Quote:
Originally posted by MikeS
I guess I'm not being clear. The new growth in on LR, not part of the original LR it came with. The growth is really imbedded in the LR and can't be cut off like it can on a smooth surface.
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The thing with propagating
Xenia spp. is that it can definitely get out of hand, particularly if you have good alkalinity, regular water changes, good slow to moderate current, and a hint of nitrates. Pulse rate seems to be fastest at around 84F, but the organism seems to fare well at 80 to 84 F anyway. An exposure to cold temps will make it melt, so you need to make sure that your tank doesn't get too cold. To remove the colonies that have embedded into your live rock, remove the rock from the tank, make sure that is well secured, and use a pair of wire cutters that have a good opening to "nibble " the rock away from the base of the specimen, leaving about a 2 cm round plug attached to the specimen. This will be the only way to completely remove the specimen and not leave laceration tags on the rock that will regrow into new colonies.
Were I you, and the colonies you have appear to grow well, then remove them to a separate tank and place the
mother colony on a bed of either agrocrete plugs or golfball sized LR rubble pieces. Arrange the mother colony so that it is upstream from the rubble. The colony will then grow onto the rubble and actually form one large interconnected colony. To remove a specimen, just take a sharp pair of scissors and cut the "stolons" between specimens and remove the now independent colony from the prop location. It will already be attached to some
rubble rock, and be ready to go, avoiding the wilting shock of cutting off a piece, handling it 'till it shrinks to nothing, than attempting to superglue it to a piece of rock. If your water parameters support rapid growth, then put it in the sump and propagate it there. In this manner, it will double as a means of nitrogen export as well when you remove the new specimens. There is enough energy from the LOA 65 watt PC lights to make this organism thrive.
Definitely remove it from your display tank if it grows well, or plan on harvesting colonies on a regular basis.
Hope this helps.
