Pink Confusa Monti Care Guide

Pink Confusa Monti (Montipora samarensis) is a SPS coral. Care covers 150-250 PAR, medium-high flow, reef parameters and feeding; intermediate level.

Overview

Pink Confusa Monti (Montipora samarensis) is a SPS coral in the family Acroporidae. Encrusting/plating Monti with bright pink-purple coloration. Dense polyp coverage.

Taxonomy

• Family: Acroporidae
• Genus: Montipora
• Scientific name: Montipora samarensis
• Common synonyms: Samarensis, Pink Confusa

Habitat

In the wild, Montipora samarensis is reported from Indo-Pacific, where it occupies shallow reef flats and upper slopes (typically 1-15 m). The species adopts a plating growth form on hard substrate within zooxanthellate reef communities.

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: 3 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 samarensis 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 0.4-0.9 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.