A Xenia Refugium: Pulsing Xenia as a method of filtration?

[ccurnick]

I have a Xenia refugium because for some reason, My chaeto decided to melt, and I have been unable to keep it since. I moved my xenia rock island into my fuge and it loves it there. Not entirely sure how much nutrients its pulling out though.

 

[jphilip813]

It's beautiful and it's pulsing polyps are memorizing! But is it just a weed in your tank or something more? Let's talk today about pulsing xenia and it's effectiveness as a method of filtration or not. So let me know what you think!

1. Do you think a xenia refugium is an effective method of water filtration?

2. Have you ever considered setting up a xenia refugium?

3. Do you think xenia would end up in your main display?

Xenia tank image via @Trex

WOW...Looks like something just EXPLODED...that is scary looking...at what point do you just pull them out and start from scratch? Or is this the look you are looking for? My former LFS rep. here in Baltimore says he uses them in his personal sump...

 

[spsaddict4lyfe77]

Im interested in hearing more. As this would make a cool sump

 

[Enigma79]

I always used my Xenia as an indicator of water quality, the more happy they were the better was the water quality. I had Xenia all over the back of my 14G bio cube, never thought of using Xenia to filter the water. I am worried about it spreading, and controlling the spread from the fuge to DT.

 

[ca1ore]

1. Do you think a xenia refugium is an effective method of water filtration?

Not sure how 'effective' it is, but it is pretty cool. I don't recall any studies on xenia as nutrient export. Grows more slowly than chaeto and/or ATS, and you'd need to be removing it in order to actually export. Having a large ball of xenia along with low nutrient levels does not mean the former causes the latter. My guess is that algae is likely to be a better, and easier, form of filtration.

2. Have you ever considered setting up a xenia refugium?

I ran one many years ago, though not intentionally LOL. My frag tank is on it's way to being part xenia refugium.

3. Do you think xenia would end up in your main display?

I have never had xenia migrate from one connected tank to another. I do have some pyramid butterflyfish on guard just in case.

 

[Dana Riddle]

There was a peer-reviewed paper written a few years ago about Xenia. The author(s) stated Xenia's pulsing actions were shedding excess fixed carbon (mucus). This seems to explain what I saw in Leng Sy's xenia tank - those Xenia exposed to the most light were pulsing rapidly while those in shaded areas were only pulsing weakly. Now, if there is a lot of organic carbon available, there should surely be a bacterial bloom. Good? Bad? I don't know.

 

[Dakoda]

Honestly, with how well Chaeto works in my refugium I have had no reason to go looking for another method of nutrient export; I've always been of the mindset "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

[AngelFly]

Makes sense but how do you possibly feed this thing? You call it Seymore by chance? What are your KN03 and PO4 levels? I have serious problems in feeding mine so I'm about to remove my refugium all together.

 

[andrewkw]

I keep a big section in my frag tank which only uses live rock for filtration in addition to the xenia. It's not separated but in my main display I keep xenia on the overflow, it will spread to the back glass but in many years it's never made it to the rock work. Frankly I wouldn't care if it did. For starters it's one of my favorite corals, but if a piece gets on the rock it's easy to remove. It's only when it completely takes over that it's hard to get rid of.

Bonus part is pom pom xenia is probably the easiest coral to sell. Someone always wants it and LFS will almost always take it. When I have too much I'll take it to a reef shop get a few hundred dollars credit and get a couple high end pieces. Since it's so effortless I've got no problem trading several dozen frags for the equivalent of a couple of more expensive pieces.

 

[Bob Lauson]

They be effective but since they take over everything there is not much point of filtration for any other non-fish in the tank

 

[billrob71]

Has there been any documentation that proves that Xenia actual extracts enough nutrients to keep a reef tank health and clean?

 

[Ardeus]

I have a refugium (18"x16"x18") with xenias, anemones and chaeto.

I needed a place to put rogue BTA's and an area for chaeto, so I used an eggcrate covered with mesh to split the area.

I ended up with an ATS in the middle, BTA's on the left mixed with xenias and chaeto on the right. There's always a few baby banggais on both sides.

 

[revco33]

I love my Xenia. I keep it and my GSP on a large rock. I trim as needed. I like corals that’s move. I have had Xenia break off and appear stuck to the power heads. GSP also showed up somewhere else. Just scrape them off unwanted area. Easy breezy. I usually just sell unwanted pieces. Anyone in LA need some? I got you! Sorry about the glass. I haven’t cleaned it since last week.

 

[revco33]

 

[weamdog]

My 28g cube was polluted with this stuff at one time, now I'm down to about a dozen pieces stuck high up on the glass. I think as a coral, this stuff also sucks up other nutrients. Why is it under control now? I don't do but a 5g water change a year. Now the tank is covered in purple mushrooms and two large BTAs. I'm sure if I started changing water regularly that this stuff would take off again. My 55g is the same way, a few pieces here and there and no water changes/dosing. This leads me to believe that this stuff requires something other than no3/po4 to thrive and would not make for an efficient refugium.

My small zenia colony hasn't expanded in years. I scrape the glas around it. It used to cover all the high spot on my rocks when I changed the water more frequently. I do have some hair algae because my cleanup crew needs restocked. My way of thinking is if this stuff thrived on no3/po4 then there would be no algae and my tank would be polluted again. Just because they spread like weeds doesn't necessarily mean they feed like weeds.

 

[shakygator]

Anyone have success using it in a fuge instead of chaeto on a larger tank (160 gal)?

I have a buddy who has massive success with his gigas clam system and he has almost always had a xenia fuge for it. I think he lost his xenia at one point so he might not have one setup again yet, but he said he planned on it.

 

[don_chuwish]

I've never found Xenia difficult to control, I have a big bunch of it in the DT and just keep pulling chunks out as it starts to get too big. Easy to do. I've never seen anyone claim to know what Xenia feed on though, so no idea if it would help consume extra nutrients or not.

 

[Jaebster]

When I first starting reefing 20+ years ago, xenias were my favorite. Had many varieties of the pulsing ones. Had a separate frag tank back then and was selling them to many LFS for $8 to $15 a head, depending on the variety. Dont know if I'd put them in my DT. (There is one variety that I would keep in my display if I can track it down. It doesnt grow quite as fast and it grows large and doesnt spread as much as the pink ones. This was my best seller at $15 a head. It was supposedly super rare.) Anyways...

1. Do you think a xenia refugium is an effective method of water filtration? Hardly, but possibly but only if they grow rapidly (which they do) but some people dont seem to have much success with them.

2. Have you ever considered setting up a xenia refugium? No. The problem with xenia is when you need to reduce the numbers and start chopping them down, they immediate start to slime up. I'm guessing that the slime spreading through the fuge, to the returns and the display when cause sudden increase in organics in your tank which then defeats the purpose of growing the xenia in the first place.

3. Do you think xenia would end up in your main display? Sure. When printing down colonies of xenia, you you accidentally cutoff a small piece that goes unnoticed, it could get sucked up in to the return and in to the display, settle down, and re-colonize.

 

[Indytraveler83]

Has there been any documentation that proves that Xenia actual extracts enough nutrients to keep a reef tank health and clean?

I think this is my biggest question. Would Xenia outcompete nuisance algae the way macroalgae does?

I remove an overflowing 1 gal bucket worth of caulerpa from my refugium monthly. I'd need the same rate of export to keep my tank stable.

 

[Adele]

I love Xenia but do not want it in my reef or any part of it. I am happy with my chaeto. It doesn’t try to populate by being sneaky.