Chemistry Guru Challenge!

[Whiterabbitrage]

Ok, all you chem buffs. Here's the deal. Invent something to kill Xenia. There has to be a way. If you can do it, there a cash prize: millions of dollars from grateful hobbiest like me. This is a serious challenge btw. If you are onto something I'll back you. :bounce1: get to the lab and get cracking!

[rustyjames]

Fluke tab.

[hilgert]

As long as there is no requirement for other life in the tank to continue I can think of several things that would work.

Xenia always *looks* like a good idea until it takes over a tank. I've always just pulled it out by hand every few months...it's a great way to export nutrients.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

As long as there is no requirement for other life in the tank to continue I can think of several things that would work.

:lol:

Bleach and copper? :D

FWIW, finding a selective agent to kill a single reef organism is about as likely and easy as curing a single infectious human disease (e.g., malaria, cholera, AIDS, tuberculosis, etc.). :)

[hilgert]

As long as there is no requirement for other life in the tank to continue I can think of several things that would work.

:lol:

Bleach and copper? :D
Or maybe a cocktail of bleach and kalk...we can call it "bleachwasser". Or "kopper" (kalk and copper).

FWIW, finding a selective agent to kill a single reef orgaism is about as likely and easy as curing a single human disease (e.g., malaria), and would be far less lucrative. :D
The only elixer I've used in this hobby that did exactly what it said it would do for pests, and only to the pests it targeted, was Flatworm Solution (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2155597) that I used a few years ago on a small tank (Salifert Flatworm Exit does the same). The effect was magical.

I'm afraid for Xenia you will be resigned to weeding it out manually like I do. It's not that bad, and once you get the technique down it comes off easily.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've used Flatworm Exit and I agree that it works, but I also expect that it kills a lot of similar organisms. We just don't happen to notice or care about most flatworms.

We do notice and care about corals related to Xenia in many cases. :)

[Whiterabbitrage]

Xenia is different from other corals so I thought it would be like coming up with a virus for humans that would not effect dogs. No, huh? I am pretty tired of pulling this stuff out and it really is crowding other stuff out as well. Adding Xenia against all warnings seems like a common noob mistake. If there was a tablet to fix it, it would be a hot seller. Flatworm Exit? Really? Thanks. I'll keep it in mind. I'm not comfortable with adding anything to the tank that I can't monitor though. ( I'm a Reef Wuss) so I guess I'll stick to pulling it out by hand. Serves me right for not listening to wise advice of old salts.

[hilgert]

No, Flatworm Exit won't fix it...it was just a rare example in this hobby of a magic potion that does what it says it does.

[Rybren]

You could try pulling it off manually and then covering the stumps with a paste made from kalk. It's not perfect, but it helps.

[driftin]

Don't miss the first response you got - fluke tabs.