Xenia cleanup - I inherited a rock w/Xens all over the place

Arkayne · #1 07/13/2007, 06:23 PM

I inherited a 10lb rock with Xen's attached all over the upper half like bad hair plugs. I'd like to remove a select few so it'll be more cosmetically pleasant. What is the best way to remove them to prevent it from growing back?

Think of the rock as a watermelon with broccoli attached to the upper half in 2" increments.

0 Agios · #2 07/14/2007, 08:07 AM

peel em off like an orange, then send them to me

drummereef · #3 07/14/2007, 09:19 AM

You can cut off what you don't want with a single edged razor blade. If any of the foot is left, it will grow back. Xenia are very hardy and grow quickly so be ready for frequent fragging.

Arkayne · #4 07/14/2007, 09:22 AM

Should I pull the rock out of the tank before cutting?

ihopss · #5 07/14/2007, 10:49 AM

It has worked well for me, putting it in a bowl with my saltwater from my tank And cutting it off

Entropy · #6 07/14/2007, 12:14 PM

There is really no way to get all the foot off unless you get super lucky and can peal it. Xenia is very beautiful in a big colony, but sadly it is a weed plain and simple. Almost as bad as green star polyps (almost).

ReefJunkieOK · #7 07/14/2007, 01:25 PM

I had a similar issue. I chiseled a small sliver under the foot to remove them. Then it was very easy to glue to another rock or plug.

snulma1 · #8 07/14/2007, 07:31 PM

If its that bad, you can always take the rock to a LFS and trade it with them. But then you'd miss out having frags to trade

darkcirca · #9 07/14/2007, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 0 Agios
peel em off like an orange, then send them to me

and a piece to me..my xenia disappeared.

Gdevine · #10 07/14/2007, 11:14 PM

Just use a razor blade and cut as close to the rock as possible. Yes, it will grow back but like all coral's, they need to be fragged. I have both Xenia and Green Star Polyps and love them both. I also have short and long stem toadstools and a beautiful Green Flower Pot.

As you can see, I live corals that move and show life. Colored rock type (Stonies) corals just don't do it for me.

Yea, it take a few minutes each weekend to frag the Xenia, but my LFS is happy as this coral is not that easy to come by if not for us hobbyists!

Plus, I get to landscape my reef each weekend and it looks differnet each time. Now that's cool

only_mnh · #11 07/15/2007, 01:22 AM

Lol, i got a rock with a Xenia hitchhiker too. Didn't even know it was there until the water settled. It looks really neat too. Its only about half an inch tall. How fast does it grow? I got plenty of lights (nano cube), and plenty of nutrients. No fish yet....

wan 2 B reef'in · #12 07/15/2007, 01:51 AM

if you don't want it to grow back in the same spot after you cut it use a brush and scrub the spot clean, if nothing is left it should not grow back.

Arkayne · #13 07/15/2007, 03:19 AM

So should I pull the rock out or work on it in the tank?

MrZ · #14 07/15/2007, 08:56 AM

You should always frag corals outside of the tank and lightly rinse the cuttings and rock in seawater before returning them to the tank.

I would carefully try to chip away a small piece of the rock underneath the xenia. If you get the entire piece off with the rock, it won't grow back. You can also then easily glue the xenia with the small chip of rock to a piece of rubble or frag plug and call around and see if there is a LFS interested in trading you the xenia frags for cash or instore credit. Chiseling the rock can be easy with some live rock and impossible with others. Oh yeah - wear gloves and safety glasses if you decide to break out the hammer and chisel