Hispida Monti (Montipora hispida) Care Guide
Montipora hispida is an encrusting/plating Indo-Pacific SPS coral, photosynthetic and grown under medium-high light with moderate flow in reef tanks.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Montipora hispida (Dana, 1846) is a small-polyp stony (SPS) coral of the family Acroporidae with an encrusting to plating growth form. As with all Montipora it has the smallest corallites of any coral family, and the genus is the second most species-rich after Acropora.
Taxonomy
- Family: Acroporidae
- Genus: Montipora
- Scientific name: Montipora hispida
- Authority: Dana, 1846
- Synonym: Montipora punctata Bernard, 1897
- Growth form: encrusting / plating
Habitat
Montipora hispida is an Indo-Pacific species. The genus inhabits reefs and lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean and is entirely absent from the Atlantic.
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
- Established tank (minimum age ~3 months)
Placement & lighting
It prefers medium to high light but, like other Montipora, is bleaching-sensitive and must be acclimated to brighter lighting gradually. Encrusting forms do well in medium flow. Allow space for the colony to spread over the rock without overgrowing slower neighbours.
Feeding
Montipora hispida is photosynthetic and obtains most of its energy from symbiotic zooxanthellae, so it does not require dedicated target-feeding. Stable lighting and water chemistry are the priorities.
Compatibility
It is passive and reef-safe, with no aggressive sweeper tentacles, and is safe alongside fish and shrimp. Montipora is generally hardier and faster-growing than Acropora.
Propagating Montipora hispida (Hispida Monti)
Overview
Montipora hispida is a small-polyp stony coral of the family Acroporidae that grows in encrusting and plating forms with a bristled surface. As with all Montipora, the corallites are the smallest of any coral family and the coenosteum is porous. The genus is distributed across the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea and is absent from the Atlantic.
Reproductive Mode
Montipora reproduce sexually as hermaphroditic broadcast spawners, releasing gametes in spring. In captivity, colonies are increased asexually by fragmentation.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Where the colony is encrusting, cut around the polyps with a band saw to the desired size; where it plates, cut the sheet into flat chips. Coral cutters are a cheaper option for smaller pieces. Flat fragments seat best on plugs.
- Cut around polyps (encrusting) or into chips (plating) with a band saw or coral cutters.
- Keep fragments flat to ease the glue bond.
- Apply cyanoacrylate glue sized to the fragment base on a plug or disc.
- Seat the fragment, hold about 30 seconds, then return it to good flow and light within a few hours.
Conditions for Propagation
Stable alkalinity, calcium and magnesium underpin recovery. The Aquairi record targets medium-high light (about 150-250 PAR), medium flow and 24-26 C.
Common Challenges
Montipora hosts copepod parasites such as Allopodion mirum and Xarifia extensa, and an undescribed Phestilla nudibranch grazes its tissue. Quarantine and dip new frags before adding them to the display.