Orange Encrusting Montipora (Montipora sp.)

Orange encrusting Montipora sp., just added to display tank. Picture taken December 2005, Nikon D70 Digital SLR, Sigma 105mm Macro lens The upper part of my display tank under the center glass does not have much room for vertical growth and it has fairly strong flow rates. My plan is to reserve this area for encrusting montipora corals such as this orange one. It appears to have two different species on one rock!

Orange encrusting Montipora sp., just added to display tank. Picture taken December 2005, Nikon D70 Digital SLR, Sigma 105mm Macro lens This macro picture shows fairly well the very small polyps typical of montipora species.

Two encrusting Montipora sp. species, just added to display tank. Picture taken December 2005, Nikon D70 Digital SLR, Sigma 105mm Macro lens. The back side of the rock has a less colorful species of encrusting montipora. The “no mans land” between them shows the border where they are fighting. Hopefully the more colorful one wins out. UPDATE: Both of these montipora species bleached and died during April 2006. It happened within a weeks time. I’m not sure what triggered it as the other montipora species in the tank are still doing fine.