Pulsing Xenia Propagation Experiment

[mudplayerx]

Hello guys and girls. I did a little experiment over the last week in propagating the pulsing xenia that I have in my tank. I would like to share my results as I feel that I have learned some important behavior.
Three stalks were cut using scissors, and three different methods were used to try and attach the frags to the live rock. One frag was connected simply by attaching the base of the xenia to a rock with a thin rubberband. The second frag had a wooden toothpick pushed through the base, leaving one end of the toothpick protruding from either side of the base....these toothpick ends were then secured to the rock with a rubberband. The third and final frag was placed on a piece of live rock and some netting was draped over it and secured via a rubberband. Here are the results:
Frag attached with a simple rubberband:
After two days the frag came loose from the rock and floated away. I resucured the frag with the rubberband, and by day seven the frag was still not attached to the rock. In fact, the portion of the stalk that was pinched by the rubberband seemed to atrophy.
Frag skewered with toothpick and attached with rubberband:
By day four the frag was attached to the rock. The rubberband was cut away and the toothpick was easily slid out of the wound. The toothpick left a slight scar on the xenia, but by day seven it had already began to heal over very nicely.
Frag covered over with some netting:
By day two the frag was attached to the rock. This left no scars on the xenia, did not cause any part of the stalk to atrophy, and did not allow the xenia frag to become loose and float away. This is by far the best means of getting the xenia to attach to the live rock. I was amazed that it attached so quickly, and took only slightly more effort than using a rubberband alone.
-On my next batch of frags I plan on using different methods of cutting the xenia frags off of the live rock. This time I used scissors and left about one inch of the stalk attached to the rock. Next time I will use the scissors, a sharp razor blade, and a dull razor blade (as recommended by some experts). Eventually I plan on experimenting on how much of the stalk to leave on the live rock.

 

[bigarn]

Good info Mud ..... From my experience you can cut them down to no stalk at all, I mean absolutely even with the surface of the rock and they grow back. I do this about every 1 and a half months to keep them under control.

 

[mudplayerx]

Hey Bigarn, how long do your xenia stalks left attached to the rocks take before that grow new heads? Its been a week and the leftover stalks have not grown new heads yet. I'm kinda worried.

 

[bigarn]

I'd say within another week or 2 you should start to see something. I wouldn't worry, unless there's something wrong with the water there's no stopping them.

Keep an eye on them ... sometimes they literally sprout overnight.

 

[mudplayerx]

Thanks big. I do have some xenia sprouting up on their own across the tank, but nothing yet on the 3 stalks I cut.

 

[speg]

I havent tried the netting trick yet but I believe in a couple days when I need to frag mine I shall try it and post the results and hopefully post pics of the process! I appreciate you writing your findings bud I wish more people did that.
I have tired a toothpick... for me it was horrible because the toothpick rips a lot of the xenia and I find it hard to remove the large toothpick from the small xenia once its attached... without it tearing the xenia from its newly attached home.
I mostly do stainless steal needles... the needles are very small and slide in and out of the xenia with ease and it doesnt rip the xenia. I havent noticed these needles rusting at all... but if they do I would just throw them away... I do still have a few that end up floating off and attaching themselves in places I do not want them to
I am going to try the net thing for sure!
If you have any info on how to frag tree coral and actually keep it sticking i'd love to hear it I have tried superglue gel and in day two it comes off and dissappears in the tank

 

[speg]

Also I notice at about day 2 after they are cut that very small heads are appearing from the stump. About one week you can make out a head that actually pulses. Week 3, ready to re-frag

 

[misslaina]

do you use tulle, the stuff girls use under a wedding dress? Or the netting that lemons and limes come in? Thanks so much for the info hope one day my xenia will be out of control.

 

[bigarn]

Either will work fine.

 

[mudplayerx]

Just wanted to share my experience from my recent frag. I used the net method and the xenia attached to the rock IN 24 HOURS!!! The net method is the best method by far.

 

[tliss]

OK...question on the net method. How tightly should the net be placed over the rock and frag. I just cut a piece that was at the bottom of the colony and not getting much light and want to do the same thing, but I'm not sure how tight I should put the netting. Suggestions?
Tom

 

[bigarn]

Just make it tight enough to hold the frag in place ... don't worry you can make it pretty snug without hurting the xenia.

 

[acrylic300]

I noticed some at the LFS that had moved to a very shaded area. I wonder how little light they can thrive in? :notsure:

 

[mudplayerx]

Xenia depends on pretty intense lighting. I'd say definately nothing less than "moderate" lighting. Also, xenia moves pretty slowly...maybe an inch every week or two, but even that may be too fast. Are you sure that the xenia yiou saw at the lfs wasn't moved by an employee?
My xenia always grows towards the top of the tank, even when it is on the top of the live rock. This is with 300 watts of hqi mh in a 55 gallon tank.

 

[funkyman]

I've placed small pieces of live rock rubble right up against Xenia stalks I wanted to move or take out. It works great, as the Xenia "crawls on" the rock after a few days.
I've also noticed no new Xenia has regrown where the previous Xenias had been using this method. I've done it a few times so far and the results have been the same. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

[hot883]

Mud, very informative and appreciated all the input from everyone.
My question is when a zenia/mushroom etc is cut, how is it done. ie. length ways, in chunks? Thanks, Barry

 

[goulding.c]

I would like to try this with my zenia. I am curious to how it is cut. If the stalk is 3 inches tall with 3 fingers at the top, are you cutting off one of the fingers, the entire stalk, all the fingers, ect... Mine are growing well but not as fast as you all make it sound they should be. I have 9 watts/ gallon of mh and pcs. Should I be feeding them something else I don't know about? Thanks everyone.
CG

 

[bigarn]

With xenia you can either cut it at the very base, straight across or you can cut the branches .... both ways have worked for me.

 

[bronco300]

i've used the netting process when i first fragged my xenia, works great except i had some stubborn ones that attached to the net instead.

and i dont have many, so when the xenia moves over a space, i will cut the stalk where he is jumping from spot to spot, and a new one grows very nicely, dont that about two or three times now. xenia is quite possibly my favorite coral, i love how it pulses.....but it also could be because i dont have any other corals,lol. YET. the pic is of my frags i have...they've been doing very well and grow nicely. there are 6 from one stalk, i thought surely some were gonna die, but they all made it thankfully!

Luke
(hey mudplayerx, could you take a peak over here by the way, https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/179642/diy-hob-refuge i would appreciate it a ton)

 

[bigarn]

You'll have a forest in no time!