Manderin zoas

Manderin zoas — also sold spelled as Mandarin — are an orange zoanthid strain in the family of bright orange Zoanthus morphs: a saturated orange disc and skirt with a slightly lighter mouth, opening into a mat that glows like embers under blue light. Orange zoas are a staple of zoa gardens because the color stays strong at light levels where reds and purples wash out.

Care is the standard hardy zoanthid pattern: low to medium light (about 75 to 200 PAR), moderate indirect flow, and placement low to mid-rockwork while the mat establishes. Orange morphs hold color across a wide range of tanks, which makes this a good first named strain for a new keeper.

Zoanthids feed mostly from their zooxanthellae, so light matters more than target feeding, but most colonies respond well to a light broadcast of fine planktonic food or amino supplements once a week. Keep nutrients present rather than zeroed out — colonies kept in ultra-low-nutrient water often stall, shrink, or close up. Stable alkalinity between 8 and 10 dKH, calcium 400 to 450 ppm, salinity around 1.025 to 1.026, and temperatures of 77 to 79°F cover the basics.

Placement is about growth control as much as light. Zoanthids spread by a creeping mat and will overgrow slower neighbors, so many keepers give a named strain its own rock island with sand on all sides. A new frag should start low while it acclimates, then move up gradually if you want tighter polyps and stronger color.

Handling note: zoanthids can contain palytoxin. Wear gloves and eye protection when handling or fragging, wash hands afterward, and never boil or pressure-wash zoanthid-covered rock.

Field notes — what keepers report

Keepers note the spelling follows the coral: ECC and many vendors list it as "Manderin," so searches under both spellings turn up the same strain. Reports describe fast, even growth once the mat passes ten polyps, and polyps that stay open under brighter light than most zoas tolerate — several keepers run it mid-tank without the stretching seen in fussier strains. The orange is reported to photograph close to true under blue light with an orange filter, unlike many strains that need editing to match the tank view.