TankBud

Montipora plating (cap coral)

Montipora capricornis

Also known as Cap Coral, Plating Montipora, Monti Cap

SaltwaterCoral

Montipora plating (cap coral) (Montipora capricornis)
Grendelkhan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
75–81°F
24–27°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
7.9 in
20 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Very common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Acroporidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs, commonly collected and maricultured from Indonesia and Australia

Overview

Sessile and passive with no sweeper tentacles, so it will not sting neighbors, but it is easily overgrown or stung by more aggressive corals and needs its own space. One of the more forgiving SPS corals, though it still reacts badly to sudden swings in alkalinity, temperature or light. Best introduced lower in the tank and moved up gradually to avoid light shock.

In the wild

A plating small polyp stony coral that forms overlapping whorls and vase-like shelves in the wild across shallow to mid Indo-Pacific reefs. In the aquarium it wants a mature, chemically stable system with steady alkalinity and calcium. Give it moderate to high light, roughly 150 to 250 PAR, and moderate to strong flow across the plate to keep detritus from settling. Mount it mid to upper rockwork angled to catch light, and remember a growing cap casts heavy shade on anything below it.

Good to know

Montipora capricornis is a zooxanthellate SPS coral in the family Acroporidae. It builds thin calcium carbonate plates that spread outward and stack into layered shelves, growing roughly 5 to 7 cm across per year under good conditions. Like other Montipora it has very small polyps and relies mostly on photosynthesis from symbiotic zooxanthellae, supplemented by capturing fine particulate food.

Did you know

The overlapping plates often curl up at the edges into a broad vase or rose shape, which is why hobbyists nickname it the cap coral even though a single colony can eventually shade out a large area of the tank floor beneath it.

Common questions

What size tank does a Montipora plating (cap coral) need?

A Montipora plating (cap coral) needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Montipora plating (cap coral) need?

A Montipora plating (cap coral) is comfortable at 75–81°F (24–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

How big does a Montipora plating (cap coral) get?

An adult Montipora plating (cap coral) reaches about 7.9 in (20 cm).

Related species