xenia are Filler feeding ??

Tranquility · #1 07/29/2007, 04:13 PM

xenia are Filler feeding or they can take the food like plankton or detrius from the water ??

I know xeina is photosynthetic coral, But they can tank the food in other way

Thank a lot ..

drbronx · #2 07/29/2007, 09:31 PM

No, xenids are completely autotrophic. They have no digestive capability.

Hormigaquatica · #3 07/30/2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drbronx
No, xenids are completely autotrophic. They have no digestive capability.

Yup; their digestive track is essentially non existent. It was thought for a while that the pulsing behavior was a means of catching particles/prey, but has since been largely discredited. Noone is entirely sure Why so many of them pulse.

sir_dudeguy · #4 07/31/2007, 03:16 AM

well they do absorb some stuff out of the water, so in a way i guess they could be considered filter feeders....but not in the sense of taking actual particles out of the water. But they can help remove nitrates and/or phosphates so-i've-heard.... I know a few people that put them in their sump/fuge and use them as a sort of filter. I vote yes, they are a filter feeder, but nothing like a clam or anything else. You'd have to have TONS for it to actually do anything IMO...but then again, the people who have it in their sump do have a ton of it.

JackJack7 · #5 07/31/2007, 05:24 PM

we don't know much about them yet huh?