Which variety of Xenia is less of a nuisance?

[MJT82]

I've kept Xenia in the past, and I love it, but the more common varieties are so fast growing that they take over if you're not careful. I've known people in the past to keep some species that aren't as much of a nuisance... Anyone have any input on a variety that WON'T take over the tank? Thanks!

 

[APBonds]

White pom pom Xenia is slow growing, it doesn't get very big and it pumps.

 

[invincible325i]

Rare Blue xenia

Rare Blue xenia

I would consider looking at the Blue Xenia, it is rare and a bit expensive in some cases but beautiful, it doesnt pulse like the other but grows in longer polyps so to speak! I love mine, actually may be one of my favorite corals in my tank!

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

i agree the purple/blue cespitularia is a beautiful coral...it can grow very quickly if unkept though...i would say mine shoot out a new "leg" every other week, mine is very easy to frag though...and i think the slow shoot time is a result of me chopping off every leg that comes out of it..it peels off the rocks very easy too. if you want keep it on a small island and as it grows onto the sand you can simply cut it off...

the white pompom is super cool too...strangely enough i can find cespitularia for $5 a stalk everywhere and cant find the white pompom for the life of me around here..

 

[lgtentacle]

The Red Sea white pom-pom is probably the best as far as a slow growth factor goes. In my opinion, it's the better looking of the xenia as well. They also tend to clump more tightly together rather than constantly stretching and splitting. Fairly high current seems to cause them to split more rapidly, so medium to medium-low current is better. The Red Sea version is also more difficult to get and since it looks better, even if it does grow out, there are alot of reefkeepers that wouldn't mind having some of it. I like xenia myself. It always lets me know when my iodine is low since the pulsing gets out of sync.

 

[Patriot54]

...I like xenia myself. It always lets me know when my iodine is low since the pulsing gets out of sync.

What do you mean by "out of sync"?

 

[lgtentacle]

The fingers on each palm of the xenia will close together at the same time when the coral has the right lighting and iodine levels. Once the coral is acclimated to the lighting, if the iodine is low, then the fingers of the xenia won't close together with the other fingers on the same palm (palm/hand, not the entire stock with multiple palms/hands). It looks all twitchy and out of sync instead of the rhythmic pulse, pulse, pulse. You can actually watch them go back in sync after about 45 minutes when adding iodine. Just don't overdose the iodine or you'll **** off all of the corals in the tank.