Pom Pom Xenia placement

beyer · May 11, 2017

I have a new Pom Pom Xenia frag with 3 stalks and placed it on my rock. I've heard you should isolate them so they don't overtake your main rock structure but I do not have room in my tank to dedicate a specific island for Xenia coral. Will I be ok to have it on my main rock structure? I've given it room to grow but in the future can I somehow manage where I want it to grow?

Ps- I don't see it growing too fast either as I'm allowing it only its minimum PAR lighting.

cjd · May 11, 2017

snip , snip , snip .... Once it becomes established it will grow before your eyes. I made the mistake of putting some in a tank , lets face it, it is a beauty the way it sways and pulsates in the aquarium . It will be fine though when it starts to spread just cut it down to the base . I would have hundreds of frag plugs handy and glue those clippings down and take them to my local fish store for trades or simply just to get rid of them!!! That base that you cut will start to grow back shortly and the process happens again. One time I tried to eradicate them from my tank , I clipped all of them and took the rock out and burned the attachment points with a lighter ..... a month later I had tiny little pulsing pom poms growing back .. Now that's one tuff durable coral . The end of days will be cockroaches and pulsing xenia!!!

cjd · May 11, 2017

Last note , just make sure you place it in a spot that wont take up a more desirable coral placement . I would try and think down the road as you get more corals and what you want to be more of a "show" piece . this coral would be a good empty spot "filler" coral . Instead of over growing the main viewing area , I would think of a spot that you wouldn't normally put a coral and place it there. It may look like a weird spot now but as you fill the tank with more pieces it will blend in nicely giving your tank a more full appearance.

beyer · May 11, 2017

Lol. Thanks for the help! Definitely love the look and movement...but sounds tough as far as maintaining. I'll be ok though, I usually check on the tank every day and test almost daily so it may just have to be chalked up to just part of the daily process.

Here is a pic of the entire tank with the Xenia on the lower left part of the rock with a psychedelic mushroom, and 3 different zoa frags on top. I have nothing is glued yet. Do you have any suggestions on where to place them? lol I just bought them because I knew I wanted them in my tank, but haven't thought too much about their placement. I know I want to keep them off the bottom part of the tank though because I have low PAR.

R_C · May 11, 2017

LOL, in my experience if they like your parameters they will grow wild and out of control without you even noticing. I started with a small amount like yours (maybe a little smaller) and within 2 months I had fist size rock full of them. They will grow over anything and everything as long as they tolerate the sting from other coral. Since you are starting, I would recommend for you to test it out in a separate rock and see how fast they grow.

cjd · May 11, 2017

Its really not hard at all , I had a pair of scissors that came in a toe nail care kit and just reach in there and snip away till you harts content . Just try to grab what you snipped as where they land is where they grow . The rock you have them on now looks like prime real estate for more desirable pieces. Things grow up towards light especially if its weak lighting . If conditions are met, that small colony will be that entire rock faster then anything else on it .inevitably smoothing everything else in it way. I personally would put them in-between the sand bed and the rock and control the growth up onto the rock work. This gives you time to trim and control the growth better. Leaving more space for other corals. Where they are at now, once just one arm attaches to that spot ...that rock becomes theirs

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What lights are you running that you are worried about par ? I know its just a picture but the tank looks pretty lit up . These things grow in direct blast , in shade , under overhangs...they just don't care ! They just grow ! I had one of my cut pieces caught in a MP 40 getting shredded , I un tangled it ,glued it to frag plug, next day it was pulsing !!! they don't care about anything!!!

beyer · May 11, 2017

If I place them in the sand will they grow across the sand? I actually wouldn't mind them growing on my back glass. I'm running a current USA orbit marine (standard). PAR is around 100 at the peak of my top rock and around 30 on my tank bottom. Should have spent the extra 100 or so to buy a decent light.

beyer · May 11, 2017

R_C said:
LOL, in my experience if they like your parameters they will grow wild and out of control without you even noticing. I started with a small amount like yours (maybe a little smaller) and within 2 months I had fist size rock full of them. They will grow over anything and everything as long as they tolerate the sting from other coral. Since you are starting, I would recommend for you to test it out in a separate rock and see how fast they grow.

I don't have another tank to place them in

Webslinger · May 11, 2017

take them out.... you won't like them in a few months. There are much nice looking ones out there that don't take over a tank.

YellowTip Nuclear Green clove are very nice and slower growers.

cjd · May 11, 2017

I would at least place them in the sand bed , plop them right in the middle . If the sand isn't disturbed around them they very well could adhere to it . You could eventually have a living substrate . Its just a shame that it is so invasive, plus chicks dig it ..... I could have a full blown SPS tank with mother colonies the size of basket balls . My wife looks at the tank and all she talks about is the pulsing pom pom in the back corner that is there because I cant kill it! Me , im a sucker for green star polyps , love them, don't care how invasive they are , they will always find a place in my tanks......to each his own.

R_C · May 11, 2017

They will grow over pretty much everything. These are mine after a couple of months. By the way this is what I meant about just putting them on another rock.

want2bsleepy · May 15, 2017

beyer said:
If I place them in the sand will they grow across the sand? I actually wouldn't mind them growing on my back glass. I'm running a current USA orbit marine (standard). PAR is around 100 at the peak of my top rock and around 30 on my tank bottom. Should have spent the extra 100 or so to buy a decent light.

I keep my xenia in the sand. It is very easy to control that way.

beyer · May 18, 2017

R_C said:
They will grow over pretty much everything. These are mine after a couple of months. By the way this is what I meant about just putting them on another rock.

want2bsleepy said:
I keep my xenia in the sand. It is very easy to control that way.

cjd said:
I would at least place them in the sand bed , plop them right in the middle . If the sand isn't disturbed around them they very well could adhere to it . You could eventually have a living substrate . Its just a shame that it is so invasive, plus chicks dig it ..... I could have a full blown SPS tank with mother colonies the size of basket balls . My wife looks at the tank and all she talks about is the pulsing pom pom in the back corner that is there because I cant kill it! Me , im a sucker for green star polyps , love them, don't care how invasive they are , they will always find a place in my tanks......to each his own.

Is it ok if I just placed the frag rock they came attached to in the sand bed? Is that still a good way to isolate them? I can keep stirring the sand around it about everyday.

If I went with this route, would it minimize the chance of it spreading?

R_C · May 18, 2017

Yes it is OK. You can also glue that rock they came attached to on another bigger rock to allow them to grow. This way you will have better chances of it not taking over the whole tank. Always be on the lookout for some of the strands that are ejected from the main colony so it does not attach to the main rock.

beyer · May 18, 2017

R_C said:
Yes it is OK. You can also glue that rock they came attached to on another bigger rock to allow them to grow. This way you will have better chances of it not taking over the whole tank. Always be on the lookout for some of the strands that are ejected from the main colony so it does not attach to the main rock.

So if I restrict it from having any rock to grow on like I have it now, it will be more likely to spread?

R_C · May 18, 2017

It will spread regardless. In my opinion if it is on a rock by itself it will take over the rock. When it grows on the sand you can cut it easier and manage it better.

want2bsleepy · May 19, 2017

beyer said:
Is it ok if I just placed the frag rock they came attached to in the sand bed? Is that still a good way to isolate them? I can keep stirring the sand around it about everyday.

If I went with this route, would it minimize the chance of it spreading?

yes, that route will work. That is how I do it. I keep it in the sand, away from the rock. I place empty frag plugs all around, and as it grows onto the plugs I separate them and take them to my local store to trade. It is a win-win! I keep my xenia, which I love, but am able to control it's growth, and I get a little store credit for frags!