Xenia in sump?

T

TexasDude

i read somewhere on here that u can put xenia in your sump to help with nutrient export? what exactly does that mean? and also.. if you have it in your sump does that need to be the only thing u have in there other than rock and/or sand? if u have macro algae is it pretty much pointless to try the xenia? and what kind of lighting cycle do u need to run on it? just curious how this works. thx
 
xenia would just add to the bioload i think. your best bet is just use micro-algae. it requires less light and is easier to maintain. if you were to try it you may need a little more light to grow it and need more flow for it also
 
Yeah. I was just curious about it. I alrdy have macro in my sump, I was just curious why someone would decide to do this and what the benefits of it was.
 
Xenia grows fast in a lot of systems, but not fast enough in my opinion to replace macroalgae. It's not very demanding though, so you could get away with most fuge lighting since you won't care what its coloration is. Export consists of scraping half of it off a tray about as often as it grows back.

Some people also grow aptasia in troughs for the same reasons. They consume detritus like crazy, grow fast, and don't need much light. But you'd have to run good UV between it and your system to keep it out of your display.

It's just another method of export and doesn't necessarily replace macroalgae. Comparing pros and cons though, I'm happy with my chaeto.
 
the main reason for xenia is to get rid of phosphates as it is very efficient at removing it, more so than any macro algae. that said though, and as david said, it is not to replace macro, it is to supplement it.
 
Cool. That's what I was wondering. Was not aware that it took out phosphates. Can u run the lights 24 hrs a day with it in there?
 
you dont need to for any plant life, macro or non. if you have something you are concerned with going sexual run it 18 hours, with the break during the peak time of your main lights. things need down time to recover, and xenia or macro will be just fine with this schedule.
 
yep - I have run xenia in a fuge for 5 months now ... nothing more than the typical fuge light on it ... it supplements my chaeto, and, works well to keep phosphates in check.. Plus, as bonus, it is a nice way to keep an eye on your alk levels ... xenia doesn't typically like swings in alk, so, it is a nice early warning system
 
very good warning system, i keep a small patch on a separate rock in my display just for this. if it ever looks unhappy it is time to test cause it will droop with even small changes in water quality.
 
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