🪸 Montipora sp. “Chilli Pepper”
WYSIWYG Specimen – Fiery Red Encrusting Montipora
🔹 Quick Stats
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Peaceful (can encrust nearby surfaces if space allows)
Colour Form: The Chilli Pepper Montipora features a vibrant fiery-red to chilli-pepper base coloration covered with bright contrasting polyps that give the coral a speckled, spicy appearance. Under actinic lighting the red tissue intensifies into deep glowing crimson while the polyps create a textured pepper-like pattern across the surface. Under white lighting the coral reveals rich tones of red, scarlet and warm paprika hues that give it the unmistakable look of crushed chilli flakes scattered across the reef.
Water Conditions: 24–26 °C, dKH 7.5–9, pH 8.0–8.4, sg 1.024–1.026
Family: Acroporidae
Lighting: Moderate to High (PAR 150–300)
Water Flow: Moderate to strong, turbulent
Placement: Mid to upper rockwork with space for encrusting growth
🧬 Overview
The Montipora “Chilli Pepper” is a vibrant encrusting SPS coral prized for its fiery coloration and textured polyp pattern. The bright red base combined with contrasting polyp structure creates a dynamic surface that becomes even more pronounced as the coral grows and spreads across the rockwork.
As the colony expands, the coral forms a glowing red carpet over the aquascape, creating a strong visual foundation in reef displays and contrasting beautifully with greens, yellows and blues commonly found in SPS collections.
WYSIWYG:
You will receive the exact coral shown in the photo. Each specimen is individually photographed and selected for colour saturation, polyp definition and overall coral health.
Selected for:
• Deep chilli-red coloration
• Strong contrasting polyp texture
• Healthy tissue and active growth edges
• Excellent encrusting potential
• Proven colour response under reef LED lighting
🍽️ Care & Feeding
Montipora corals rely primarily on photosynthesis but benefit from occasional feeding and stable nutrient levels.
Recommended feeding:
• Reef plankton blends or powdered coral foods
• Amino acids for SPS systems
• Broadcast feeding 1–2× weekly
📈 Optimal Parameters
Parameter | Ideal Range
Alkalinity (dKH) | 7.5–9
Calcium (Ca) | 420–450 ppm
Magnesium (Mg) | 1300–1400 ppm
Nitrate (NO₃) | 2–10 ppm
Phosphate (PO₄) | 0.02–0.08 ppm
📍 Placement
Place in the mid to upper areas of the aquascape where moderate to strong lighting is available. Provide turbulent flow to keep the coral surface clean and encourage healthy encrusting growth.
Allow surrounding rock space for the coral to naturally spread and form larger plates or encrusting mats.
🌶️ Montipora “Chilli Pepper”
A blazing red Montipora with peppered texture — fiery, vibrant and guaranteed to add heat and colour intensity to any reef aquascape.