how to control xenia's?

[mark]

Xenia were overrunning my tank as well causing me to trim and peel constantly to keep in check. Got to the point I was just flushing it.

Have noticed since a little after starting to use a Ca reactor, that the spread and budding has stopped and what I have now left is about to where I had trimmed back last and it's even decreasing a bit.

Thinking that it's more the alk from the reactor since it's around 10KH but has on occasion swung higher and my Ca never is really that much, ranges about 350-380.

[fishface]

Originally Posted by skylord

Green Star Polyps kill it...but GSP's are just as bad for taking over a tank. If you want some GSP's give me a shout...or I think Tom R is a little closer to you and he generally has plenty.

Scott

i've got gsp's and don't seem to have any problem with them...slow growers in my tank.

[bv_reefer]

-Great i put my xenia on the very top of my nicest piece of live rock that makes an arch but it's real nice always growing and feeding and ain't causing
any problems so w/e, i'll leave him

[fishytime]

Only problem with peeling is if you dont get 100% of it off it will come back. Now you have it in its original position and where ever you moved it to. I have also found little tiny xenia growing on rocks that the mother colony was nowhere near. I suspect from trimming back the mother colony IN the display tank(wont do that agian). Just frag it and sell it. I dont even have the original piece I bought and the frags have more than paid for the original piece. I find it easier to control this way. After I cut frags off, if there is a little residual xenia it will sprout up fairly soon. Then I take a sharp tool and cut the rock the little sprout is on. Viola no more xenia(there).

[Scavenger]

Another option would be asking your local LFS if they would trade pound for pound, your rocks with xenia for theirs without xenia. I don't know about your local stores, but in my experience, LFS's really like rocks with any type of growth. The newbie's always buy that first.

[fishface]

definitely not going to dismantle the rockwork for that but i suppose it is an option...one i won't entertain personally though.

[steva44]

i added a yellow scroll to my tank about 8" or so from the xenia I had. Within a couple hours, the xenia shrivled to almost nothing, I had to place it somewhere else in the tank to live! So you could try buying a coral that is incompatible with them and just move it around until you finish them all.