Xenia in Sump?

[adestafi]

I have it in a small 60g quarantine tank - with no issues so far but too afraid to put in my DT. How do you keep it isolated?

 

[Troy V]

I have a separate 30 gallon tank that flows into another chamber where I keep chaeto and fragged Xenia. Then there is another dam before it enters the chamber with the return pump. I keep the supply flow to a minimum going into the fuge. Around 60 to 80 gph. This way if a piece becomes dislodged it wouldn't be able to flow over the drain/or dam into the return pump.

 

[adestafi]

So whzt your saying is to have a two chamber design in the sump with the biggest chamber being the xenia fuge and the scond as the return?

I have a separate 30 gallon tank that flows into another chamber where I keep chaeto and fragged Xenia. Then there is another dam before it enters the chamber with the return pump. I keep the supply flow to a minimum going into the fuge. Around 60 to 80 gph. This way if a piece becomes dislodged it wouldn't be able to flow over the drain/or dam into the return pump.

can you post a pic?

 

[adestafi]

Just saw your YouTube and other thread

 

[acesfull44]

Xenia can be an effective filtration tool if used in the right application. From what I've learned after keeping a Xenia fuge for over a decade is that a Xenia fuge must me deliberate, and given ample room to spread and grow without the risk of being introduced to the DT. It has the capability to easily filter my 300 gallon system without the use of a skimmer, and I still have plenty of room for Xenia growth in the 30g fuge for future system demands. Also in over a decade of keeping Xenia as a primary filter I've never had a single culture crash. Xenia and quality skimmers are in direct competition with each other. IMO this is where people run into problems. Especially when people become relaxed when it comes to skimmer cleaning and over all tank maintenance. The Xenia begins to flourish by consume the excess nutrients that the skimmer was once removing. Then the hobbyist decides to clean a skimmer that wasn't very efficient and now the skimmer is working as designed. The hobbyist has just removed the food source from the Xenia. Then the Xenias health begins to wan and it will eventually recede to meet the now limited demands of the system. If stability is one of keys to keeping successful reef then a natural filter that requires very little maintenance, a filtration source that grows to meet the demands of the system, potential source income, and something pretty to look at. Its worth trying.....

So does this mean that it's Xenia or a skimmer? Sounds like they are not able to coexist with what your saying and would be counter productive if used at the same time. I do not want to make a mistake here, so if it's better I just won't put it in my fuge at all. I never planned on putting it in my DT so I will just trade it to my LFS for credit.

 

[atoll]

My large clump (about basket ball size) of pulsing Xenia in my DT.

 

[frogman_reefer]

Troy is remarkable. You should really listen to his wisdom. He has a phenomenal tank and has one of the largest Gigas Clams in a private tank that I have ever personally seen!!! He does not run a skimmer, the Xenia does that job for him. And he feeds his tank a lot!!! 6 times a day I believe.

Again, use his knowledge and know that he has proven over and over that you can run a beautiful system without a skimmer.

 

[skydancer]

I've had Xenia in my fuge for at least 3 years. Once in a while I'd prune and take to LFS for store credit. Xenia is harder to grow than chaeto Especially in low nutrient systems. My po4 reads zero with a Hana meter.

 

[Xmoji]

Can you guys post some pics of you Xenia fuge? How do you guys keep it from invading your DT?

 

[cmcoker]

I am working on killing xenia in my display, will probably put in fuge section of my sump. I kill it by injecting it with a small amount of vinegar. I use a 25gauge needle and inject the stalk, if the stalk is not accessible I touch the xenia to get it to ball up and just inject the thickest part I can see. If will start dieing in minutes, melts away.
Before :

Ten minutes later:

That was in July, and that spot is still clear, so has not regrow there. Elsewhere is still a mess but health issues have kept me from being as aggressive as I want.
I do carbon dose, so I just skip the tank dosing on the days I inject vinegar.
I would use the carbon dosing guidelines as a guide to how much vinegar to use on any one day, if anyone tries this.

 

[xavier009]

I would love to see a pic of troys fuge. Im setting a 34 redsea max with a 10 gallon sump and ive wondered about the xenia fuge.

 

[squalo_75]

I've had xenia on my main display for more than 2 years, it grows a little but my angel keeps it to don't grow too much; but 2 months ago I bought a deco crab, and it has cut many of it, I just put that crab on my sump 2 nights ago. Now that I know that the xenia could be a good filtration I'll put some on my sump with my deco crab....

 

[Troy V]

I would love to see a pic of troys fuge. Im setting a 34 redsea max with a 10 gallon sump and ive wondered about the xenia fuge.

The adjustable drain on the right side of the DT flows into the Xenia fuge.

 

[Barron]

It's funny to see so many people having trouble killing the Xenia! I am one of those people that can't keep it alive. I have added it many times to my tank but each time it dies within 24 hours and sometime instantly. If i could only figure it out, I could solve your Xenia overrun problems. I have had 3 different Saltwater fish suppliers service my tank and no one can figure it out. At the same time that I was fighting this my Duncans died after having them grow for years. As soon as I introduce the Xenia to the tank, all of it's branches or fingers retract into balls and eventually disappear. The Duncans respond the same way. I have had the water tested many times by all of the service guys but have not figured it out. This has been going on or years now. Has anyone else have this problem? Maybe we can trade water for the people who want to rid their tanks of Xenia's!

 

[Troy V]

So does this mean that it's Xenia or a skimmer? Sounds like they are not able to coexist with what your saying and would be counter productive if used at the same time. I do not want to make a mistake here, so if it's better I just won't put it in my fuge at all. I never planned on putting it in my DT so I will just trade it to my LFS for credit.

It doesn't have to be either or, but it is important to understand the relationship between them, and like you said for me they were counter productive. Also when I was using both is when I realized that Xenia was the consistent, more stable means of filtration. It was then that I switched over to just using Xenia as my primary filtration. I still have both skimmers connected to the system just incase I screw something up and I need the extra filtration boost.

Troy is remarkable. You should really listen to his wisdom. He has a phenomenal tank and has one of the largest Gigas Clams in a private tank that I have ever personally seen!!! He does not run a skimmer, the Xenia does that job for him. And he feeds his tank a lot!!! 6 times a day I believe.

Again, use his knowledge and know that he has proven over and over that you can run a beautiful system without a skimmer.

Thank you!!

 

[Troy V]

I have it in a small 60g quarantine tank - with no issues so far but too afraid to put in my DT. How do you keep it isolated?

Trial and error... 12 years ago I had a 135 where I tried to control it in the DT
Before: (Sorry for the poor quality these are pics of pics from 2002)

After

As you can see I was unsuccessful at controlling it on the sides of the tank. I ended up tearing down this 135 in '04 and starting up my current system with the separate Xenia refugium.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

The adjustable drain on the right side of the DT flows into the Xenia fuge.

Love the video!

 

[Troy V]

Love the video!

Thank you

 

[cmcoker]

It doesn't have to be either or, but it is important to understand the relationship between them, and like you said for me they were counter productive. Also when I was using both is when I realized that Xenia was the consistent, more stable means of filtration. It was then that I switched over to just using Xenia as my primary filtration. I still have both skimmers connected to the system just incase I screw something up and I need the extra filtration boost.



Thank you!!

What kind of lighting are you using for the xenia fuge? I have some in a low light tank doing fine and was thinking that a high Kelvin T8 fluorescent would be enough for a xenia fuge, maybe?

 

[sunshinereefer]

Does Xenia propagate by spores or only saplings ( that's what I call them )