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I have a question about my proposed Xenia
fragging. 1/11/12 Glued The Top Of My Xenia While Fragging/Xeniidae Health
9/9/10 Xenia Acclimation/Light Acclimation/Photosynthetic Animals
9/6/09 Re: Two (simple I hope) questions): Low-light Corals needing High Light and Niger Trigger/Clownfish Buddies! Now Xenia repro. 1/15/09 Thanks Bob! And love your book, "TCMA". It's my aquatic bible. As always, one more thing I thought of: A new rather sizable piece of xenia I rubber-banded to a piece of rubble, split in two and one of the stalks has attached itself to a medium sized turbo snail. The snail is not attempting to eat it or otherwise. It is safely atop the snail. I did not know xenia were motile - at least as much as this?! <Heee! Is fine... will very likely continue to asexually "frag", get, go elsewhere> Obviously, I cannot control flow and light intensity as the xenia rides around the tank. Shall I leave it alone or remove it. <I would definitely leave it as is... Will probably be fine, persist, and make for interesting observation, conversation/sharing> It does close up when the snail gets very high in the tank - closer to the MH. I just don't want it to "bake". It has seemed fine, though and the snail eventually moves. Is it safer to remove the snail-riding xenia, or leave it alone? <The latter> Thanks! Aleasha : ) (In frigid Baltimore, wishing I was where you are). <It is very nice this time of year here... Mostly 70's, 80's F... the water still warm, clearer than during most of the summer. Cheers, BobF> Fragging Xenia 5/8/08 Hi everybody, hope everybody doing great! <I am on my end, thanks!> Things are going good here just a quick question. My pulsating xenia corals are growing like crazy, so I decided to try my hand at fragging them and sharing them with others. <Xenia will go crazy, selling off or trading is a good option, or giving it away outright.> So I did some research and found some videos on line. Most said to cut a head off with sharp scissors put it in between your fingers and cut it in half ,and then in half again so I did that and then put it on a plug bottom side down wrap it with bridle veal put a rubber band on it and put it back in the tank. <This is one way to propagate xenia.> O.K., so for so good, I did this a couple of days ago. And they look ok I guess, a little purple but the poor thinks have been cut into little pieces. <They will look this way for a while.> So how long does it take before they attach themselves to the plugs? <A few days, a week tops in a system suitable for them.> And some of the little polyps are sticking through the Vail, what's to keep them from pulling off as I try to take the Vail off? <This is the tricky part, actually suturing the pieces onto a plug/rock or even just placing small rocks next to the colony to grow onto are easier options. If you plan on propagating many Xenia or other corals I highly suggest Anthony Calfo’s “Book of Coral Propagation”. Otherwise do check [this page] regarding the other methods mentioned. Good luck, Scott V.>
Propagating Anthelia I have read all of you articles on propagating xenia but I am still unsure how to go about propagating anthelia. Because it attaches to the rock in clusters I am unsure where to "cut" it. Any help would be very much appreciated. <The absolute simplest way to propagate anthelia is to put small pieces of live rock surrounding the site and simply watch it multiply. Healthy anthelia will spread, in my experience, quite easily. You can also cut the groupings off but you are dealing with some nasty stuff when you cut it. Truthfully it will propagate itself quite easily and I'm a big proponent of not cutting into your corals unless its necessary. I have been propagating corals now for many years and help put on demonstrations at IMAC and at MACNA. We don't usually use either anthelia or xenia at these demonstrations because they sometimes don't ship well and when they do, if you try to propagate them you can have some problems with contamination in the tanks.> <Good luck Ed. Just scatter the pieces of rock you'll be absolutely amazed. MacL> Ed Schmittou Brain (coral) frags, xenia repro. - 04/19/06 Hello, I was wondering if it was possible, or how to, frag a brain coral. <Can be scored, cut with a chisel et al., but best cut with a power tool that is securely mounted... a "wet-saw" for cutting tile, or a band-saw is most often employed here> Also, once xenia starts growing all over the same rock, is it normal for it to sort of grow taller as it fights for position, the last time it started getting taller was because a bulb had burned out and they needed more light, I think. <Happens> I checked and all the bulbs are good and since the last burn out I have even got a new lighting system that adds about 55 watts more, they are reproducing like crazy, and fully opened all day and most of the night, so I don't think they are unhappy, but when I first got them they were shorter. Is it because there is almost 10x the amount now versus when I bought them? Thank you for your time. <Maybe. Please see WWM re cnidarian culture: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/index.htm Bob Fenner> Colt Coral Reproduction 12-06-05 Hi crew, <Hello> I have a Colt coral that is reproducing. <Great job!!!> Can you give me any tips on how to save the branches as they fall off? <You can cut and collect them. Just use a razor blade or sharp scissors.> I have about 5 that are ready to drop. I'm afraid I won't find them if they fall when I'm not around. I have very good current in my 55 gal. I was thinking about turning off the pumps and hope the fall where I can see them? Any help? <As is said above, just cut them and collect them. I would then place the frags in a bowl with some rubble or use one of the many ways to attach them to some live rock that you will find in Anthony's book or on the net.> Anthony, Just order your book Coral Prop. 1 from That Fish Place in PA. <I will say thank you for Anthony. Enjoy that book, it is a great read and a must have.> Thanks, Tom <Glad to help, Travis> Shipping Xenia 7.23.05 Hi to everyone and good day. <Cheers> I know Xenia isn't the easiest of corals to ship. Giving this to account what would be the proper way to go about this with the least amount of mortality? Thanks in advance, Candy <It's rather simple my friend. Once established, most in this Family (Xeniidae) are not only hardy, but fast-growing. To ship and share these corals successfully, the key is to avoid handling living tissue... and to prevent the coral from repetitive contact with the walls of the shipping bag/container. Either stimulates the coral to produce mucus which is sometimes fatal in shipping (excess mucus invites potentially pathogenic bacteria to flourish). The easiest way to ship Xenia is to make a Styrofoam raft that is larger than the widest span of the specimen (footprint of base or spread of colony branches). Mount the coral upside down on this raft (rubberband the rock base to the Styro). In this fashion, coral tissue can practically never touch a vessel side wall. Best regards, Anthony> Propagating Xenia 2/7/05 Great site to share a wealth of information. We really appreciate your dedication! <Thanks kindly> I have a question about propagating Xenia. I understand the rubble tray propagation process. Perfect for Sarco's and other softies. But what about Xenia? <Equally good... I used this method with cups of rubble in my coral farming greenhouse for many years> I've seen discussions about bridal veil and rubber bands. Both seem to be time consuming. <Yes... far too tedious for me> What's the best way? <Natural settlement for larger quantities> Also, how many stalks per "rock" is acceptable if wishing to sell them? <Varies per market and price... a single large stalk is worth about $5-8, several stalks on a baseball sized piece of live rock my be wroth $12-20 wholesale. Retail prices are 2-4X> Thanks, Jerry <Best of luck! Anthony> Attaching Xenia 5/9/05 Hey guys, Just a quick question regarding attaching xenia stalk to rock. What is the best way? <For proper fix the first time, I recommend stitching (use clean nylon fishing line and a large bore needle).> My LFS said I could attach the fragment that I bought from them with a toothpick. Any thoughts? Nilesh. <Yes... this can work too (use a cocktail toothpick with a flared end). There are many ways to successfully attach corals... see some of my articles on this very topic/question that I and others have online here at wetwebmedia.com, Reefcentral.com (go back to 2002 for articles!) and MarineDepot.com newsletter (in the last year). I also keep an index of my articles in my forum at reefcentral.com in the All Things Salty - forum. Best of Luck, Anthony> Attaching Xenia II 5/10/05 Thanks so much. I found that the tooth pick method works but loosens up over time. I'm going to try stitching it! Nilesh <Agreed, my friend. I like stitching as the best overall choice for secure attachment of soft corals (and some hard corals as well... a tie down until they set new tissue upon the substrate). After a few weeks, once secure, you can cut the visible stitch away... or simply let the coral grow over the line. Anthony> Removing propagated corals from substrate 1/17/05 My question was more geared towards removing propagated corals from their rocks, in order to place them in a natural appearance in my tank. <ahhh... I see> Tonight, I tried just cutting away the base rock of the aquacultured coral to fit well within my live rock. Your book addresses Xeniid maturity. I acquired a Red Sea Xenia from my LFS two nights ago. If a cutting is made from a mature colony, is the propagated piece also mature?? <no my friend... the division is raw, new and needs weeks to establish some basal tissue and stabilize> Xenia are called weeds, but they are by far the most fascinating corals I've ever seen <very much agreed> (they are the reason I started a reef tank). I have both read and replied on WetWebMedia's public forums. I don't know how you can stand some of the questions that are asked! <a desire to help people succeed which saves animals lives and insures the success and survival of our hobby via successful participants> Thanks Anthony- James <always welcome... best of luck my friend. Anthony> Xenia Cutting Question, 1.11.05 Hi guys, <Hello, Ryan with you today.> Got another quick question. I have read lots of articles on propagating xenia. I have an xenia that had a very long stalk, about 5" it was being pushed against a piece of live rock about half way up the stalk. One day I noticed it was growing a little nub and reaching out to the rock where the xenia was rubbing. It has since attached itself to the rock. Now the long stalk spans between two pieces of rock. I was wondering if a could just snip the stalk in between the two anchor points without taking it out of the tank. <Yes, certainly. It's near foolproof! Check out GARF.org for some other interesting ways to raise Xenia of all types. Good luck, Ryan> Thank in advance Troy Pulsing Xenia - Did I make a mistake? First of all, your website and books have been invaluable. My 180G Reef tank has been up for about a year. By using your web site I have successfully dealt with a case of ick, Cyano, and hair algae. So far I've really enjoyed the hobby and look forward to continue to learn. Here is a quick inventory of what is in the tank. Thanks to you're web site they all seem to be doing great! Fish: Yellow Tang - since 12/16/2003 Royal Gramma - since 12/29/2003 Lawnmower Blenny - 9/18/2004 Bullet Goby - 10/10/2004 Mandarin - since 2/7/2004 and growing! (he now eats frozen Mysid as well as picks at the live rock) Coral Beauty - since 9/11/2004 Corals: Leather Finger Coral - since 3/20/2004 Brain Coral - since 6/4/2004 Torch Coral - since 6/4/2004 Octopus Coral - since 9/18/2004 Mushroom Corals - since 7/10/2004 Trumpet Corals - since 11/26/2004 Cat's Eye Coral - since 11/26/2004 Other Inverts: Emerald Crab Turbo Snails A few hermit crabs Here is my question: I purchased a pulsing Xenia on November 5th. Since then it has split twice and two additional xenia corals have sprouted in other locations in the tank. I now have 5 xenias. My sense is that it may over-run my 180 gallon tank very quickly. If I do the math, 5 Xenias in the first month and a half, then 25 the second month and half, then possibly 125 xenias the third month and a half. I wanted a reef tank not a Xenia coral farm. Should I remove all the xenia from the tank?<It can take over the tank and you should monitor it closely.> If so, how?<A good pair of scissors and cutting at the base usually does the job.> I'm also concerned that they may spread closer to some of my other corals and start attacking them. Is this a valid concern? <Yes, they won't attack but the slime coat that they emit will bother the other corals.> Thanks for your help, Joel <As long as you keep the coral in check you will be fine. Regular grooming will prevent the coral from getting out of control. Good Luck. MikeB.> Does it Hurt? I'd really like to propagate some of my mushrooms, Ricordea and xenia, but don't like to cause anything pain. During propagation, do these creatures experience pain when they are cut? Thanks for your time...Marcye >>>Hello, Pain is a mechanism designed to inform the organism that damage is, about to, or has occurred. That information wouldn't do a sessile invertebrate much good would it? It can't run away, move or bite you. Snip my friend, snip like the wind! Jim<<<
Xenia propagation and shameless book plugs 8/4/03 I have been reading the entries on wetwebmedia.com (WWM) regarding Xenia propagation, and I have also been reading GARF's website. <hey... and don't forget my Book of Coral Propagation <G>: http://www.readingtrees.com/books_in_print.htm heehee... shameless... just shameless <G>> I understand that the pH should be relatively high (8.3+) and the temperature low (76F). <correcto... especially so on the pH... but not so critical on temp. Warmer temps can be tolerated easily even if not ideally> I recently added a very nice rock with 4 Xenia stalks on it and I would like to promote the growth of them in my tank. I have a very stable pH of 8.0 (+/- 0.2 day/night) and my tank temperature is 82-81 F (day/night). <the temp is fine... the pH is not going to work. Really very flat for success with most corals> I do not use a fan inside my canopy, but I am considering adding one. I think I can cool the tank by 3-4 degrees just by adding a small fan. In your opinion should I try to adjust the pH and the temperature? <the pH is a much bigger issue here for all. Do relax on the temp> I have attempted to raise my pH before using pickling lime and baking soda, but I only ended up with a very well buffered system (~6 dKH) with high calcium numbers (525 ppm) and my pH was still lower than my goal of 8.0. <have you read through the archives regarding pH and aeration (insulation of modern homes trapping CO2/affecting off-gassin of carbonic acid. Very common in the summer months with closed windows and doors. Do confirm this problem by aerating a glass of aquarium water outside for 6-12 hours vigorously... the pH should not move upwards (else a problem is indicated)> I wonder if high nitrate levels (20-30 ppm) could be the problem? <not a problem for Xenia. They can be found growing on the sewage effluent pipes of coastal hotels... seriously> I am addressing them with 40% water changes each weekend. <still excellent to hear> They are dropping and I will have them under control in about 2 more weekends. Shame on me for not getting a new test kit. <we have all made this mistake... good to hear you on the ball now, my friend> I have added more live rock to my refugium and will also increase the sand bed depth in the refugium from 1-inch to 3-inches. <hey... while I am shamelessly promoting books... see the info on the same link above for our book on "Reef Invertebrates". It has the most extensive coverage of refugiums/live sand, plants and algae in the hobby. See Amazon.com and the big message boards for reviews/perspective of both titles for your consideration :) > Your help is greatly appreciated! Jeff <best regards, Anthony> Question on moving/removing Xenia >Hi Crew,
>>Greetings, Marina today. >Thanks for all your invaluable
information. Need some help figuring out how to move a
Xenia Coral. It is affixed to two pieces of live rock that will
be difficult to move together. >>For those meeting its
needs, this, it turns out, is not uncommon. >I need to clean a pump
that is enclosed in a skimmer box and the rock makes it impossible to
do. I am new to coral and so far this coral is doing well so I am
reluctant to move it but have to keep the water quality up as this pump
feeds the skimmer. Will this coral let go of one of the rocks or
will I do it irreparable harm? I have looked in Anthony's
book but can't find this information. Any help would be
greatly appreciated. >>I believe that you can treat the necessary
procedure as "fragging", typically when one removes a part or
branch of coral (soft and stony). With Xenia, I believe you
can actually take a sharp razor, I would probably use a straight edge
blade. If yours are growing as I am picturing, then you can
basically treat them like a head of broccoli, cutting at the base, pick
the narrowest "connection", and hopefully you will only need
one, maybe two cuts to separate the rock. What I would think
is worse is tearing them apart, much loss of life, I would
think. Links:
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/d_maughmer_110799.html http://www.fishprofiles.com/profiles/coral/xenia.asp
Best of luck! Marina
Xenia Hello Bob, I'm having a horrible time keeping my Xenia under control, they are spreading like wild fire all over my tank. I have removed 90% by cutting them at the base using a scalpel. Unfortunately within a week what I was unable to remove of their bases has turned right back into little growing Xenia again. Do you know anyways of keeping these guys under control, or even removing them if it comes to that). Any advise is greatly appreciated, Rob. Rob cook >> Really? If it were me, I'd arrange for some sorts of easy to remove and transport base material, and sell off your "excess" to local stores. The pulsing (soft) corals (family Xeniidae) are crummy shippers, and you might well use the added income... To buy, outfit (yes) yet another marine/reef system!!!! That you can keep separate from the "xenia that ate Detroit" colonies you have going... I am serious, this is what I would do. Bob Fenner |
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