Corona
Zoanthus sp.
Species profile
Space Chaos
Zoanthus sp.
Also sold as: Space Chaos zoa, Space Chaos zoanthid
Space Chaos is a zoanthid with a blotchy salmon-pink center around a green ring and blue mouth, pink dots on a purple face, and lime-and-purple banded tentacles.
Colors
Purple to violet-blue oral disc with fine radial grooves, scattered with small salmon-pink to peach dots; an irregular, blotchy salmon-pink to peach patch at the center around a green ring and a small blue mouth; and long, tapered tentacles banded in lime to yellow-green and purple to violet-blue, with dark speckles in the green bands
Care at a glance
Care level
Easy
Light
Medium
75-150 PAR
Flow
Moderate
Growth rate
Moderate
Placement
Lower to middle rockwork, ideally a spot near the front of the tank where the dotted faces can be seen up close
Temperature
75 to 80°F (24 to 27°C)
Salinity
1.024-1.026 specific gravity (about 32-35 ppt)
Feeding
Mostly light-fed, with optional fine foods once or twice a week.
Photosynthetic; optional fine particulate food once or twice a week
Care notes
The uneven center is what catches the eye. A blotchy salmon-pink to peach patch spreads irregularly around a green ring and small blue mouth, and small pink to peach dots are scattered across the purple face. The long, tapered tentacles are banded in lime to yellow-green (gold on some colonies) and purple, which gives the rim a striped look. Under strong blue light the colors look more intense, and under whiter light they look softer. From colony to colony, the pink can cover most of the face or stay as a smaller center patch. Colonies with quite different colors, such as yellow-green faces with purple tentacles or orange-red faces with gold tentacles, are also sold under this name, so buy from photos of the actual colony. Moderate, indirect flow keeps detritus off the faces but isn’t so strong that the polyps stay closed.
⚠ Palytoxin safety
Like any zoanthid, Space Chaos may contain palytoxin, so treat it as toxic. Wear gloves and eye protection when handling or fragging, and wash up afterward.
