster its growth. Also, it will be more exposed to trace elements that will help it grow. Sunset montiporas diet should be supplemented with phytoplankton, food for filter feeders, marine snow and trace elements.
|
