Xenia on a Walkabout

[scooters reef]

Was out of town over the past weekend, and went to check on the tank as soon as we got home (Auto-topoff not working yet, so I knew things would be off a little).

The wife was quickly startled seeing a Xenia frag walking across the rock. We got the xenia from Kass and was attached to rubble.

Well, one piece of rubble happened to be a snail shell and one of my hermits decided it was HIS !!!

The xenia didn't appear too happy, but got a complete tour of the tank. It did occasionally open up and looked ok even then. I have since carefully peeled it off and reattached it elsewhere.

Here' the pic of the troublemaker in action: (yep, algae problem not gone yet either, but still improving)

http://www.vancaster.net/images/xenia_crab.JPG

[nellie54914]

that is too funny!! :) and I'm glad we're not the only ones who can't get rid of the darn algea!

[scooters reef]

I didn't want to spend the time waiting for the RO to fill up 200 gallons and used tap for the initial fill, so I expected it. Figured I would deal with it and get it cleared. All top off and changes are now RO/DI. Also had a hold up because my sump was delayed, preventing me from setting up the auto topoff and getting the refugium set up. The sump arrived yesterday !!!! The sump and refugium are now filling and the top off with Nielsen reactor should be running by this evening. My Phosban reactor was backordered for two months, but shipped today and will be running soon.

Since the algae is already slowly dissipating, I think I can wipe it out once I have the chetamorpha going in the fuge combined with the reactor keeping my Ph higher. Also just got my ozone going only two weeks ago.

Oh, also moved rock and sand from the old system that was just for storing the rock and was never anything but tap, so a lot is probably leeching back out of there. Just keeping my fingers crossed I can eliminate it with the combination of it running it's course, macro in the fuge, elevated Ph, ozone, phosban, cleaning crew, only RO now, and water changes. Seems to be working so far, and only had a few of those up and running.

No hosting of meetings until I can tell the difference between my fuge and display :)

Bar will be built in a few weeks, so getting closer !

[kass03]

I guess I'm gonna have to up the price on my xenia.

I'll list it on ebay

RARE!RARE!RARE! DID I SAY RARE?
Never seen before walking xenia, yes I said walking
It will move all over your tank
be the first to own some
This is the coral you've been waiting for!!!!!

hehe

kass

[scooters reef]

LOL

Darn. Why did I go and peel it off ????

[aberg12012]

This is too funny, as I was just thinking about this the other day... To attach frags of it to snails and market it. :lol:

I seriously need to do some zenia harvesting though... I'll have to post a recent pic to show how fast it's grown in the past couple months. It's really taken off in the past week as well. I left on vacation, and a week later it filled up the entire center of my tank, and is shadowing over some zoo's.

How do you all trim your zenia? Razor blade? Mines getting out of controll, and crowding out somet things.

And Nellie, as far as the algae... guess I'm a part of that "club" too. 50 astrea, 13 turbos, 20 cerith, 20 nasarius and 20 hermits, and still a few growing patches of hair algae!

[kass03]

I love just chopping off their heads lol.

You can use a razor blade but Ive found a scissors works well.
I try to cut it close to the base of the rock but it will grow back where you cut it from so if you want it actually removed then you have to try to get under it and peel it slowly or try to scrape/cut it with some rock attached so there isnt any left to grow.

I cut them off and then drop them in my sandbed in lower flow so they don't blow away. I have/had lol alot of rubble from my garf grunge in there for them to attach to.
Thats the easiest way but you don't have a sandbed so you would need a bowl with some rubble in it to put them in.
Mine are usually attached in 1 day but I have the pom pom kind.
I havent cut the heads off my elongata like yours yet but I assume it will be the same.

kass

[aberg12012]

I think i'm just gunna rip it off at the base from the rock, and fertalize my lawn with it. :lol: Another month it'll grow right back anyways. I'm getting the feeling the stuff will turn into a major nuisance in my tank, as fast as it's spreading.

[MalawianDude]

that's too cool! lol

[FlipFlops24/7]

my xenia that I got from Coralboyfarms is growing OOC! Its even dropping babies. If anyone needs some Xenia let me know. It does grow like weeds, but most people that have seen my tank find it to be the coolest coral I have. Must be those damn pulsing heads.

[aberg12012]

Since my last post, I have thinned out my zenia twice. Both times I pulled off two very large stalks from the rocks. I threw most of it in the garden... but kept a couple frags to donate to friends. :D It's almost time to pull another stalk off... I don't understand why the stuff is growing so fast. Makes me wonder what it's eating...

[kass03]

xenia is a good water quality indicator. It's usually the first to shrink up when somethings wrong.
xenia also sucks up nitrates and such. It also likes iodine.

kass

[aberg12012]

I guess that would make sense, since my water quality is (hopefully) much better now, and I'm dosing lugol's for iodine. Guess I'll lay off the lugol's and see. :lol: