Anyone know of a good link or otherwise that has tips and such for maximizing the growth of xenia and other softies? Looking for some po4 export, as well as making a buck at the lfs.
Maximizing xenia growth?
- Thread starter Mako
- Start date
Xenia love stable parameters. I notice my xenia will not pulse if anything is out of harmony, especially pH. They grow faster under metal halides because they carry high rates of photosynthesis, but need somewhat degraded water quality. The higher the lighting the better the growth will be for sale and phosphate control.
I hope this makes sense.
I hope this makes sense.
I grow Xenia and sell them back to the LFS. They generally buy a rock with 1-2 stalks for $25 and they sell them for $60. They make a nice profit.
I have 1 rock of Xenia. I put smaller rock around them to (1) sell them and (2) keep the Xenia from spreading all over the tank. The Xenia will eventually propagate onto the rock. I sometimes will cut them with a razor blade if needed. I get about 4 rocks for sale per month.
I started with 4 stalks that went to 50 in no time. They spread on other rocks and I finally had to razer blade them off of everything - even my clams!
I think Pineapple is on the money about 2 things. PH and lighting. I have metal halides and the Xenia are about the highest item in my tank. I know they will do just fine lower but they don't seem to mind the light at all. I feel the Iodine supplement helps as well. I don't personally measure Iodine parameters which is a bad thing :devil: but I add about 7ml to my 90 gallon tank twice a week.
I hope that helps.
Mike
I have 1 rock of Xenia. I put smaller rock around them to (1) sell them and (2) keep the Xenia from spreading all over the tank. The Xenia will eventually propagate onto the rock. I sometimes will cut them with a razor blade if needed. I get about 4 rocks for sale per month.
I started with 4 stalks that went to 50 in no time. They spread on other rocks and I finally had to razer blade them off of everything - even my clams!
I think Pineapple is on the money about 2 things. PH and lighting. I have metal halides and the Xenia are about the highest item in my tank. I know they will do just fine lower but they don't seem to mind the light at all. I feel the Iodine supplement helps as well. I don't personally measure Iodine parameters which is a bad thing :devil: but I add about 7ml to my 90 gallon tank twice a week.
I hope that helps.
Mike
Thanks! I use compact flourescents (mostly 6500K right now) at 5+ watts per gallon, in a 14" deep tank. I know this is a far cry from halides.
I learned about the pH thing quickly. I haven't yet killed any, but I always knew when my pH went below 8.1. Hasnt' been much of a problem the past 6-8 months, I guess the tank's stabilized.
I have 0 nitrates in the tank. I have considered feeding the fish and crustaceans more to get some more nitrates for the xenia, as I've read prefer. But then I'll get po4 which I'm trying to eliminate. Could I cautiously dose some nitrate? I have some I use occasionally on my FW plant tank if it goes infertile on me.
I learned about the pH thing quickly. I haven't yet killed any, but I always knew when my pH went below 8.1. Hasnt' been much of a problem the past 6-8 months, I guess the tank's stabilized.
I have 0 nitrates in the tank. I have considered feeding the fish and crustaceans more to get some more nitrates for the xenia, as I've read prefer. But then I'll get po4 which I'm trying to eliminate. Could I cautiously dose some nitrate? I have some I use occasionally on my FW plant tank if it goes infertile on me.
Once again I agree with Pineapple. First don't expect new Xenia to start propagating. Give them a chance to settle down. I am not sure how long you had them. Water parameters should be as close to 0 on both nitrite and nitrate. You don't want to try to increase either of these.
What I would do:
(1) Buy an iodine test and dose iodine. You will see them use it up.
(2) Keep your water parms stable. Specifically PH, salinity, and temp. Ive killed some of my colony due to an unforeseen temp drop.
(3) Gradually get them as close to the light as you can since they will do better with more lighting.
I would go natural and put rocks closeby but you can cut them with a razor and attach them to another rock using a web film to hold them in place. However, I would not start doing this until you see them spreading on their own.
Mike
What I would do:
(1) Buy an iodine test and dose iodine. You will see them use it up.
(2) Keep your water parms stable. Specifically PH, salinity, and temp. Ive killed some of my colony due to an unforeseen temp drop.
(3) Gradually get them as close to the light as you can since they will do better with more lighting.
I would go natural and put rocks closeby but you can cut them with a razor and attach them to another rock using a web film to hold them in place. However, I would not start doing this until you see them spreading on their own.
Mike
I usually tend to slightly overfeed my tank. 80% of my livestock are filter feeders to some extent. Therefore, my nutrient levels are elevated. Xenia does extremely well in my tank. I have a 92 gallon tank (24" deep) and I notice the Xenia in the top 10 inches of my tank multiplies much faster and in greater number than the rest of the tank. I agree with everyone on here about the stability of pH, alk, and Iodine. Most Xenia colonies will crash for a time, though. So don't get your hopes up too high. It will cycle in your tank if it has been there for some time. There will be mass propagating for quite some time, then a mass die-off. It usually regrows itself though.
