Quick question on pulsing xenias

[Mozby's Reef]

This topic has been covered a lot, so bear with me. From google search it seems many people's answer to having pulsing xenias or GSPs in their tank without taking over other corals is to have them on an isolated rock. However, why is it that I see many beautiful reef tank pictures with xenias on the main rock with other corals?? How did they accomplish that? Frequent fragging? Seems tedious. 

[WV Reefer]

14 minutes ago, Mozby's Reef said:

This topic has been covered a lot, so bear with me. From google search it seems many people's answer to having pulsing xenias or GSPs in their tank without taking over other corals is to have them on an isolated rock. However, why is it that I see many beautiful reef tank pictures with xenias on the main rock with other corals?? How did they accomplish that? Frequent fragging? Seems tedious. 

Xenia is like a weed..... it will find a way.  My Xenia would “let go” and fly around until it found a new place to begin again. It even out competed an island of Aiptasia in my pest tank. 

[Mozby's Reef]

16 minutes ago, WV Reefer said:

Xenia is like a weed..... it will find a way.  My Xenia would “let go” and fly around until it found a new place to begin again. It even out competed an island of Aiptasia in my pest tank. 

Yeah so how do people actually have it co-existing in a main rock structure with other corals? I keep reading about the "island" but I keep seeing xenias behaving well on main rocks. The only thing I can think of is constant fragging to keep it in check. 

[WV Reefer]

4 minutes ago, Mozby's Reef said:

 constant fragging to keep it in check. 

 

Everyone loves Xenia..... it’s so peaceful to sit and watch it pulse but most people do not like the constant battle— it gets tiring. 

[Mozby's Reef]

1 minute ago, WV Reefer said:

 

Everyone loves Xenia..... it’s so peaceful to sit and watch it pulse but most people do not like the constant battle— it gets tiring. 

Did you get rid of yours eventually?

[WV Reefer]

Just now, Mozby's Reef said:

Did you get rid of yours eventually?

Yes.  I had it in my 12 long and quickly removed it and put it in my pest tank but it quickly took over my pests! Later on I shut down the pest tank.  I love it, but will not buy it again. 

[Mozby's Reef]

7 hours ago, WV Reefer said:

Yes.  I had it in my 12 long and quickly removed it and put it in my pest tank but it quickly took over my pests! Later on I shut down the pest tank.  I love it, but will not buy it again. 

Thanks for the info. Btw came across something interesting regarding this topic: someone mentioned placing the xenias next to euphyllia corals. That way the sweeper tentacles can keep the xenia in check. Hmmmm.....

 

[Clown79]

Xenia goes through growth spurts. It will spread then stop etc. 

 

Pruning them is easy, you can pull them right off a rock with tweezers.

[This guy is extra salty]

My pistol shrimp stole my Xenia island and I can’t find it anywhere in my display fuge 

little shit is probably smoking it and not sharing 

[xthunt]

Got rid of my (Red Sea?) Xenia the other day. I had it on an isolated rock, and it was still trying to spread, even without filling out the rock it was on. First I found a piece of it that had blown under a rock, siphoned that out. Then I found a single hand of it coming out of a hole in one of my main rocks, and covered it in epoxy. I wouldn’t have a problem if it grew like an encrusting coral, but I don’t like that it’s just going to pop up anywhere. 

[Rene]

Frequent fragging worked for me, but it also reproduces by sending individual polyps loose in the current, which drift around and start new colonies where they land. Those have to be removed if they end up where you don't want them. 

[Lugmos12]

Mine had a crazy growth spur and double really quickly. I plucked it off the rock and scrubbed it off. I now have a bunch of mini xenias growing on the place where I SCRUBBED them off.