too much xenia

[daddio]

How does one get rid of xenia? I really like it but it has completely taken over my tank. It is growing on clams, montipora, the glass, powerheads and even the sand. I prune it back but that seems to make it spread even more. It grows long stalks and then they pinch off and float around until they find a new place to colonize. I have gone so far as to cut them as short as possible and use a tooth brush to scrub off the remains but it still comes back. It reminds me of tribbles. What is a good way to control their growth?

[sasquatch]

daddio, Ive always found that xenia likes less than perfect water, what are your levels of phosphate, nitrate, calcium, alc and mag? Steve

[daddio]

Don't measure phosphate but I use RODI water.
Calcium is at 460 and alk is at 2.1, kH is 5.8. I know this is low but I have been working on trying to gradually get my calcium down. It was way high and I have been gradually letting it fall.
I don't measure magnesium either. I figured that I should be ok here with water changes.
I tested about a week and a half ago. I will test tomorrow and see where my levels are at. I may even pick up a phosphate test kit. I am sorry to say that it is hard to keep up on my maintenance schedule during the summer as well as I do in the winter. But I do small tasks each day. It is hard to find the time to do major cleans... Maybe the explosion in growth is a warning to me that i have been slipping in my duties.

[daddio]

Did my tests today:
temp: 80
pH: 8.1 (I try to keep it at 8.4)
alk: 2.6
kH: 8.6
Calcium: 440
NH, NO3, NO4: 0

My calcium levels had been sky high and KH super low (the result of a bad test kit). I have been trying to even them out.

The pH has dropped since the last tests a week and a half ago which is kind of alarming. I guess messing with the ca/kh balance can cause a quick drop.

[BoomerD]

I used "chemical warfare", (AKA alleopathy) to control xenia in my tanks...It's amazing how fast a piece of cabbage coral will wipe out xenia when they're placed close together...The first time it happened, it was by accident...after that...purely by design..."HEY, this stuff kills xenia! Way Cool!"

[lcstorc]

You really need to test your mag. It plays part of the balance between calc and alk. Your calc is probably sky high because you are low on mag, It is very difficult to get your levels right without adding mag to the list,

[bluespotjawfish]

I place small rocks right on top of it. They will attach to the smaller rock, then you slice it off the base rock and sell the small fragged rocks. The base rock may continue to grow it, but if you persistently do this, it eventually works its way up to the smaller rocks permanently (where the light is). If you can find another way to reduce the amount of light that it gets, that will slow the growth too.

[Snelly40]

i use chemical warfare for xenia and GSP population control. i placed my frogspawn next to the gsp and you can see a distinct line where the GSP stops and will not grow !!!!!

[daddio]

That's a good idea. I wouldn't have thought of that. I few sprigs had fallen on my flowerpot and it was kind of interesting to see them melt away. I could tell my wife that the only way to control them is to buy more coral... hmmm...

[kyrie_eleison]

ARE YOU INSANE! Shoot some of those babies my way! I can't even buy xenia. I'll pay for the shipping. I've got star polyps out the whazzoo and my clams have grown a half ich since I put them in the tank but for the life of me I can't get my zoas to spread and ever since my small xenia frag got mowed down by one of my cowries,...well you get point.

[lcstorc]

Glad to hear I am not the only one who can't seem to keep zoas. I have no prob with xenia or anthelia though. That is everywhere. Unfortunately xenia is known to be a bad shipper so you best chance is to find someone local to your area.

[mps9506]

Hydnophora is also very good at stinging and killing xenia. I will never allow xenia in a tank I grow sps in again. I took a 5 gallon bucketful to my store a few years ago in a fruitless attempt to rid my tank of xenia, and yet it still would pop up here and there.