I have seen them called: Zoanthids, Zoanthid, Zoanthus, Palythoa, Zooanthids and Zooanthid. "Zoanthids" works for me and have been my obsession since the mid 90's. For whatever reason when it comes to live coral Zoanthids really impress me. When aquascaping a reef, there is nothing better than the Zoanthids to add color, texture, and control size in almost any nook & cranny.

My interest in Zoanthids is what had ultimately led to the creation of TheSea.org and then to my online store Farms-of-TheSea.Com. My culturing of Zoanthids actually landed a spot in Julian Sprung’s Guide. I have been somewhat obsessed with collecting Sea Mat for nearly 3 years now since my first introduction to the species. Building an impressive reef ecosystem consists of not only health of the tank inhabitants, and functionality, but aesthetics as well. I have found the Zoanthids to be great addition for providing that perfect supplement of color when creating your reef scene.

I have often referred to my display tanks as underwater gardens, and as the reef is to the garden the Zoanthids (Sea Mat) is to the flower that lies within. Prior to working with these polyps creating contrast in texture and color was in some cases very difficult. With a dominant SPS tank I often found myself with too much blue, or too much green. Once I stumbled upon Zoanthids the barriers of balance were tamed and the possibilities were endless.