ORAnge Setosa – Montipora setosa cultivar from ORA (Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums)
ORA’s cultured corals have achieved an ever-growing demand, and the latest introduction surely will be added to the drool-worthy list. It should come as no surprise that while there is a seemingly endless array of uniquely-named coral cultivars available from just as many aquaculturists, few (if any) rival the level of notoriety that an ORA coral can achieve.
I believe, this is in large part due to the way ORA goes about selecting corals for commercial-scale culture. In some cases, such as the ORA Red Goniopora (see Rethinking Goniopora in the May/June 2011 Issue of CORAL Magazine), it can take a few years, to the better part of a decade, to bring a new coral into cultivation and establish enough broodstock colonies to provide a stable, ongoing supply of a genetically unique cultivar. Only the corals determined to be the most agreeable to captive-life and cultivation are ultimately selected for culture and sale.
Perhaps it is a combination of rigorous quarantine, long term captive observation, and the patience to build up a suitable quantity of inventory, that explains just why an ORA coral introduction can truly be considered a “new product”, and not simply just a passing fad or a one-off piece of eye candy.
Montiporas, particularly the non-encrusting types, continue to impress me as perhaps some of the most ideal SPS corals for beginners. By the same token, I believe this relative ease of care causes them to be overlooked by more advanced hobbyists who focus mostly on Acropora– anyone out there have a Montipora-only reef tank? I’d love to feature such a thing!
In the ORAnge Setosa, there’s something for everyone. The ORAnge Setosa is a very welcome addition to the color pallete of SPS reef aquariums, and surely will be another hit release from ORA. For additional basics, here’s some info directly from ORA:
The ORAnge Setosa is an awesome Montipora species with a rather unique growth form among SPS corals. This coral is famous for its intense orange coloration but it can appear pink when placed under very intense lighting. As the ORAnge Setosa colony grows, it forms an undulating encrusted base and branches that eventually fuse together before branching again. Mature colonies often have extremely unusual shapes and it seems that no two colonies are ever the same. Compared to other Montipora species, the ORAnge Setosa has very few polyps however they give the otherwise smooth surface a delicate texture. The ORAnge Setosa is a relatively slow grower, but we have found it to be hardy and tolerant of a wide range of lighting and flow conditions.
Placement: Bottom – Middle
Lighting: Medium – High
Flow: Low – Moderate
via the ORAnge Setosa product page at ORA.
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