controlling pulsing xenia

[donald altman]

I found if you place it on a small rock in the sand it will stay put and only grow on it.. if you find some does try to start growing onto the sand you can just lift it off really easily and chunk it... it will grow taller but not spread... I sometimes will get a pair of scizzors and literally trim it inside a small quariantine tank if it gets to tall and lengthy then transfer back into my display. Do not put this stuff on your main rock work.. it will overrun a tank.

 

[BrownPoseidon]

add rubble rock around the main piece where the xenia is, as it grows to the rubble take it to local fish and get credit!

i agree. You gotta have a pile of small live rock pieces and put the original small xenia stalk in the middle of pile so it grows onto the pieces for removal and sale on craigslist or store credit. Do it myself works good

[/IMG] ready for sale via craigsist. used this pic and everything

 

[darmx]

xenia are fun but when they grow out of proportion. It's not worth it

 

[ssgtgonzo]

Galaxea will make short work of it too.

 

[G4546]

How can I keep mine alive while my tank cycles? My friend gave me some live rock from his sump with Xenia on it. I have had in there for a day and it is still pulsing. I set the tank up 5 days ago.

Eeek ! :eek1: It doesn't look good now You will lose it if you go through the nitrogen cycle. Best to give to a friend to hold for you so it doesn't parish.

 

[immokalee98]

Wow. I wish I could get this stuff to grow in my tank. I love xenia, but everytime I add a frag to my tank, it does not grow.

 

[pbobme]

i just bought it it is my first coral conditions are a lil shaky cuz i have to instal my sump still but tank is 3 months old and it started pulsing immediatly and seems fine for past two hours... wish me luck thanks.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

i agree keep it on the glass or isolated in the sand...once it takes root on your main rock it will take over...

 

[RyanSweatt2004]

Store Credit and posting an add on your local Craigslist are the best ways. People pay good money for xenia everyday, Might as well sell yours too.

 

[Postyoa28]

Try a pencil urchin.

Try a pencil urchin.

This may just be my experience, but I have a pencil urchin that made it his mission to exterminate the xenia. I originally bought a frag of pulsing xenia from my LFS and placed the plug on a bit of live rock near the top of the tank. The colony started expanding, so I fraged the colony by breaking the piece of rubble into separate parts. I then placed these now separate frags in the sand bed. They were not doing as well deeper in the tank, namely not growing like weeds. Well one day I was feeding the tank, and noticed the urchin munching on the frag with one of the xenia colonies on it. I came back from work and that frag was gone. Came down the next morning, all to colonies were gone...

TL;DR I have a pencil urchin named Terminator.

As a side note, it left all the other softies and LPS alone.

 

[mandarin_goby]

Blows my mind that people try to kill it! I have one now, yes, it's still a new tank, but I couldn't bear to kill it or throw it away. I'm the same way with my freshwater plants. Thankfully, I have a place that takes frags for trade.

 

[llewella]

I love it! I especially want some of the blue zenia.

 

[wooki]

I've noticed that it doesn't like high flow. I had a pesky bit of Xenia that I was 'trimming' because otherwise it would take over the other corals. Then when I upgraded to a new tank and that rock got placed in a high flow region, the Xenia is now shrinking. I was surprised it didn't move.

 

[OxfordMick]

Anyone throwing away Xenia, please throw them my way. :lol:

 

[llewella]

Anyone throwing away Xenia, please throw them my way. :lol:

I heard that! I'd love to catch a little too

 

[Unholy666]

Yup

 

[jimbow]

How can I keep mine alive while my tank cycles? My friend gave me some live rock from his sump with Xenia on it. I have had in there for a day and it is still pulsing. I set the tank up 5 days ago.

Mine was on a rock that I got when setting up the tank. The rock was in a bucket for a day. The tank went through the cycle and it grew back. Mine at least didn't die.