More great information on the Xenia sp. corals. Sorry for all the posts, guess you can say I love these corals.
Xenia corals require an environment that includes moderate to strong lighting. Usually brighter is better. They can grow under lower light levels, but may not be as hardy and healthy looking. They also require at least moderate water flow, as they are one of few corals that seem to do well right up against the strong output of a powerhead.
Hardiness for xenia corals pose an interesting case. While some hobbyists cannot keep this type of coral alive, other hobbyists report that they are almost like a fast growing "weed" coral. Although there are guidelines that can be followed as to xenia care in the home aquarium, no one seems to fully understand what will guarantee the success of this type of xenia corals on the reef.
Xenia corals have an extremely low aggression level. They do not possess any apparent stinging capability, but they do tend to grow over and shadow other corals if allowed. Xenia corals are photosynthetic and do not accept any known foods if offered in the aquarium. It is believed that they can absorb some nutrients directly from the water. Xenia may do better in tanks that are not frequently skimmed.
Xenia corals reproduce in the tank by attaching their stalk against adjacent surfaces and splitting into two colonies. With this phenomenon, the colonies tend to "walk" in the direction that the water movement bends their stalks. I've had Xenias which have grown on the aquarium glass, acrylic skimmer box, heaters, as well as watching a Red Sea Pom Pom "Walk" off a frag plug and onto a small peice of rubble rock (guess they do not like frag plugs).
The hardest and slowest growing of all the Xenias that I have had in has to be the Cespitularia sp. "Blue Xenia". Love the way those sparkle and look like no other Xenia species.
Xenia corals require an environment that includes moderate to strong lighting. Usually brighter is better. They can grow under lower light levels, but may not be as hardy and healthy looking. They also require at least moderate water flow, as they are one of few corals that seem to do well right up against the strong output of a powerhead.
Hardiness for xenia corals pose an interesting case. While some hobbyists cannot keep this type of coral alive, other hobbyists report that they are almost like a fast growing "weed" coral. Although there are guidelines that can be followed as to xenia care in the home aquarium, no one seems to fully understand what will guarantee the success of this type of xenia corals on the reef.
Xenia corals have an extremely low aggression level. They do not possess any apparent stinging capability, but they do tend to grow over and shadow other corals if allowed. Xenia corals are photosynthetic and do not accept any known foods if offered in the aquarium. It is believed that they can absorb some nutrients directly from the water. Xenia may do better in tanks that are not frequently skimmed.
Xenia corals reproduce in the tank by attaching their stalk against adjacent surfaces and splitting into two colonies. With this phenomenon, the colonies tend to "walk" in the direction that the water movement bends their stalks. I've had Xenias which have grown on the aquarium glass, acrylic skimmer box, heaters, as well as watching a Red Sea Pom Pom "Walk" off a frag plug and onto a small peice of rubble rock (guess they do not like frag plugs).
The hardest and slowest growing of all the Xenias that I have had in has to be the Cespitularia sp. "Blue Xenia". Love the way those sparkle and look like no other Xenia species.
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