Need Instructions for Fragging Xenia

[radha]

My colony is out of control, and I need to frag it. Never fragged a coral before.... Ok, first of all, it's not pulsating xenia. It's like one of the clove xenias. I don't have a frag tank (hoping to make a DIY one sometime), so it's gonna go in my main tank. I do have cutting tools, but I can't take the rock out of the water, because my pom pom crab lives in there, but it's easy enough to reach. I was gonna frag it at the bottom (where the mat is, not where the stems are), but I'm not taking any rock with it. I think I can do the actual fragging on my own, but how do I get it to stay on to the rock. What is rubble rock, where can it be found, and what are some alternatives to rubble rock?
Thanks!
Radha

 

[purplegorilla]

Just scrap the foot of the xenia where it attaches to the rock with a razor blade (stainless steel). Then tie the foot with rubber band to the new rock. However I don't know why you would want to frag it since it is growing out of control.

 

[radha]

Cool, thanks. I need to make room for some new zoas I just got, and the xenia is blocking most of the room. So I NEED to frag it, I don't just WANT to frag it.

 

[radha]

Where do I get rubble rock????

 

[notireef]

you could always frag it and give it away or sell it or trade it in at your LFS for credit..
most LFS will have rubble rock or you can get some from a member.

 

[radha]

Ya, that's what I was gonna do! I was gonna sell (or give it away) on ARC.

 

[radha]

Thanks for telling me where to get rubble rock from! Is there any way during fragging I could mess up and kill the xenia??

 

[notireef]

Xenia is very hardy i doubt you could kill it. I have some rubble rock if you want....it was live rock at one point now its just sitting in the garage.

 

[radha]

That would be cool! But I actually have some live rock sitting in a bucket...... they're big chunks, is there any way one could turn that into rubble rock??

 

[notireef]

wrap the rock in a towel and hammer away

 

[radha]

Uuuummmm... ok. Looks like Pranoti is getting violent with rocks.... lol. I'll try that method.... I guess. Any alternative to rubble rock??

 

[notireef]

you can use anything....coral plugs, hermit shells, etc.

 

[radha]

I might try coral plugs... where do you get them from? If that doesn't work, I'll just use a shell, but it might be too small. Oh, well, we'll see.

 

[radha]

Ok. I'd rather not kill anything, but if worst comes to worst, I might have to. How big are your shells, because mine are tiny. I doubt the shells would be different sizes, but.... I don't think my xenia could fit on that small of a shell.

 

[notireef]

You don't have to mount it. Just give it away unmounted.

 

[radha]

AAAHHH! I thought you meant... nevermind. You really think I could give it away unmounted? Wouldn't that be a pain for the person (people) I give them to?

 

[jeff_mcphail]

Personally I would not scrape the xenia off the rock . you just might end up with xenia all over your tank because of all little pieces that end up floating around may attach themselves. Scissors will do just fine, just cut as close to the base as you can and then use a small rubberband to attach the xenia to another piece of rubble shell rock plug or whatever fancies you. I use this method all the time and works just fine. Just remember that xenia grows like a weed. For every stalk you cut, five more will pop back up in its place.

 

[radha]

Ok...... So you want me to cut the xenia where the stems are??

 

[notireef]

Cut them right at the base.

 

[jeff_mcphail]

Yep. Just like P said "right at the base"

radha;349580 wrote: Ok...... So you want me to cut the xenia where the stems are??