Hephaestus

Hephaestus is a Zoanthus strain named for the forge god, and it fits: a pink-red face worked with blue-purple speckle and a blue-purple ring, like hot metal shot through with cooler veins. The mix of warm base and cool detailing gives each polyp a crafted, almost molten complexity that stands apart from single-colour reds. It is a tier 2 strain, respected by collectors who track the premium speckled and ringed bloodlines in modern zoa keeping.

Care

Keep Hephaestus low to mid in the tank under medium light, with medium flow moving through the mat to keep polyps clean. Provide measurable nutrients rather than ultra-clean water, in which zoanthids sulk and lose condition, and keep alkalinity stable. It is an easy strain with moderate growth once established, so a consistent spot and consistent water will do more for it than frequent adjustments or repeated repositioning around the aquascape.

Keeping and spread

The colony spreads as a mat, growing outward at a moderate pace as new polyps bud along the edge. Plan for about 2 in of space on all sides; with moderate aggression, the mat can overgrow and smother slower neighbours it contacts, so give premium pieces room to become colonies. Frag by cutting through the mat between polyps, fixing the section to a plug or rubble, and letting it heal in similar light and flow.