Red Hornet Zoa

The Red Hornet Zoa (Zoanthus sp.) is a legendary, hall-of-fame designer zoanthid that remains an essential piece for high-end polyp collectors. Famous for its hyper-saturated ring contrast and iconic “Hornet” patterning, this morph features a rich crimson-red face disc anchored by a glowing white-to-silver oral eye, wrapped in a crisp, high-contrast neon-yellow halo ring, and finished off with a deep red or maroon skirt.

Its distinct target-like ring structure makes it instantly identifiable and a standout contrast piece when set against blue or green zoa morphs.

Coloration: Crimson-red to deep magenta face disc, stark white center eye, vibrant neon-yellow halo ring, and a rich red to maroon skirt.

Growth Pattern: Colonial mat (encrusts across rockwork, plugs, or sandbed rubble, forming dense, uniform mats of tight polyps). Sold as 2-3 polyps.

Lighting: Low to Moderate (PAR 75–150).

Water Flow: Low to Medium (Gentle to moderate sweeping indirect flow).

Feeding: Photosynthetic; optional spot-feeding with fine coral powders or liquid amino acids will boost polyp size and budding speed.

Aggressiveness: Peaceful (can safely sit adjacent to other Zoanthus species in a mixed garden).

Care Level: Easy to Moderate.