Xenia and GSP Together?

[Sandy Andy]

I have been mezmerized by the amazing pulsing motion of the xenias and have considered them as my first coral.  However, could I add some GSP corals as they both grow like weeds or should I stick to just xenia?

[Pjanssen]

You could add both. If you put them on separate island rocks it will help to keep them from spreading too much

[Sandy Andy]

Ok. I was looking for corals that are super easy to grow and I think I found them.

[Wingy]

Xenia is fickle.  It seems like the more you want it the less it grows.  For some it grows like a weed and for others, like me, it won't grow or pulse and for others it melts.  

[AllanB]

I have a pulsing Xenia on my main rock. It walks around a little but doesn’t spread like a weed. Like the poster above me said, for some it grows like a weed, for others not at all. Put it on a separate island just in case. Same with the GSP

[Sandy Andy]

Ok, thank you for the info.

[TechLobster]

Xenia was my first coral! I started with a single 1" piece with maybe 5 stars (heads?) and it blossomed to fill half my rockwork in about 8-12 months. I LOVED it - the colors and movement looked amazing it was everyone's favorite thing in my aquarium. Then I got a GSP covered rock to add a pop of color and put it on the opposite side of my rockwork. Slowly the GSP took over and completely wiped out every single one of the Xenia, no matter how hard I cut it back, as soon as the GSP got close it was game over for the Xenia.

 

I still like the GSP, but my tank is definitely dominated by it now... heed all of the horror stories, it will smother all of your other corals! Keep it on its own island and trim it if it creeps. FWIW, next tank will have no GSP.

[Tired]

They can go in the same aquarium, but not against each other. If you put them on separate rocks, with sand between their island and other rocks, it contains them. They'll grow onto the sand, but then you just cut the portion that's over the sand, give/throw it away, and you've contained it. Don't count on being able to scrape either off of rockwork once it's on.

[banasophia]

I like keeping GSP on my back wall, and I have Xenia on my rock... I really enjoy all the fast growing soft corals.. they can give a tank a nice filled in look pretty quickly. I find Xenia easy to remove by pulling unwanted branches right off the rock using long handled hemostats when it grows where I don’t want it... same with Kenya trees.

 

[Clown79]

Both can easily spread but also easily removed.

 

Xenia can let go of rock and drop to spread. They also can stretch to attach to other areas.

 

Gsp can also stretch to attach.

 

Both are easily controlled by manually trimming and removal.

 

Both are beautiful corals.

 

Xenia- I have had them grow rapidly in low or higher nutrients but 1 thing is certain, they love light. Never had a xenia do well in lower light.

 

Gsp like flow and some nutrients, never had it grow in low nutrients.

[Seadragon]

On 5/18/2020 at 11:15 PM, TechLobster said:

Xenia was my first coral! I started with a single 1" piece with maybe 5 stars (heads?) and it blossomed to fill half my rockwork in about 8-12 months. I LOVED it - the colors and movement looked amazing it was everyone's favorite thing in my aquarium. Then I got a GSP covered rock to add a pop of color and put it on the opposite side of my rockwork. Slowly the GSP took over and completely wiped out every single one of the Xenia, no matter how hard I cut it back, as soon as the GSP got close it was game over for the Xenia.

 

I still like the GSP, but my tank is definitely dominated by it now... heed all of the horror stories, it will smother all of your other corals! Keep it on its own island and trim it if it creeps. FWIW, next tank will have no GSP.

 

I've been researching this topic tonight and thank you for the insight you provided.  I have both Xenia and GSP that I recently added to my main rock.  I LOVE Xenia and everything about it.  As for the GSP, I added a tiny piece to the top center of my main rock structure.  After reading what you wrote and various other anecdotes all over the Internet, you convinced me to run to my tank, remove the GSP, and glue it to a tiny little island off to the side.  Thank you for that.  I would have died inside if the GSP would've killed all of my pulsing Xenia.  You just saved me and probably countless others from a lot of sorrow and grief.

 

The thing is, the GSP I got is a little bit neat, but sort of underwhelming and a secret killer of corals.  While my various Xenia throughout my tank adds much needed movement, flare, volume, and intrigue.  Some people love looking at my cleaner shrimp.  Others, the clownfish or goby or blenny.  But for me, it's the Xenia that I find myself staring at for hours.  No one has ever said they love looking at my GSP most-of-all.  Lol.  And to think that thing would kill off my beloved Xenia is heartbreaking to say the least.  I'm almost tempted to remove the GSP altogether, but I like the idea of having the variety of corals and just keeping it isolated to a tiny little rock all to itself. 🙂

[banasophia]

9 hours ago, Seadragon said:

 

I've been researching this topic tonight and thank you for the insight you provided.  I have both Xenia and GSP that I recently added to my main rock.  I LOVE Xenia and everything about it.  As for the GSP, I added a tiny piece to the top center of my main rock structure.  After reading what you wrote and various other anecdotes all over the Internet, you convinced me to run to my tank, remove the GSP, and glue it to a tiny little island off to the side.  Thank you for that.  I would have died inside if the GSP would've killed all of my pulsing Xenia.  You just saved me and probably countless others from a lot of sorrow and grief.

 

The thing is, the GSP I got is a little bit neat, but sort of underwhelming and a secret killer of corals.  While my various Xenia throughout my tank adds much needed movement, flare, volume, and intrigue.  Some people love looking at my cleaner shrimp.  Others, the clownfish or goby or blenny.  But for me, it's the Xenia that I find myself staring at for hours.  No one has ever said they love looking at my GSP most-of-all.  Lol.  And to think that thing would kill off my beloved Xenia is heartbreaking to say the least.  I'm almost tempted to remove the GSP altogether, but I like the idea of having the variety of corals and just keeping it isolated to a tiny little rock all to itself. 🙂

I think GSP looks awesome on the back wall... makes a beautiful backdrop to other corals in the foreground like Xenia and Kenya tree. If you put it there, be sure to glue it down low on the back wall because it grows upward and outward, not downward. 

[Seadragon]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely do that! 🙂

[Clown79]

16 hours ago, Seadragon said:

 

I've been researching this topic tonight and thank you for the insight you provided.  I have both Xenia and GSP that I recently added to my main rock.  I LOVE Xenia and everything about it.  As for the GSP, I added a tiny piece to the top center of my main rock structure.  After reading what you wrote and various other anecdotes all over the Internet, you convinced me to run to my tank, remove the GSP, and glue it to a tiny little island off to the side.  Thank you for that.  I would have died inside if the GSP would've killed all of my pulsing Xenia.  You just saved me and probably countless others from a lot of sorrow and grief.

 

The thing is, the GSP I got is a little bit neat, but sort of underwhelming and a secret killer of corals.  While my various Xenia throughout my tank adds much needed movement, flare, volume, and intrigue.  Some people love looking at my cleaner shrimp.  Others, the clownfish or goby or blenny.  But for me, it's the Xenia that I find myself staring at for hours.  No one has ever said they love looking at my GSP most-of-all.  Lol.  And to think that thing would kill off my beloved Xenia is heartbreaking to say the least.  I'm almost tempted to remove the GSP altogether, but I like the idea of having the variety of corals and just keeping it isolated to a tiny little rock all to itself. 🙂

Either coral and many other can over grow neighbouring corals, pruning is essential at some point 

 

Once gsp grows, its very beautiful, the movement and colour is very pretty. Gsp pops.

[Murphs_Reef]

Yes pruning is required but even though it's quick growing for a coral it's not so quick that you can't easily control it.

Removing sections with a clean razor blade allows you to keep it in check and having it grow in the direction you want it to grow in. 

[Hazy]

I have both GSP and pulsing Xenia, and the GSP grow faster. And I’m my opinion “grows like a weed” is a large over statement. My Xenia gets one new head about every moth and a half. (Or a little longer) And the GSP grows about 1/4 inch in diameter every month or two. And yes! It’s easy to trim with a razor, and you can sell the trimmings! So far I wish they grew faster, because I have lots of rock I want covered. 😄 they both a great options, and it’s so fun to watch them grow! 

[Murphs_Reef]

It does depend a lot on water quality, Xenia and GSP do like nutrients (some would suggest lots of nutrients).

I personally can't keep Xenia alive, though my GSP grows around a CM square a month in all directions.