I have a 14 gallon biocube and my rock is set up so that the highest point is about 5 inches from the light. I was wondering if my wimpy 48 watts of PC would be able to keep a Monti Cap alive. If not what about under the nanocustoms 72 watt PC?

The pc's will keep it alive, but in my opinion pc's just don't provide the quality of light to keep montiporas in the best shape. That said, I've never tried 72 watts of pc's on a small tank, my experience with SPS is mostly on t5's and halides...

Pcs can keep a monti alive but it will most like brown out because it doesnt need the extra zooxanthellae for uv protection and what not.

Dont they sell pc lights that are T5 in the States with the same lumen and par readings as ordinary T5 bulbs?
I have great results with 120w pc light

Sebas
sorry for my poor Englisch, i'm from Europe...

If it browns out, does the colour come back if you upgrade to better lighting?

Yup, it just takes time.

^^^^ +1

Takes some time but color will come back.

I think that depends on what you are calling "T5". I have read that Europeans call what are called PC bulbs here "T5", while in the use T5s are meant for single tube T5HO fluorescents.

I have kept a monti cap under 48 watts in my nano cube for more than 2 months now. It has grown about 1 inchs on all the edges and the color is not brown at all. it is pinkish

This gives me hope. Bring on the monti.

I'm with you on that one! Ever since discovering EL Fab's pico I am in love with monti caps. I'm sure It would do well as I already am growing a healthy Green monti digi and a copper pocillipora.

In my 20L, I keep my Red Monti's about 4 inches from a 96W PC and a 24W T5HO. It has grown from about an inch diameter frag to over 5 inches across in under 10 months.

My orange monti grows just fine under my AP12 stock lights, I do however, keep it close to the top of the tank.

In order to keep SPS successfully IMO, lighting is actually secondary to good consistent water quality. So keep your water parameters stable and in the right range and place that cap high up and you should be fine.

well i have actually upgraded my light to a 70 watt metal halide so that i can accomadate sps and getting a skimmer and a vortech to keep my sps happy. but monti caps are really expensize where i live minimum price for a monti at my lfs is $60 but i guess it is because they only have monti colonies no frags. what are monti prices like with you guys?

I got a frag of red montipora about 3 inches across and an inch and a half wide for only 5 bucks. I got it from a local guy and not an LFS though. I also bought a pink birds nest two zoa frags and a hammer coral frag for 5 bucks each from the same guy. If you have a local reef club I'd check there that's how I found him.

my friend has an orange monti and a ref cap in his stock BioCube29 and they are doing great. The cap is big and red and its started plating out. The montipora is full of big polyps and its doing great. Growing super fast.

ive had 3 SPS die in my 24AP with a MH lighting

Wanna good price on frags... make friends!!

Red montipora cap will do fine and grow under that lighting, but it wont have as much color as it does under MH, but it will not turn brown.