Cap Texture

[sevise]

Is there a reason why some caps are smoother than others? I bought a 4" 'frag' and it was relatively smooth when I bought it and has grown rather bumpy with alot of ridges between nearly every polyp.

[Genetics]

Possible change in water flow?

[jdhuyvetter]

There are probably 10 or 12 Montipora species that are all sold under the name "cap" All are plating corals. You probably have two different species. I currently have about 7 "caps" and two other plating montis. Of the 7 "caps" two are probably M. capricornis, one is M. undata, one is M. delicatula, one is probably M. peltiformis, and the rest.....who knows.

[Marklu]

Well I purchased a 4" inch piece that was very smooth with a lot of outward growth, but since its introduction into my tank it has grown thicker and more rough I prefer the smooth, scrolling type of cap so if there is a specific way to achieve this, I'm all ears.

[IFbettas]

I got a cap that did the opposite in my tank. When I got it it was very bumpy, but all of the new growth is smooth. Same with my Idaho Grape, which is an undata. The growth from its original tank is very bumpy, and in my tank it is just smooth. My tank has more flow than the tanks that produced the frags. I don't know if that is the reason why they are smooth in my tank, though.

[Marklu]

Mine is getting great flow and the tank it came out of didn't have the best flow. Go figure.

[29reef]

I have the same experience as IFbettas more flow, and less texture to caps. I've tried to get a leng sy cap to grow as it looked from the mother without luck. Other people who have the same coral from my tank have a replication of the original. All tanks are different....it's hard to be mother nature.

[jbird69]

I have heard that caps growth formation is largely based on flow. You can change the formation by minute tweaking of power heads. I dont know if this includes texture. I have seen corals labeled as caps that are growing big vrtical spires out of the surface.