Coral

ECC Pokerstar Montipora

Montipora sp.AcroporidaeMontipora corals

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The Pokerstar Montipora brings bold color to reef aquariums with its bright green polyps against a rich purple base; this encrusting SPS coral is a reliable choice for vibrant, long-term color on rockwork in stable, mature systems. A manageable grower preferring medium lighting (150-250 PAR) and moderate to high flow, give it room to encrust with steady current that keeps detritus from settling; it primarily relies on photosynthesis but benefits from occasional coral food and amino acid feedings.

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as: Velvet coral; Encrusting montipora; Vice coral
Environment: Saltwater
Native to: Indo-Pacific
Habitat: Shallow reef flats and slopes with strong water movement and bright light, where colonies encrust, plate, or branch over available substrate
Sourcing: Aquacultured
Conservation: Not Evaluated

Care

Care level: Easy
Coral type: SPS
Temperament: Peaceful
Growth form: Encrusting
Adult size: 1 – 12 in (2.5 – 30 cm)
Spread: 12 in (30 cm)
Growth rate: Fast
Placement: Low, Middle, High

Water

Temperature: 76 – 80 °F (24 – 27 °C)
pH: 8.1 – 8.4
dKH: 8 – 10 dKH
Salinity: 1.025 – 1.026 SG
PAR: 150 – 300 PAR
Flow: Moderate-High
Light: Medium

Reef care

Nutrient preference: Low
Alk/Ca uptake: High
Target feeding: Beneficial
Give it room: 3 in (7.6 cm)
Colors: Green, Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, Blue, Teal, Brown, Multicolor

Feeding & breeding

Diet: Photosynthetic
Foods: Frozen, Coral food, Zooplankton, Phytoplankton
Propagation: Fragging

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Care guide

Overview

ECC Pokerstar Montipora is an encrusting Montipora sp. colony bearing bright green polyps over a purple base. Under medium PAR and moderate-high flow it spreads steadily across rockwork, drawing energy mainly from its zooxanthellae. Best kept a few inches from neighbors in a mature, stable reef system.

Care

Montipora is among the more forgiving small-polyp stony corals, tolerating a wider range of light and flow than Acropora while still rewarding stable, mature reef systems with steady growth and strong coloration. New frags should be acclimated to light gradually over a couple of weeks, since a sudden jump in intensity causes bleaching that starts at the growing edge before spreading across the colony. Moderate to high flow across the surface helps prevent detritus and film algae from settling on encrusting and plating forms, and leaving room around the colony avoids stinging conflicts with neighboring corals as it spreads.

Placement & acclimation

Mount frags with cyanoacrylate gel glue or reef putty onto exposed rock or a dedicated frag plug, positioning the piece where it will receive direct flow and light appropriate to its growth form. Encrusting and plating varieties are often placed on a small, removable grow-out rock to keep their spread manageable and easy to relocate or frag later. New arrivals should start lower in the tank at reduced PAR and be moved upward gradually over several weeks rather than placed immediately under intense lighting.

Feeding

Most of its nutrition comes from photosynthetic zooxanthellae, so lighting quality matters more than direct feeding for day-to-day energy needs. Occasional target feeding with fine zooplankton, coral food, or amino acid supplements can boost growth rate and intensify coloration, especially in nutrient-poor systems. Feeding is a supplement rather than a requirement, and overfeeding tends to raise nutrient levels faster than it benefits the coral.

Neighbors

Montipora lacks strong sweeper tentacles or aggressive chemical defenses, so it should be kept a few inches from other stony corals to avoid being overgrown or stung by more aggressive neighbors. Soft corals such as leathers and mushrooms release chemical compounds that can irritate nearby SPS, so some distance from these is advisable. Because encrusting and plating forms spread outward over time, plan spacing with future growth in mind rather than just the frag's current footprint.

Fragging

Montipora frags easily by cutting or snapping branches, or by removing plated sections with bone cutters or a band saw, then mounting the fragments on plugs or rubble until they attach. Encrusting forms can also be propagated by cutting a piece of rock bearing live tissue, since the coral will continue spreading from any retained living edge. Growth is generally fast enough that a single healthy colony can supply repeated frags over a year without setting back the parent piece.

Pests & problems

Montipora-eating nudibranchs are a well-known and persistent pest, often arriving unnoticed on new frags and capable of stripping tissue from an entire colony before being detected. Flatworms, vermetid snails, and so-called gorilla crabs can also cause localized damage, so dipping and inspecting new colonies before introduction is standard practice. Sudden browning usually signals excess nutrients or insufficient light, while tissue paling or edge whitening points to light stress or early bleaching.