owndcheif

k, i'm new to saltwater and i have a tiny tiny tank (listed as aquarium 2, the 3gal) i have a very small xenia in my tank right now that i've had in there for a couple weeks, but this is my first coral and i dont really know what to do. am i supposed to leave it on the live rock it came on and just incorporate that in? am i supposed to touch it to where i want it to go and it'l move(i read this somewhere)? i just don't know. any help would be appreciated!

nemo addict

xenia will go where it wants to go dont matter where you put it ,, i will find its own place and will also split and end up everywhere ,,

owndcheif

yeah I'm kind of looking forward to that. when it gets larger i plan to frag it and sell pieces back to my LFS for credit, they told me in a 3g under 18w of light it would grow like a weed :P. It's funny, there are alot of how to's on fraging and getting it onto the live rock but none on getting it off...

nemo addict

to get it off is a bit harder then it attaching it self ,, try swirling rock around surface of water and see if it realeases its self

sirdarksol

" Usually kept high up on the reef for strong water flow and highest possible lighting. Xenia will reproduce in the tank by attaching its stalk against adjacent surfaces it contacts and splitting into two colonies. In this way, Xenia colonies tend to 'walk' in the direction that water movement bends their stocks, so you may want to consider this in your placement. Xenia can usually be coaxed to grow up the back glass of the tank and forms a nice background display."
(from http://www.reefcorner.com/SpecimenSh...ting_xenia.htm)

Just some ideas of where you want to place them. As for "how," for something that grows like this, I'd think you'd just put it anywhere that it will stay more or less still as far as water movement is concerned, and let it grow and root itself.

owndcheif

if it does release how do i attach it? most of the things i read were for attaching it to small peices of LR right after fragging...

nemo addict

it will atttach itself very quickly just put to rock and should stick within 30 secs by it self or just throw it in tank and let it find its own place

owndcheif

the swirling didn't work.... was i doing it wrong?

nemo addict

they aint easy to get off try taking off but dont pull to hard just ease if it dont come you can always chip the rock off with a hammer and chisel

owndcheif

I couldnt get it to release (stubborn little bugger) so i propped it at an awkward angle with the stalk touching where i want it, i hope it will volentarily move there.

and WOW it's already about 1/2 open after the "thrashing" i gave it.

sirdarksol

Drs Foster and Smith sell fragging tools that, I believe, are made to deal with situations like that.

caseyholland

I have a dull plastic piece with a flat tip that I work up under the base and it easily peels it without damage, usually,however, if it already on a smaller frag i would just glue it where you want it. it will still move as it grows and splits though.