Pulsing Xenia is an extremely popular, extensively growing, and easy to frag coral species. The name finds its meaning in the rhythmic pulsing its floating stems make. I had a bit of success with fragging xenia after so many failed attempts. The process to frag xenia is not easy, but you can get it right if you follow the requirements mentioned below.
Pulsing xenia can be fragged with the help of scissors or any knife that is sharp enough to do the job. You can place a cut part of xenia on a rock that has super glue to hold it. A rubber band can help make the xenia stick to a piece of rock of a frag plug.
Many enthusiasts might use every possible method available on the internet to frag xenia, but it might either deflate due to getting punctured or wilting. There are other methods that work brilliantly and don’t involve xenia’s loss. If you want to know more about the right technique using which you can frag pulsing xenia right, then continue to read through this article.
Fragging Pulsing Xenia the Right Way
Fragging is the process of cutting any elongation or stalks present on corals and administering them into other environments so they can grow into separate coral colonies. In the case of xenia, fragging can be done with any sharp object’s help. You can use scissors, a sharp blade, a knife, and any other item that can be used for the sake of precise cutting.
Make sure that the instrument that you are using for the sake of fragging is not blunt or otherwise fragged xenia won’t attach to any other surface.
After cutting some part of the xenia, it can be placed on a hard rock that has superglue attached to it. Pulsating xenia can very well attach itself to any surface, but it takes time, and you would have to hold the xenia frag in position using a rubber band or some other clipping method. That is why using some superglue would help xenia frag to attach itself to a specific rock. Once it has been attached, the growth would start right away.
Normal growth parameters for pulsating xenia are as follows;
- Temperature; 72-78o Fahrenheit
- Degree of carbonate hardness; 8-12
- pH; 8.1-8.4
- Specific gravity; 1.023-1.025
Attaching one xenia frag to another is a complex process and requires some serious time and patience on your end. But using a rubber band can help you with this process. Simply take a xenia strand and attach it to another frag from some other xenia, tie rubber band all around them and leave them be. They will attach within 24-48 hours, and once they are attached with others, just enough, you can remove the rubber band as well.
Attaching Xenia Onto Rocks Using Superglue
Most of the time, people don’t intend to sell their xenia coral but want to frag it for the sake of removing all the clutter it is making at the bottom of the tank. The most consistent method for the sake of fragging xenia is the rock placement method. All you have to do here is cut some of your xenia with the help of scissors or some other sharp tool and place it onto the rock with some clay present.
Allow it to sit there for some time, and hopefully, it will start adhering within 24-48 hours without any problem. Most of the time, the cut pieces are hard to attach, and the survival rate will drop all the way to zero if it doesn’t adhere to the rock’s surface. What you can do to make it stick with the rock is to use superglue, it might sound extreme, but it will get the job done. Place some superglue on your rock and stick the xenia’s frag on top of it; once it has found its footing, it will start growing unconditionally.
Other Common Methods Used To Frag Pulsating Xenia
Other than using the grafting method that involves cutting a part of your xenia and placing it onto the rock, there are several other methods that are used for successful fragging. Special care is needed to make fragging xenia a success, and if you are not 100% committed, then the fragging will not work. If you are interested in finding other techniques, then you will find them as follows;
Fragging xenia within the tank rubble
This is the safest method used for fragging xenia and is recommended to those who don’t want to migrate their xenia out of its tank. All you have to do following this method is to clip xenia with sharp scissors and place them within your tank’s rubble, and it will attach within 24-48 hours. As long as its colony is healthy, the success rate lies within 95-100%.
Frag plugs that provide a general surface and some clay and minerals can also be used for sticking xenia stalks onto it. They will automatically climb onto these if you only place the xenia stalks next to the frag plugs within the next day or two. Another thing that you can do here is to use the rubble as a fence to contain the herd within a set boundary; otherwise, it will grow out of bounds and mix up with the rest of the xenia colony.
Using mesh bag for fragging xenia
It might be extremely difficult working with the rocks and fragging your xenia directly onto a rock. That is where the idea of using the mesh bags come into play. You can get them from any aquarium or supplies store very easily.
These bags are made up of mesh that allows for perforation, which means that freshwater will continue to invade to provide nutrition and oxygen for the xenia stalks that you have placed within. But on the bright side of things, it will act as a barrier, not allowing the xenia stalks to grow out of the perforated mesh.
According to the experts, the xenia stalk will hold onto the mesh pretty easily, and once it starts to grow, you can again cut the mesh and tie the bag to a rock. This is where the real growth will take place; once it has reached a mature size, you can probably sell them for some money or colonize another aquarium.
Can One Frag of Xenia Attach To Another?
If you want certain diversity within the xenia frags, then you should graft one xenia stalk over the other, and it will produce a separate variety of xenia for you. This isn’t as simple as it sounds, and it requires a lot of patience on your end; if you can’t provide your proper time, then it is best if you continue with other xenia methods fragging and leaving it behind.
Using a rubber band to attach xenia to another frag
This is the most subtle way of fragging the pulsing xenia as it involves only a little technicality on your end. All you have to do is chop off the xenia’s stalk and rubber band onto some other frag that you can easily find. Only the binding period is a little intense where you need to wait for the xenia stalk to adhere with other frags; that is why a rubber band is used to provide it enough support until adhering can begin.
When both stalks are stable and don’t require any outer support, only then you can remove the rubber band and set them free. The process is extremely easy to do, and all you have to do on your end is to ensure that the connection between these two stalks doesn’t come apart on its own and is properly secured with the help of a rubber band.
Xenia Complications That Occur During Fragging
Many things can go wrong during xenia’s fragging, which is why you need to allot special attention to the whole process. Some of the scenarios that can occur while dealing with this process are as follows;
Deflating the foot
The foot or the stalk of pulsating xenia is mostly used for the sake of fragging and needs to be cut with a sharp object. But in the process of doing so, if you puncture it, it will deflate and take some serious time to heal on its own, leading to weeks. This is where the overall chance of survival starts to get thin.
Peeling off the base
To peel the base of xenia once its stalk has grown mature after fragging is a bit of a challenge. Here you can’t use any sharp or pointy objects, especially, or otherwise, you will be ruining the hard work done on the process of fragging. You are advised to use some kind of scraper to peel it off, especially if the surface of the base is flat.
Departing thoughts
Fragging xenia properly can be a bit of trouble, but the right set of information on your end can make things easier. Understanding the possible lines of complications that might occur during the process of fragging and keenly following on various different options available for this process is the key here.