Foliosa Montipora (Montipora foliosa) Care Guide
Montipora foliosa is a plating Indo-Pacific SPS coral that forms petal-like laminar layers, photosynthetic and grown under medium-high light and flow.
Overview
Montipora foliosa is a small-polyp stony (SPS) coral of the family Acroporidae that grows as plating, laminar sheets which build up into distinct petal- or leaf-like layers. Montipora is the second most species-rich coral genus after Acropora and has the smallest corallites of any coral family.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acroporidae
- Genus: Montipora
- Scientific name: Montipora foliosa
- Growth form: foliose / plating
Habitat
Montipora corals occur on reefs and in lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, and are entirely absent from the Atlantic. Montipora foliosa is an Indo-Pacific species.
Tank requirements
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity: 1.025-1.026
- Alkalinity (dKH): 7.5-9
- Calcium: 420-450 ppm
- Magnesium: 1300-1400 ppm
- Nitrate: below 10 ppm; Phosphate: below 0.05 ppm
- Lighting: ~150-250 PAR (medium-high)
- Flow: medium-high
- Established tank (minimum age ~3 months)
Placement & lighting
Montipora prefer medium to high light but are among the most bleaching-sensitive SPS, so they must be acclimated gradually to stronger lighting to avoid burning. Plating forms like foliosa need especially high flow to keep their surfaces free of debris. Because plating colonies grow outward like caps, place them in lower areas where they will not overshadow slower-growing corals.
Feeding
Montipora foliosa is photosynthetic: it hosts symbiotic zooxanthellae that supply most of its energy through photosynthesis, so dedicated target-feeding is not required. Maintaining stable lighting and water chemistry is the priority.
Compatibility
It is a passive, reef-safe coral without aggressive sweeper tentacles and is safe with fish and shrimp. Montipora is hardier and faster-growing than Acropora, making it a good plating SPS for developing reef systems, though it can be predated by corallivorous fish such as butterflyfish.