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

[Troy V]

One of my favorite topics.

Absolutely it will work as a primary filter for your reef. I've been using it for almost 20 years. As a result of its efficiency my system is stable, skimmerless, and virtually maintenance free. I only do water changes once ever 6 months or so. It has been this way for many years without a hiccup. When I switched to my current system in 2016 I lost my entire Xenia population, only because I had to take it off line while I waited for my new tanks to be made/delivered from Planet Aquarium, and so I went with a Vertex 250 skimmer while I was waiting for the Xenia to regrow to a size that could handle the new 550+ gallons. Once it they did I was back to "skimmerless" again. It is truly amazing how well it has worked for me, and it isn't accidental it is deliberate. I have always kept it in a separate tank far enough from the display so that a floater wont accidentally find its way up. Because it does have the potential to take over your DT if it makes it way to a power head.

Everyone has a different definition of a "successful tank". We each create our own living artwork.

For me a successful system is one that is stable and deliberate so my inhabitants can live a long and health life.


This was my old system a 240 (8x2x2) that was skimmerless. Unfortunately I had to upgrade because the clam was getting too big to fit through the center braces, and it would frequently blow water out of the tank or on the light fixtures. I lost several MH bulbs because of it.
Aug.2004-Aug.2016

Current Setup

Xenia Refugium: I don't have a video of the new Xenia fuge but it is identical to this one on my old system.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Anything that grows rapidly and can be harvested periodically, can function as a nutrient export mechanism.

 

[Shon]

@Troy V
Haha, I've posted your video a few times elsewhere on the internets. That is an amzaing video.

Can you give a short description on the way your sump was designed?

 

[Cory]

I dont know about nitrients but iirc they are a sink for aluminum!

 

[SebastianReefer]

I know this threads got me researching it again.

Do you already have a spot for one in your sump

 

[40yreefer]

This may be an extreme example but, I have an old DAS 75 gal in my office that gest very little maintenance. Been running 20 years now with Xenia in it. It has an internal sump with skimmer built into the display tank. Well the skimmer pump quit. Didn't fix it. The sump pump quit Didn't fix it. All it has is a small jebbo pump on each end. Been running like that for several years now. No water change in 1 1/2 years. No fish in it, but that's a different story. Has inverts. Working hard to set up a nice 200 gal SPS tank and had to remove a butterfly fish and put it in the 75. Figured I ought to start taking care of it since it has a fish in it now. First thing .Checked levels.

PH 8.26
NO3 0
PO4 0
Calcium 900
Mg 1500
dkh 4,5

Interestingly. The nutrient values were "0" with no filtration other than the Xenia for export.
I know these are crazy number, but the tank has reached equilibrium and just seems to thrive for what it is.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

It is easy to trim them back with a sharp pair of scissors

 

[Loverman Smith]

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.

If your or anybody knows of the variety of xenia that's easily controllable in a display I would like to know ?

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

If your or anybody knows of the variety of xenia that's easily controllable in a display I would like to know ?

Depends on your definition of easily controllable. Any organism that grows rapidly, like Xenia does, will need to be pruned/trimmed occasionally. I use a sharp scissors and prune mine about once a month. It is really pretty quick and easy.

 

[K7BMG]

I am with the majority on the pole anyway with never considering it.
Mostly because, this is the first read I have come across on the subject.

Had not thought about putting it in my tank or sump as well.
Seems to get a bad rap for overtaking everything.
When I asked the question I received raised eyebrows and a word, "seriously"
But now I am thinking on maybe adding it to my sump.
Don't know for sure but will have to ponder some more.

 

[SebastianReefer]

If your or anybody knows of the variety of xenia that's easily controllable in a display I would like to know ?

Would you be talking about these

 

[Troy V]

@Troy V
Haha, I've posted your video a few times elsewhere on the internets. That is an amzaing video.

Can you give a short description on the way your sump was designed?

Thank you!
This is my current sump. It's a standard 75 gallon tank that I silicone glass baffles for desired chambers. The chamber on the left is 20"x18" and designated for the Xenia fuge and nothing else. I use the center-tank left 2" drain to supply the Xenia fuge with a 1 1/2" hose. This hose diameter allows a high volume with low flow. The low flow keeps the Xenia in place an lessens the risk of the Xenia floating away and finding its way over the baffle and into the return pump. It's not a pretty design. But it is the best I've found.

 

[NewYorkReefer1988]

Side question, if you have xenia in the fuge, but not in the display, what are the odds of it eventually making it's way to the display?

I’ve been running a Xenia fuge ever since vibrant killed off my chaeto and it’s been working well. Actually too well on the phosphates anyway. I’ve been holding steady at 10ppm nitrates but my phosphates have bottomed out and I’ve started to get some cyano because of it. Also I’ve had a couple pieces let go and try to migrate but the hard Matt of mesh in between my fuge and return has caught everything. No unwanted travel...

 

[40yreefer]

The trick to Xenia is light. They love light. Bright light like a display tank and they will grow up your rocks to the top of the water. No light they will die. Regulate light intensity for the size colony you prefer.

 

[SebastianReefer]

If I could get mine to pulse I would be game - I must be missing something (flow, ligthting, etc)
[/ with mine to much flow and they arnt happy just enough so they are swaying

 

[Paratrooper Lutz]

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.

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.

FORGOT MY EMAIL
[email protected]

 

[Paratrooper Lutz]

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.

Are you selling any frags? I own a small 29 gallon and lost most of my

 

[PranK]

I voted no. I think one of the underrated benefits of my Caulerpa is that it hosts a billion pods which eat detritus and feed my fish and inverts. I've never kept an algae-only fuge and I think that algae is only as good as it is (for me at least) is because it is used alongside other methods. I can't see Xenia being as good across a broader spectrum of filtration.

The pic in post 1 appears to show a tank with quite a small bioload. In this case the Xenia is probably ok but I can only comment on my own experience.

 

[Paratrooper Lutz]

Are you selling any frags? I own a small 29 gallon and lost most of my Corals when my light system burnt out. Ordered lights (2 x Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Lights) that took to long to come in due to the Corona Virus. Would love to get some shoots, xenia, bright green star unmounted as I want to glue it to the rear of my tank. What filtration are you using on your bio cube? I added a LOYALHEARTDY19 Aquarium Sponge Pre Filter, a Sunsun HW-3000 UV 9W 5-Stage Canister Filter with only Biohome Ultimate Marine Media in it, the AquaMaxx BioMaxx XL , BioPellet Reactor and the Macro Aqua M-50 Mini Protein Skimmer to my modified 29 gallon Bio , Cube. Curious at what others are using? In the days had a 55 gallon with Florescent Lighting, Wet Dry Sump and Protein Skimmer which worked great never had issues.
Thanks,
Dean,
[email protected]

 

[Feeshrfriendsnotfood]

It’s no fuge but I have a 1.5 gallon tank with a mangrove propagule that I plan to raise a bonsai plus a lovely piece of rock I had plans to glue a Xenia frag onto before Covid 19 said very unkind things to my plans and I never got around to it yet.