Need soft coral eater

[DidYouSayReefer]

I am looking for a fish in my way understocked 110 that might keep my Xenia in check. I have a few other soft corals and bubble tip. I would like something that would leave the bubble tip alone, but at this point the Xenia has overgrown everything. It grows back so fast and my tank is so tall and hard to reach the bottom, I either buy something to eat it or kill everything and start over. Any suggestions?

 

[Llamaguy]

Torch or frogspawn coral should be able to kill it.

 

[Korrine]

I think it'd be easier to start over...just my opinion.

 

[njudson]

maybe point a powerhead at the BTA and send it wandering?

 

[mrwilson]

Aiptasia-eating filefish (aka bristletail filefish) would be likely to eat the xenia.

 

[chimmike]

xenia is like aiptasia that you pay for. Sure it's cool at first, but you resist listening to everyone who tells you it'll take over everything. "Oh no it'll be okay it won't grow that fast"

I agree, probably easier to start over.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

The best way would be remove the liverock and scrub with a wire brush,make sure to get all of it off or you will have it again.I will never put xenia in a tank larger than a 30 gallon again, it is a pain to get rid of.

 

[Blitzburggirl]

Flame angels seem to have a hankering for it That and eventually everything else!!

 

[olemiss reb]

this guy, http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=2&pid=1278&cid=301 absolutely destroys xenia(and all other softies). I take xenia infested rock out of my 90 and put it in the urchins 150 and the rock is spotless the next morning. They can get quite large.

 

[wdt2000]

this guy, http://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=2&pid=1278&cid=301 absolutely destroys xenia(and all other softies). I take xenia infested rock out of my 90 and put it in the urchins 150 and the rock is spotless the next morning. They can get quite large.

Any idea if they consume hard corals? I have been looking for something to eat softies and not touch the SPS.

 

[hanley0019]

my longspine urchin loved it. Id push him away and hed always come right back.

 

[capecoral]

How about an all-xenia tank

 

[LemonLemon]

this is Phyllodesmium rudmani, an obligate xenia-eater.

i've found them on wild xenia colonies before and they look remarkably similar. can u spot the antennae of the nudibranch? the appendages on the back of this nudibranch resemble almost identically to closed polyps of xenia!

if you manage to find this, it will consume all your xenia and nothing else.

funny... the only way to get this is to.... BUY MORE XENIA! LOL

 

[chimmike]

that nudibranch is INSANE! Isn't it amazing how the xenia problem in the oceans evolved so much that a nuidbranch evolved to eat JUST xenia?

incredible.

 

[LemonLemon]

that nudibranch is INSANE! Isn't it amazing how the xenia problem in the oceans evolved so much that a nuidbranch evolved to eat JUST xenia?

incredible.

amazing huh?

mother nature created some pretty flowers which over grew the great seven seas and then she said enough.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
i've had it with these xenia and their invasiveness!

so she pulled a samuel L. jackson and created these xenia eating nudibranch with corresponding camo outfits to sneak attack them in the cover of the night.

 

[small alien]

LemonLemon, you crack me up with great consistency.

 

[reefsic]

+1 on Pygmy Angels. They usually wipe em out, clean!

 

[LemonLemon]

LemonLemon, you crack me up with great consistency.

hahaha :strooper:

 

[LemonLemon]

anyway, perhaps you might want to try a chaetodon melannotus or a chaetodon ocellicaudus. both look very similar.

these butterflies love eating soft corals in the wild and eat even the very untasty sarcophytons.

i'm sure they will make short work of your xenia. you better prepare your xenias for a humuliating defeat in battle first.

once you're done, just simply remove the butterfly. i'm assuming there's not many other precious corals in your tank assuming the xenia has taken over everything.

 

[LemonLemon]

oh....sorry for the giant picture..