Pokerstar Monti Placement

sleeri · Jan 14, 2013

Just got a pokerstar monti frag. Trying to figure out where to place it in my tank. What do you recommend for lighting and flow? Where is it in your tank? Thanks for the feedback!

Saltyg · Jan 14, 2013

Do not have a pokerstar but have a red monti. Have it about medium height and med flow under leds half powered. It is really happy there. Got about a inch growth all around it in 2 months. At least I think that is good=)

MKOTAR · Jan 14, 2013

I keep mine high in tank under 400 watt halide and high flow
crazy bright blue base

sleeri · Jan 14, 2013

Yeah, I'm really hoping to pull our that blue, almost rainbow like color. I'm running 14k 250w and have the poker star in the lower 1/3 of the tank. I think I've got mine far too low, if you have it high under 400w.

sleeri · Jan 14, 2013

Saltyg, I've got a red monty as well. Same placement as you. It has done really well there.

snapcrackled · Jan 14, 2013

I had mine near the top on a 150w halide. Medium flow. They had great floresenty blue colors, but grew fast.

1fishmonger · Jan 14, 2013

What kind of lighting was it under before? If more intense than yours or you don't know - Start the frag off low and slowly bring it up in depth over the course of a few weeks. If the frag was shipped and you immediately put it under intense lighting, it'll likely bleach.

Montis like light and flow.

sleeri · Jan 14, 2013

It was under T5s in a shallow frag tank, so maybe it's better that I've started low. Bought from a local reefer. It's really not showing much blue/green right now. He said the color was stunning when he had it in his display high up under his LEDs. It's faded to an almost redish color. It was a cheap frag, so no big deal if it doesn't work out, but we'll see.

Rydogg420 · Jan 15, 2013

More light the better.. It will brown out under low lighting so keep the montis HIGH..

My rainbow monti was this white brown color when I got it, but I know to put them up high under my 250 watt MH and WOW is the base blue. I mean BLUE BLUE and the poylps are super bright. this is becoming my new fravorite pice day by day.. lol.

I dont know if this is true, but I was told the algee living in the monties needs high light inorder to not expand to soak up more light and make the montie a brownish color. this seems true because the monties that are in high light in my tank are SOO colorful and the one montie that is shaded by SPS is not so great looking and brownish. and flow is up to you. I say lower flow is best to see the poylps, but med flow for coral heath. mine grew right into the power head flow and is living, but you can see that part is not too happy getting blowen all over.

MKOTAR · Jan 15, 2013

just my opinion and experiance

I have never light acclimated a frag
I just put it where it fits in the tank

it may bleach a bit but I think it's better to just leave it alone keep hands off
and let it be. but that's just my way of doing things more then one way to do it right. just find it best for me to place it and then keep hands off and let it be

sleeri · Jan 15, 2013

Probably not a bad plan. No question, SPS don't like being moved. Rydogg, thanks for the color input! That gives me a lot hope for this new frag!

sleeri · Jan 20, 2013

UPDATE: I moved the Pokerstar frag high up in my tank. Lots of light and pretty good flow. Already seeing great results. The base has gone from brown-red to a light blue color. Polyps are showing nice extension and appear to be redish in color. I think this is a good sign!

aquavista99 · Jan 22, 2013

I keep my pokerstar, along with all my other montipora corals, on the very bottom of my high flow, high light reef (400 watt halides x3). As compared to most acropora corals, which love intense light with lots of indirect flow, most montipora corals prefer a little less light and flow in my opinion...they still love light and flow, but not as much as my acropora sticks.

Here are a few pictures of my pokerstar and a few other montipora gems from my reef.