Technique on how you Frag a Xenia

M

mo

Just wondering the best way to frag my large colony of Xenia.....

Stalk removal:

1.) Do I just rubberband a stalk to a piece of rock and wait for it to detach from the main colony?

2.) Do I slice the stalk from the main colony? If so, where do I slice, at the base, close to the rock or do I try and remove it completely from the rock?

3.) Other way?


Mounting stalk once removed from rock or colony:

1.) Do I rubberband it to a piece of rock?

2.) Superglue to rock?

3.) Other method?


Thanks in advance!
 
Xenia is fairly easy to frag. You can cut close to the base of a stalk and lightly rubber band it to a small rock. I've heard of people using toothpicks to temporally hold a piece on a rock too.

Mark
 
Thanks Mark.
I'm wanting to remove some of them completly from the rock so not too sure on the method to use of that!

Thanks again,
 
@mo wrote:
Thanks Mark. I'm wanting to remove some of them completly from the rock so not too sure on the method to use of that! Thanks again said:
Mike,

If you are wanting to remove some completely, you will need to get every speck of the xenia off the rock otherwise it will grow back. The best method for this is to use forceps and grab the stalk at the base and pull it off then scrape off anything left behind.
Click to expand...
 
I use tweezers and with time you can carefully pull the whole thing off. And or you can cut between the stalks and remove a piece. I have had limited success with super glue, 50/50 if it works. I prefer using dental floss to hold it down until it attaches its self. Then cut the floss and pull out.
 
Man I cannot WAIT! till the Coral Propogation Workshop, lol. All the reading has me confused. I'm one of those people that need to see it done in order to do it myself.
 
The easy way I frag xenia is by adding rubble between stalks.

I had a large colony on a flat rock, I would wedge frag size rubble between each stalk. After about a week, or 2 depending on the size frags you want, I would rip out the rocks and set them on my sand bed.

With this method you never have to worry about mounting or cutting. The mother colony will regrow very fast. I would have 20 frags a week with this method.

Now if you want to mount xenia to a rock that is more difficult. I tried several methods and the one that worked best for me is the toothpick and a rubber band. I used a razor blade and cut the stalk, then placed a toothpick through. Now loop the rubberband VERY LOOSE aound the toothpick and rock. Just enough to get the xenia to stay in contact with the rock. After a few days you should be able to pull out the toothpick and it should be attached.
 
Thanks for the extra tip but over the months I have found it very easy to just rip them from the rock. Works great and they seem to not mind since many have received frags from me and no one has complained they have died.
 
I just grab them as close to the base as posible and rip them from the rock. I'll put the frag in a plastic container with rock rubble. They usually attach with a couple days. the place where they were ripped form will grow back. If I don't want tehm to come back I get some Kalc powder (lime) make up a thick paste and smear it on the rock surface working it in and will leave the kalk there. I'd say 90% of the time it will kill off the residual.
 
I have had success fragging Xenia by cutting the stocks with scissors and using wedding vail material to hold it to the rock for about a week and then just cutting the material off and the Xenia attaches itself. I got the material at Walmart for like $1 a square yard
 
DanielJ,

What a great rock rubble idea. I will try that! Better than me cutting and trying to get it to stick or using super gel. thx.

Justin.
 
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