Xenia growth out of control

[pancho]

can i just use a razor to cut it off the rocks? will any harm come from just ripping it out basically? its seriously grown to 4 times the size i bought it in less than 2 months, and i think its blocking the light to other corals and it just looks crazy.

 

[mwrmma]

whats your secret? how do you get it to grow so much? do you add zooalgae or plankton and what kind of lighting do you have? not sure about the propogation process.

 

[austinsdad]

I had elongata type xenia growing like mad once. Definitely can pull it off (to get it completely off that spot), or cut it (OK, but that jelly will grow back into another full blown stalk). Either way, find the thicker pcs with maybe 3 or 4 branches. Attach'm to rock rubbles and sell'm back to the lfs. Mine gave me $8 per. Sold them for $25.

Xenia can get to luch IMO/IME and crash. Mine took all my coral with it and most of the inverts. Jst too much died off and the ammonia was uncontrollable I guess. My thoughts are that if it gets too thick and not allow water flow between the stalks, you'l get in trouble. I've read that described as chocking in its own mucous. Also, I've heard if you trim too much at one time to run carbon for a bit to absorb stuff cut xenia releases.

Garf.org has some decent reading on xenia propogation if you're interested.

 

[rayjay]

To control xenia from spreading throughout the tank, you need to put it on a spot that is higher than surrounding areas and have nothing within it's reach. Xenia likes to go upwards towards the lights, and if it can't it will only spread outwards.
When it gets to be too much, place reef rubble against it so it's touching the rubble, and the xenia will slowly climb onto the rubble and you can remove it and sell it or trade it.
When it climbs onto the rubble, it will not leave any residue to grow again in that spot like it will if you cut it off.

 

[melosu58]

I agree with austindad. Cut them off and sell them back to the LFS. Make a little money from them.

 

[fishman]

I have made over the past 4-5 months about $400 on xenia alone!! So do sell it to your LFS. I get about $12 per quarter to half dollar sized rock. Also star polyps are good to sell and easy to grow too. I get about $8 per same sized rock..

 

[Snotman]

Another thing worth considering is that Xenia grows on nearly any surface. I ended up with a bunch growing on some Lobed caulerpa! It grew at such a rate that i could just cut a lobe of the algae back and the xenia would go with it, without any worry about the xenia polluting when cut etc. Also because the Macroalgae was in the substrate, the Xenia couldnt easily spread else where!

It actually looks really nice with the Xenia climbing all about the Caulerpa.

 

[austinsdad]

the xenia will slowly climb onto the rubble and you can remove it and sell it or trade it.
When it climbs onto the rubble, it will not leave any residue to grow again in that spot like it will if you cut it off.

Hopefully that works for you. Mine would spread to another rock and stay on the rock it was first on. I never had a stalk completely leave a rock for another. It spread. Grew/spread sideways and upwards.

I got good enuf (w/.out a lot of coordination) to be able to grab a decent sized stalk and peel it off or rock. That way there was absolutely none left. Cutting it always meant the cut piece would grow back also.

 

[beachbumin]

Ive got the star polyps going fine but I would love to have the problem of xenia going crazy!!Ive never had much luck with that coral.......

 

[jcarlilesiu]

My pink Xenia is out of control. I really need to trade for it. See barter/trade if interseted. I have a 12 gallon nano cube, and its over taking. I thin it out, but its shadowing my mushrooms and zoos.