Propagating Montipora samarensis (Pink Confusa Monti)

How to propagate the plating SPS Montipora samarensis: cutting flat chips with a band saw, gluing to plugs, and notes on its hermaphroditic broadcast spawning and nudibranch pests.

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.