How do I frag Xenia?

[MedcinMn]

I've got a friend who has an overabundance of Xenia and wants to give some away. It is all attached to large pieces of LR, which he is not willing to part with or break. What is the best way to get the Xenia off and successfully have it attach, grow and live in another reef system?

Thx,

Aaron

 

[dailydriven911]

You can pull them off the lr but very gently and from the base of the trunk. They will darken and shrivel up because they are stressed but they will gain their color back after a couple of days. It's worked for me and seems to be the best way to do it.

 

[ChickenCannoneer]

I just yank it off the rocks. Stuuf dosent even close up just keeps pulsing away. Must be happy. Good luck!

 

[ufdrew79]

I've fragged a lot of my pulsing xenia by the following method:

1) Cut the stalk of xenia as close to the base as possible
2) Rinse in fresh tank water because a lot of extra mucus is excreted due to the cutting.
3) One method to attatch to rock is to place the xenia on the rock and rubberband a piece of netting to hold in place. Another method is to toothpick the xenia through the base of the stalk and rubberband the stalk to the rock.
4) Make sure you place your newly mounted coral in med/med High flow and medium to low light.
5) The xenia should attach within 3-4 days.


This method has worked very well with my xenia. If you have any more questions or if I left something out just let me know.

 

[falconut]

I've recently been fragging mine. I usually want to remove a couple of stalks at a time. I take my finger nail and peel up the edge of the stalk. Once I get it started, it peels right off. Then I rubber band to a rock and within a couple of days it's attached. HTH

 

[gman19]

I usually cut mine and trade for credit at LFS. Just cut at the base
as ufdrew79 mentioned above. I use a type of wedding veil netting type material (from Wal-Mart) and strap it to a scrap of rock. After a couple or three days, the xenia will grow through the netting material. It really don't take long!!

 

[antdog]

So you lay it flat on the rock under the rubber band or netting and the base attaches??? Does it stand back up straight? And if using netting how do you get the netting off after the xenia has grown through wqithout damaging the xenia? Just curious.

 

[SCR]

Take a small rock and put it next to the xenia and in a short while after they have moved on to your rock take them out, no cutting involved.

 

[smatter]

I usually place shells or rocks against the stalk until it is attached, the separate it from its mother with a razor cut if needed.

 

[gman19]

Forget the netting...once the Xenia has grown through, I just trim the visible portion and let it go. Works quite well for me!

 

[stereomandan]

Well, it's a lot easier to just place a small rock or any other small object near a colony of Xenia. The stuff grows like weeds and will spread to whatever is near it, except sand in most cases. I would remove the extra xenia from the tank and flush it, and then start fragging using the method I mentioned... or you can try the veil method already mentioned but that's a pain.

My Red Sea Xenia is great, but I pull the stuff out by the handful once in a while, and the LFS doesn't like it without it being attached to something, so in the sink it goes.

Dan

 

[vdubfiend]

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i just cut it with a clean razor blade