The Forest Fire Digitata

Its hard to pick out a favorite coral. How can someone honestly say that one above all others is their favorite ? For myself however the forest fire digitata is top a contender for favorite corals of all time if I was forced to pick only one. A small perfect frag or a large grown out colony are equally as impressive. There are few corals that have the striking red on green contrast that is so vividly displayed in this species of montipora. Its often accompanied by an almost blue or purple base. This coral is a true classic in the reef keeping hobby and I remember that it was already a popular coral over 12 years ago when I first discovered coral reef keeping. Recently in the last few years I have noticed a trend, at least in the US were people have begun to call it bubblegum digi. I’m unconvinced that its any different from the traditional forest fire after seeing them side by side. These nick names we assign to corals though change over time and I have seen many zoas over the years get new names although the coral remains the same. Anyways this piece regardless of what you call is amazing.

Its super easy to keep and fast growing relative to other hard corals. I find it prefers slightly lower lightning in the 200 par range and does better under LED lights in the higher blue spectrum. It prefers moderate flow but can still take some intense flow like other sps corals. Once established the growth on this piece is remarkable. Its easy to see when its growing because the tip will turn white and then fill in the with the coolest bright green hue. The polyps are bright red when its healthy and they look good in almost any tank. They grow like many other montipora digitata in this random and unique structure similar to some thicker birds nest corals. They are super easy to frag and branches can be snapped off literally with your fingers. Accidental fragging is quite common when cleaning the aquarium lol. Highly recommend this piece!