Just the Facts contest: Xenia

Scientific Name
Xeniidae
Common Name(s)
Xenia, Pom Pom Xenia, Silver/Brown/White Xenia
Coloration
White, Brown/Pink, Blue/Silver
Size and Growth Rate
1-2" adult with exponential growth potential
Location and Geographic Range
Mostly aquacultured, Red Sea seems to a common origin
Food
Photosynthetic and filter feeding
Lighting
Moderate to Intense
Water Flow
Medium
Chemical Stability
Easy
Aggression
Reef safe with Caution
Care Level (Easy, Moderate, Difficult)
Easy
Hardiness
Impossible to kill.
Placement in Tank
Can be placed just about anywhere. Will climb towards light or current flow.
Availability
Readily
Fragmentation
Scrape off a rock and watch the residue form into a new clone in days.
Conclusion and Comments
Xenia is one of those corals you have a love/hate relationship with. It is a weed. A guy at MACNA claimed to make $100,000 fragging Xenia in a single year.

Several species "pulsate"... meaning they open and close their polyps constantly. There is rumor floating around that modern science can not explain how Xenia manages to open and close its polyps constantly. The coral expends far more energy opening and closing those polyps all day long then it could possibly be taking in. Freaky, huh? The reason for the pulsing has something to do with gas exchange or filter feeding. Regardless, the pulsation is downright hypnotic and adds tremendous movement to an otherwise static tank.

Xenia is probably one of the only corals that people actively use for Nutrient Export. It grows that fast. This double-edged characteristic makes it a great coral for beginners who lack patience for seeing results and a nuisance for experienced geeks who have to plan ahead of the coral's growth rate for placement.

Xenia can adapt to many different tank conditions. In low light, the coral will stretch significantly towards the light source and attempt to climb (spawning clones of itself wherever a few cells are left behind). In strong current or light the coral will shorten its stalk.

My personal experience:
Xenia has taken over and killed an entire nano-reef I kept. If you are going to place xenia in a tank 30 gallons or smaller, you had best place it up high so it will have nowhere to grow. The secret to keeping Xenia is to not allow it room to spread. Once it takes hold, it is very hard to kill.

I had an awesome strain of White Pom Pom Xenia in Indiana. The polyps would twist as they pulsated (kind of like a metal iris if that makes any sense). It's a stark contrast to my current species that just opens and closes in a very dull way.

If there is any coral in the world that you can frag and trade with your friends, it is Xenia. The coral will survive the process and you will be left with more than you started with in a matter of weeks.

Nice write up Jason

Very good job!!! Wonderful Pic!!!

GREAT job jason!!! the added comments and personal experience are excellent!

Nice write up and love the picture you included.

Great write up Jas

Thanks gang. Maybe I should have used this pic for this month's softies contest... haha

i ran a peice of live rock covered in xenias under hot water i had so many.....put it back in and the next day over half were still alive....i really dont think global warming will b killin these pups off...lol

I couldnt kill my Anthelia (related coral), it smothered and killed my nano. I shut off the lights, wrapped a blanket around the tank to block light and stopped topping it off with freshwater until the tank had evaporated to about 1/2 full and the stuff was still clinging to life! Only drying the tank finally got rid of it.

Well done write up

So here's my question- mayby you can give me a definite answer...

In my experience, the silver, elongated stuff, like whats on the left of the pic, shows up all over the tank and is very fast growing and invasive, but... The pom pom stuff like whats in the center, has never been a nuisance for me. It spreads, but it never popped up in random spots in the tank. Is mine an isolated deal or is what I experienced not the norm??

hmmm i've found both to be invasive, but neither to send "shoots out that pop up everywhere" - they always just invasively grew out from the base mat, like zoanthids - for me

I've seen both kinds pop off a little free floating bit that will land and attach elsewhere.

some species of xenia can reproduce by spawning. There is Blue Xenia or sansibia sp. It reproduces sexually and asexually. Here's a couple of links. I have some of this stuff. It's kinda cool.

Feature Article: Coral Reproduction, Part Four: Non-Scleractinian Anthozoans Including Soft Corals, Zoanthids, and Anemones — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

Spawn Report: Sansibia sp. "Blue"

some for sale, it's not as cheap as the regular xenia.
Drs. Foster and Smith Diver's Den® - Sansibia sp.