Pulsing Xenias

[newreefbishop]

I have a bali pulsing xenia, and wanted to know how I can get it to grow into more colonies. Is this one that automatically splits at the stalk? or is this one where i cut a polyp and baically stick it in some rubble.

 

[Ludwigia73]

No they dont split. As they grow, the head gets bigger and the stalk gets longer. As it falls over, the head remains upright, but the stalk lays down across the rock. You can put rocks under the stalk, and snip the stalk after it's secured back down to the rock on the other side. I made about 5 frags that way. I also made frags of that by snipping pieces, and it worked, but it's very hard to get that xenia to attach to a piece of rock that you want. It'll fall off and attach where you don't want it to.

 

[XeniaMania]

I do this thing where I'd slice chunks of it off my parent colony and put it into a bin with a bunch of rubble. You have to make sure they're all upright most of the time, sometimes through the night or during the day the current tumbles them. I upright them with a toothpick. Within a few days they'll attach and you can set them in the main tank to grow out.
By doing this I've even had rubble w/ 2-3 stalks growing on it and I simply frag the rock at that point to get other ones.

 

[Razor]

I'm not saying you should try this, but it has worked for me.

When I wanted my Xenia to grow (now with so much in the tank, maybe wasn't a good idea) I used a new razor blade and split the smaller stalks. Basically massacred the colony without cutting so much that they would fall off the rock. Every place that I cut seemed to grow additional stalks.

 

[newreefbishop]

SO basically I could wait till the stalk grew larger, or I could cut a few of the polyps (hands) and try to get them to attach to rubble in a bin, or I can slice the stalk in half.....not sure about the last one could you explain a little.

 

[Razor]

Can you post a picture of your Xenia? I have two different types in my tank and will try to further explain my previous post, but would like to see if you have the same type as mine.