Just found this on another FAQ page, looks like I'm not the only one who was confused...
XeniidFAQs4
Xenia photosynthetic? Yep... very! 1/5/05
Howdy all! Three big time cheers for the WWM crew on a superb site!
<cheers!>
I'm fairly new to the reefkeeping scene (6 obsessed months old) but have kept freshwater planted tanks since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, so you can get as technical as you want to so long as you don't go Einstein on me.
<no fear from me - I'm still wearing Velcro shoes>
I read on the Xeniid FAQ page
XeniidSysFAQs) two comments by Bob that Xeniids are not photosynthetic (do a "find on this page" for that word and it's the first two hits).
<simply a typo if so... I didn't peep the thread>
This runs counter to everything I've read about Xeniids.
<correct... they are in fact one of the most nearly/fully autotrophic cnidarians to be found in the hobby>
I have had two small frags in my 15g nano with 80w of PC (50/50 and 6500K) along with star polyps, various shrooms, and a couple small fish and shrimp (all I need now is some crab legs and butter). I'd love to plop some Xenia in my 55 gallon fish/invert tank but it only has 4 NO tubes. What sayest thou?
<the common Xenia elongata (fast pulse Xenia) is very hardy, highly adaptable and will easily live here>
Many thanks for your help, both now and from the site!!!
Cheers! Matt, Charleston SC
<go for it, bro... I'm going to re-adjust my shoes now. Anthony> <<Yikes. RMF>>