Rainbow Cap Montipora Care Guide
Rainbow Cap Montipora (Montipora capricornis var. 'Rainbow') is a SPS coral. Care covers 150-250 PAR, medium-high flow, reef parameters and feeding; intermediate level.
Overview
Rainbow Cap Montipora (Montipora capricornis var. 'Rainbow') is a SPS coral in the family Acroporidae. Multi-colored Monti cap with red, orange, green, and purple zones. Spectacular when grown into a full plate.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acroporidae
- Genus: Montipora
- Scientific name: Montipora capricornis var. 'Rainbow'
- Common synonyms: Rainbow Cap
Habitat
This morph of Montipora capricornis var. 'Rainbow' is propagated exclusively in aquaculture and is not sourced from wild reefs. The parent species naturally occupies shallow reef flats and upper slopes (typically 1-15 m) and grows in a plating form, which the aquacultured fragments retain in the home reef.
Tank requirements
- Salinity (specific gravity): 1.025-1.026
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness (dKH): 7.5-9
- Calcium: 420-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1300-1400 ppm
- Phosphate (max): 0.05 ppm
- Nitrate (max): 10 ppm
- Minimum system age: 6 months
Placement and lighting
- PAR (placement zone): 150-250 PAR
- Water flow: medium-high
Place this SPS coral on the upper rockwork where light is bright and water movement is strong, ideally turbulent rather than laminar. Acclimate gradually to high PAR over 2-3 weeks to avoid bleaching. SPS demand a mature system: stable alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium with phosphate and nitrate kept ultra-low.
Feeding
Montipora capricornis var. 'Rainbow' hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae and derives most of its energy through photosynthesis. Additional feeding is generally not required when lighting is adequate.
Compatibility
This coral is passive toward neighbours. Reef-safe with most fish and invertebrates.
Care notes
Difficulty level: intermediate. Reported skeletal growth in well-tuned reef tanks is approximately 0.5-1.2 cm/month. Propagation by fragmentation is straightforward for plating colonies — separate branches or polyps with a bone cutter, glue to plug, allow 1-2 weeks for healing. Maintain stable alkalinity (avoid swings above ±0.5 dKH per day) to preserve tissue health.