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.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
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.
Propagating Montipora samarensis (Pink Confusa Monti)
Overview
Montipora samarensis is a small-polyp stony coral in the family Acroporidae. Montipora is the second most species-rich coral genus, with about 85 known species, and members are common on reefs and lagoons of the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, while being absent from the Atlantic. Colonies form encrusting and plating sheets and host symbiotic zooxanthellae that supply energy through photosynthesis.
Reproductive Mode
Montipora corals are hermaphroditic broadcast spawners. In the aquarium, however, colonies are multiplied almost exclusively by asexual fragmentation, which preserves the parent colony's color and form.
Fragging / Asexual Propagation
Plating Montipora is among the easier SPS to frag. A band saw is the cleanest tool for cutting plating and encrusting tissue into chips; coral cutters or bone cutters are a less expensive alternative that can also be used inside the tank. Cut chips as flat as possible so they seat easily on a plug or disc.
- Cut the plate into small chips with a band saw or coral cutters.
- Keep each chip flat to make gluing easier.
- Apply a bead of cyanoacrylate glue roughly the size of the chip base onto a frag plug or disc.
- Seat the chip, hold about 30 seconds, then return it to the tank.
- Place fragged colonies back into good flow and light within a few hours.
Conditions for Propagation
Healthy growth and recovery depend on stable reef chemistry and adequate light and flow. The Aquairi knowledge record lists medium-high lighting (about 150-250 PAR), medium-high flow, and temperature near 24-26 C as targets for this colony.
Common Challenges
Montipora colonies are preyed upon by corallivorous butterflyfish and by an undescribed Phestilla nudibranch that feeds on Montipora tissue. Inspect new frags and dip them before adding them to an established system to avoid introducing these nudibranchs.