Fragging Xenia

[BigAl07]

Yet another fragging thread for Me!!

I have a VERY healthy specimen of pulsing xenia that I would like to give a single stalk to a co-reefer here locally. My question is how do I cut it and then how/what do I attach it to. I am including a pic (very poor quality but you get an idea).

Each stalk is producing more stalks from itself but the stalks aren't "spreading" but merely growing. I was thinking of taking a razor blade and shaving one from the rock it's attached to at the base. Is this correct? Once it's detached how do I re-attach it to another piece of rock?

Also I have a pom-pom Xenia (all grow from a cental thick stalk/base) and was wondering how to frag it? Do I simply cut one of the "tentacles" sticking out the top and attach it to a disk like I will (once I get a suggestion how) in the pictured xenia above?

Allen

[corrado007]

Hi BigAl, I'm not terribly experienced in this area but I'll share what I've heard and seen. I bought a Xenia stalk from a guy locally and he just dove into the tank with a pair of scissors and snipped off a stalk from the mother colony. He put it in a bag and I took it home and attempted to glue it w/ super glue. That didn't hold (not the best method for soft corals) so I rubber banded the stalk to a piece of live rock and it attached and has grown out amazingly. I've also heard of people simply placing/pinching the stalk between two live rocks and it'll attach that way. The third way I've heard and seen to be quite effective is using netting like bridal veil. You can get it at craft stores and you just net the frag against whatever rock you want it to grow to and it'll attach in a few days or so. I've seen people cut them with razor blades and scissors both. Xenias are extremely durable so I doubt you'll hurt it in any case. Good luck.

[mps9506]

A pair of sharp scissors is essential here. Find a decent size branch and snip off the branch. To attach it I find a rubberband wrapped around a rock holding the branch onto it works well. Or take a small rubbermaid/tupperware container and fill the bottom with rock rubble, sink into your tank, and put the xenia in their and leave it alone until it attaches to the rubble rock. The container keeps the water current from blowing the xenia around while it attaches naturally to the rock. This also works well for mushrooms and leathers. About two-three weeks seems to be normal time to leave them alone to attach.
HTH a bit.

[BigAl07]

Ok an update... this one started growing like crazy up up and away. It ended up attaching itself up HIGH on the rock via a long skinny stalk. In fact after closer inspection it was attached at the base (frag disk), about 1" up on the rock and again about another 2" up. I took a sharp knife and cut it just below the 1" attachment point. That part withdrew onto the disk and seemed "strange" for a few days. I kept looking and it started "budding" and after a week it clearly had buds that were becoming "hands". within 3 weeks it was clearly pulsing hands just like the original. I then took the knife and cut between the top colony and the small attachments 2" below the colony. Again the lower portion (which was only a small "DOT" on the rock) withdrew and over a couple of weeks budded like the other. Now it's a fully active 3rd colony of this critter and all look so healthy. So don't be afraid to cut this one. It looks like ANYTHING that's attached has the ability to become another colony.

good luck and let me know if you get the same results.

Allen

[AQTCJAK]

Vicki scrapes them off then lays rocks or skeltons on them & they attached

[Bwlr]

I've picked them loose at the base, then used a tooth pick through the "foot" to hold them to the rubble.

[Techno-Vicki]

I grow them constantly and sell them to my LFS. I frequently just put another rock on the stalk and it will grow up onto it. As Jack said, I sometime peal them off the rock they are on and put them under another rock to attach to. Where I pealed it off, anther will grow from the little left on the rock. Xenias are hard to kill unless your water quality is bad or you have an angry anemone putting toxins in the tank (happened to me).

[forestal]

if you want to frag them, use a sharp razor or exacto knife to cut down to the base, and then u could use a sharp wood chisel to peel the layer of rock off and easily reglue to another rock or plug

wood chisel believ it or not work great for shaving underneath zoa's and xenias, mushrooms and leaving a solid part u can superglue to another rock or plug

side note, wear gloves/goggles always when fragging, all corals, not just zo's have potentially toxic chemicals that could get in a cut/eyes/mouth and make u pretty sick....

I have done a ton of fragging, and learned the hard way (even with xenia)

[framerguy]

Originally Posted by Bwlr

I've picked them loose at the base, then used a tooth pick through the "foot" to hold them to the rubble.

That's the way I do it, I'm constantly giving this stuff away. Like someone else mentioned here, it's very hard to kill.