something free...what is it...updated 4/7/07 (more freebees)

[rfosgategt]

i got this rock for gsp and this was on the backside of the rock when i took it out of the bag...

 

[Anonymous]

Xenia

 

[stubbsz]

yeah, if you keep it, be careful where you put the rock. I have pom-pom Xenia everywhere... it's like aiptasia only not as ugly. Although some Xenia species have simply melted in my tank.
-Adrian

 

[returnofsid]

Xenia...as mentioned above...be careful where you put it if you want to be able to control it's spread. I think the reference to aiptasia was meant to describe it's ability to quickly spread. Other than that, it's nothing like aiptasia. Aiptasia is actually a stinging anemone that's nasty!! Xenia, although it can spread fast, is a soft coral that really doesn't have any stinging ability. It just can grow and spread to "pest" proportions if allowed to. It's also a great nitrate reducer!!

 

[stubbsz]

Good point. It doesn't bother the corals it brushes against at all. But it can over shade and if you aren't paying attention, grow on other corals.

 

[rfosgategt]

ok, well now you got me worried, as young as my tank it it has gotten a lot stronger in there now. I was about to fall off the rock when i bought now it looks like a tree trunk.

what do i do if i want to control it? i think it is great looking but i dont want it to tank over the entire tank.

thanks for the replies

 

[mr_X]

keep it. don't worry, you can cut it back and turn it into the LFS for credit, or possibly trade/sell it to other reefers.
if you want to frag it, prop a piece or rubble rock next to it for a few days. it will attach to it, then you can cut that part away from the main colony.
most of us go out and buy this fast growing coral because we want it in our tanks....you got it for free.
like mentioned above, it helps the water quality too. :wink:

 

[mr_X]

it also looks from that picture, that you got some green star polyp on that rock too...did that come for free as well?

 

[returnofsid]

mr X is right. I missed that last time I looked. Keep the Xenia. When it comes to controlling it, it's not difficult. Just keep it pruned back. It's very easy to cut and grow frags of. As for the Green Star Polyp, that can be a totally different story...lol. In some tanks, it will encrust and grow on to anything and everything. Not only that, even though it's pretty and looks totally defenseless, it's one of the most toxic corals (towards other corals) that there is!! One easy way to control it is to isolate the rock it's on from other rocks. As an example, you can have a rock of it in the sand bed, not touching or real near any other rocks.

 

[returnofsid]

mr X is right. I missed that last time I looked. Keep the Xenia. When it comes to controlling it, it's not difficult. Just keep it pruned back. It's very easy to cut and grow frags of. As for the Green Star Polyp, that can be a totally different story...lol. In some tanks, it will encrust and grow on to anything and everything. Not only that, even though it's pretty and looks totally defenseless, it's one of the most toxic corals (towards other corals) that there is!! One easy way to control it is to isolate the rock it's on from other rocks. As an example, you can have a rock of it in the sand bed, not touching or real near any other rocks.

 

[rfosgategt]

i flipped the rock over to get the GSP on a smaller rock to spread on a diffrent spot in the aquarium and i saw this, i know it wasnt there to begin with and as you can see it is coming off the xenia it looks like but i am unsure of what it is.

 

[Anonymous]

It is a zoa or button polyp.

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