Xenia Predator

[Northman_with_reef]

Hi!

Does anyone know an animal that will eat Xenia?

My Xenia is taking over my tank and whenever I remove it from the LR it just grows back within a week or two.

Thanks.

[REEFVETTE]

Someone on here can tell you how to frag them up.... Find out you can take it to your local store and get credit.

[TheGambler]

im not sure ? ? ?

[Northman_with_reef]

I know I can frag and sell it(the Xenia has already made me a small fortune in SPS )

It's just that the coral is so agressive, and it grows back way to quick.
I'm looking for some kind of animal that will eat it. I talked to my LFS and the owner told my I could use some sort of butterfly fish, but I'm not sure wich one and if it will work.....

[Samper]

I've seen a Arothron nigropunctatus eat Xenia sp. but they need a large tank and will eat other inverts. If I were you I'd frag it and take it to your LFS for store credit, could save you quite a bit of money.

If you want to frag it here is how you go about it.

Matrerials:

*Plastic mesh bag with small holes no bigger than this O (one you would buy a sack of onions or lemons)
*Sharp razor blade or scissors
*rubber bands
*1-1/2 to 2 inch pieces of rock, coral chucks, snail shells, anything really.
*A dish, tupperware ect w/ your tanks water in it.

Procedure:

1. Locate a larger established ployp. (pick the one you dont want to see anymore, not your awesome show one)
2. Cut close to the stalk's connection with the rock.
3. GRAB IT BEFORE IT FLOATS AWAY!!!
4. Put the cutting into the dish.
5. Take the cutting and cut it half into smaller pieces (a two inch colony would be cut four times.)
6. Take the mesh and cut it to an aporpiate size to the rock enough to rubber ban the mesh to the rock.
7. Take rock and the xenia colony and put the mesh over the colonies, make sure the polyps are facing up through the nets.
8. Rubber ban the mesh around the rock.
9. Quickly take your new colony and put it back into the main tank.

Note: It will look bad for a while, brown and purple pale look to it. Some people rinse the cutting with fresh salt water.

Check out this video.
http://www.garf.org/MPegs/XeniaPropagation.mpg

[Ninong]

I'm looking for some kind of animal that will eat it. I talked to my LFS and the owner told my I could use some sort of butterfly fish, but I'm not sure wich one and if it will work.....

I don't know of any butterflyfish that are Xenia specific predators. In other words, if they eat Xenia, they also eat a lot of other stuff, too.

There are probably some nudibranchs that specialize in eating Xenia but you aren't going to find them offered for sale and I wouldn't advise going that route anyway.

[Northman_with_reef]

I don't know of any butterflyfish that are Xenia specific predators. In other words, if they eat Xenia, they also eat a lot of other stuff, too.

There are probably some nudibranchs that specialize in eating Xenia but you aren't going to find them offered for sale and I wouldn't advise going that route anyway.

I dont mind If the butterfly fly will eat other softcorals, as long as it does not eat my SPS or hermits/snails.....

I know some angelfish will eat Zoanthids, is there any chance that there is one that will eat Xenia?

Your input is appreciated.

[kevinpo]

I have sold several Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosus) from the Fiji area that eliminated every trace of Xenia.

HTH,
Kevin

[Marine1]

The video that Samper posted is awesome! I didn't quite understand the verbal description of Xenia propagation but the video made it so clear!! Does anyone know if there are any more instruction videos out there for saltwater tanks?

[Marine1]

QUESTION: How long do you leave the mesh around the rock (per #8 instructions below)?

[QUOTE=Samper]I've seen a Arothron nigropunctatus eat Xenia sp. but they need a large tank and will eat other inverts. If I were you I'd frag it and take it to your LFS for store credit, could save you quite a bit of money.

If you want to frag it here is how you go about it.

Matrerials:

*Plastic mesh bag with small holes no bigger than this O (one you would buy a sack of onions or lemons)
*Sharp razor blade or scissors
*rubber bands
*1-1/2 to 2 inch pieces of rock, coral chucks, snail shells, anything really.
*A dish, tupperware ect w/ your tanks water in it.

Procedure:

1. Locate a larger established ployp. (pick the one you dont want to see anymore, not your awesome show one)
2. Cut close to the stalk's connection with the rock.
3. GRAB IT BEFORE IT FLOATS AWAY!!!
4. Put the cutting into the dish.
5. Take the cutting and cut it half into smaller pieces (a two inch colony would be cut four times.)
6. Take the mesh and cut it to an aporpiate size to the rock enough to rubber ban the mesh to the rock.
7. Take rock and the xenia colony and put the mesh over the colonies, make sure the polyps are facing up through the nets.
8. Rubber ban the mesh around the rock.
9. Quickly take your new colony and put it back into the main tank.

[Northman_with_reef]

I have sold several Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosus) from the Fiji area that eliminated every trace of Xenia.

HTH,
Kevin

Really?

I've had one for about a year, never touched the Xenia. It has eaten some Sarcophyton Sp. though.