Undata montipora (Montipora undata) care guide

Group
Corals
Other names
Montipora
Family
Acroporidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs
Water
saltwater
Temperature
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Hardness
dKH 8–12
Care level
intermediate
Reef safe
yes
Lighting
Moderate to high; acclimatise slowly. Hobby guidance is roughly PAR 150–300
Flow
Moderate to strong, indirect

Care

Montipora undata is a small-polyp stony (SPS) coral that grows as encrusting sheets and thin plates, often with irregular ridges on the surface. Its tiny polyps give the surface a velvety look. Colours include brown, green, orange and purple. Placement: middle to upper rockwork, with room to spread. Plating growth shades corals underneath, so allow space. Light and flow: moderate to strong light and medium flow suit encrusting Montipora; colour usually improves with more light, but increase it gradually. Water and supplements: stable alkalinity, calcium and magnesium, with strontium and trace elements as needed. It is more forgiving than Acropora and suits a mature reef with stable water. Growth: encrusting Montipora are relatively fast-growing under good conditions. Aquacultured and maricultured frags are widely available. Selling: this is a CITES Appendix II coral. Frags grown in the UK can be sold freely; wild-collected or imported pieces must have been legally imported with CITES paperwork. LiveAquaria does not list Montipora undata itself; its figures here are for the related encrusting Montipora nodosa. Sources: LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com/products/smooth-encrusting-montipora-coral). Checked October 2026.

Diet

Photosynthetic: zooxanthellae supply most of its food. LiveAquaria suggests weekly feeding with micro-plankton or foods for filter-feeding invertebrates, which helps growth.

Breeding

Easy to frag: break or cut a piece of plate or encrusting edge with bone cutters or a saw, glue it to a plug with gel superglue, and keep it in good light and flow. Frags encrust and start plating within weeks.

Compatibility and tank mates

Peaceful with very short tentacles, so it can sit near other peaceful corals, but it is easily stung by LPS corals and harmed by leather corals. Fast plates can shade and overgrow neighbours. Watch for Montipora-eating nudibranchs on new pieces.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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