Anybody keep XENIA successfully w/o...

[dnguyen1]

Any sort of dosing? I'm checking to see the success rate of Pom pom xenias in a tank where there is just water changes that are consistently done.

Also preferable if you can tell me whehter you have PCs or what type of lighting :)

Thanks so much!

[reefworm]

I did. Just kalk drip for the other corals with a 5% water change weekly. I later started dosing a little iodine for the pulsing xenias. seemed to make a difference in the amount they pulsed, but it could have been any # of factors, pH etc. They grew very rapidly

[davocean]

If you don't test it, don't dose it IMO.
I never dose iodine, zenia grows just fine.
MH/T5 combo, it does love the light, but grows good at bottom too, just not as fast(better that way)

[scapes]

taken today...
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j57/chargedtuna/IMG_1744.jpg

once I added MH's last summer...it took off!! I started out w/ 2x175w XM 10K MH, now I have 2x175 14k ushio w/ 2x54w actinics. not growing nearly as fast, but it's spread to the bottom, both sides...everywhere! I don't dose anything. tank is 4 years old. just water changes whenever I feel like it

[CoralCaps]

Now that my tank is somewhat stable, Xenia is actually living. Haven't seen it spread like wild fire....yet.

Only thing I use is RO Right when I top off. 20% water changes when needed (2-3 weeks normally).

[joebecker]

I kept pulsing xenias in my previous 10 gallon nano without any special dosing whatsoever. They did very well, and in fact grew to nuisance proportions. I couldn't give them away fast enough!

[joebecker]

Oh, and I was using PC lighting at the time, btw. ;)

[J.R.L.]

mine grows uncontrollably...i have to trim every couple weeks and i usually trim 50% and it grows back like crazy......i found to make it grow like wildfire, put it in low flow with lots of light....i have other pieces in med-high flow and they grow stupid slow compared to the pom pom in low flow

[ryan_paskadi]

I have it in my main tank and it grows like a weed. Have another nano tank with a fuge that i put my xenia frags in. The lighting is cheap hardware store lights and it does just fine. No dosing...and rarely do water changes

[areze]

I covered a rock with it in about 5 months. 5 months without a water change, running skimmer or sump... dose for xenia? lol why?

[Gdevine]

Xenia grows like a weed and "most" anyone who has it in their tank knows what I am talking about. About every two weeks I have to frag it by the bucket loads. It's a real love and hate relationship. I recently found a very rate nudie at my LFS that came in on some rock that eats Xenia and put in the tank to help with growth control. You should see this nudie; it looks just like Xenia!!!!!

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p151/gdevine_photo/phyllodesmium24_anilao23-1.jpg

[useskaforevil]

mines fine, i cahnge 5-10% once every 6 weeks

[reefkeeper135]

Mine grows like cazy. I cut it back every other weekend, to keep it from covering my frog spawn.

[Semper Fi 1959]

My 2 cents is that when kept under pc's, they did not do so good. Once I upgraded to MH's a few years ago, I had to rethink keeping xenia altogether. (And no longer do) Anthelia as well. I am setting up a 75 gallon tank just for Xenia, both the reddish and pom pom versions, as well as the Anthelia and Green Star Polyps. I tried to keep them all out of my reef upon setting it 'back up'.

Below is a pic of my Xenia after switching to MH's and before I got the pom pom. I have more pom pom than what's in this pic of the reddish type!

I don't know I'd recommend keeping any of the above mentioned coral in an SPS tank. A lot of people don't keep zoanthids or mushrooms with SPS either. The Xenia, GSP, and Anthelia WILL overgrow EVERYTHING. They don't care what it is. I've had to scrape it off of zoanthids, SPS pieces, glass, overflow boxes lol. All because of the metal halide lighting!

IME it is a myth that Xenia 'eats' DT's phytoplankton and such. Again, just my opinion, but don't make the same mistake so many of us have made...and DON'T ADD the Xenia to an SPS tank unless your'e ready to trim like every other day. lol I AM however a firm believer that Xenia make a GREAT tank all on their OWN!

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x188/joker3090/Xenia1.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x188/joker3090/Xenia2.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x188/joker3090/Xenia3.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x188/joker3090/AntheliaXenia.jpg

[bucknellreefer]

Mine was thriving with a salinity of approx. 1.040 (its a long story)...

[kimm]

no skimmer, no sump, 15G water changes 1X per month, 110X4 watt pc's, and pulsing xenia's growing out of control. I found that they grow taller and faster in the direction of the flow. Low flow, slow to grow. But I am lucky and go to a fish store that is always buying them from me. I get store credit and rid the weed from my tank. I haven't paid for water or fish food etc..for months!

[camlov2]

Biocube with stock PC lighting, biocube skimmer, no dosing. Pulsing xenia doing well since I started in Dec. Not all that long but I would think the first six months of a tank would be the easiest to kill something. I feed a lot but also do water changes pretty often.

[pledosophy]

I dose calcium, alk, mg, amino acids, iodine, iron, coral vite, and phyto. It grows very slow bu tmy tank is high flow (100x an hour or so).

My last tank I dosed nothing and it grew like mad.

All my tanks get a 20% change weekly, always have.

Once I switched to clean water for SPS the xenia just doesn't grow like it did in my softie seahorse tank.

JME, HTH

[dnguyen1]

Seems like it's a lot of luck of the draw w/ these guys, I wonder if it might be my flow

[falconut]

I've had mine for over 2 years. During that time I have run the tank dripping Kalk, dosing Kent 2-part and adding nothing. It has been fine through all of this. I do have (2) 250W MH's, which have been XM 10K, Hamilton 14K & XM 15K during that period. I do notice that is pulses quicker after a fresh water change. HTH

[heller792]

heres mine, and I also have 10 frags growing at the bottom of my tank too. All I do is fortnightly water changes.
http://i354.photobucket.com/albums/r413/heller792/IMG_1410.jpg

[smoothdog]

This was about 2 months ago. I have nearly twice as much on the rock now. Time to trade frags for something to go in the big tank! 130W PC lighting, 1 65W 12000k daylight 1 65W actinic 03. Tank get's a 20% water change twice a year wether it needs it or not using treated tap water, Iodine added with top off water about every 10 days.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2045/2331746185_ca13da1bc4_b.jpg