Fraggin' Xenia

[Meche]

Does anyone know how to do it?

A friend of mine insists it is not possible. :lol: He doesn't want it anymore because the colony, he has, is taking up 1/3 of his 55gal. So, he is going to get a quote from the lfs and sell it to me for that price.

I'm looking for any good links, hints, tips or tricks that have helped you'll do it.

This is my first time doing anything like this. I know what a frag plug looks like but thats about it, so take it easy.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Not only is it fraggable, it is hard to kill in good water. I had one get sucked into my SEIO 2600 and now have pulsing Xenia all over the reef. Cut a chunk off with a shark knife or scissors and rubber band it to where you want it to grow.

 

[spongebob lover]

what Mike says .
just tell him to sniff it good to make sure is good to go ..................just in case .








I'm just joking :lol: .

 

[MCSInc]

What fun. So are you getting the rock that it is on or are you getting a bunch of cuttings? Unless he has a lot of other things growing on the rock it might be easier to trade rock with him.

If you are getting a large amount of cuttings it would probably be best to get a couple of flat rubber maid type containers and put in a layer of larger gravel/small rocks/plugs or whatever material you want them to attach to. Throw all of your frag pieces in there and then rubber band a piece of bridal vail over the container and let it set. In a week take it out and see what you have to sell. For a large quantity that would work better than working with one piece at a time.

Also be aware that they will create a large amount of slime when you cut them in quantity. So be prepared for that - be cautious of cutting any amounts of them in the tank.

Finally make sure the tank you are moving them to does not get to warm. In my experience xenia is very sensitive to heat. You would hate to bring it all in and have it all melt.

As a matter for consideration after he trims off all he can, it might be worth it to gradually up his temperature a little to see if he can bring his xenia population down to a controllable level? Just a wild thought - don't know if would really work.

Well that is my 2 cents worth. Good luck and have fun.

Candy

 

[jake65]

Heres a little video clip from the Garf website on xenia propagation

http://www.garf.org/MPegs/XeniaPropagation.html#fi

 

[Meche]

So are you getting the rock that it is on or are you getting a bunch of cuttings? Unless he has a lot of other things growing on the rock it might be easier to trade rock with him.

I'm gettin' the whole shabang. He is convinced you can't frag them (or even remove them from the rock they are on).

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Kensn]

Depending on the variety it is quite easy to peel off the rock. I peel mine off all the time. Just get them started with a thumb nail at the base and slowly work your way under them.

 

[fbacungan]

Not only can you frag it, but you can have it attach to small individual rocks and resell the frag and rock for probably more than you bought it. Take a look at the garf site as Jake mentioned and there is a picture of a field of xenia that they sell. When you cut them with a knife to attach to other rocks, your only worry is that they may float away if you don't have them properly secured. I like to use a rubber band to attach them to smaller pieces of rock. Have fun!!