
The beautiful pulsing Xenia coral is a stellar addition to a reef tank or an absolute nightmare. It’s often referred to as the Pom Pom Coral for the pulsing motion of it’s tips. Consider the pros and cons of this engaging coral before you pull the trigger.
Beginners may initially love this coral and be overjoyed by it’s rapid growth, only to become overwhelmed. It’s not uncommon for Xenia to have to be pruned and the excess tossed on a regular basis. They love dirty tanks and it’s not uncommon for a beginner tank to be a little dirty. Veterans maintaining SPS corals may struggle to keep them alive due to having tanks too clean. There is even some talk of people using pulsing Xenia coral in in-sump refugiums as they would use macroalgae.
Xenia has been used to replace common macroalgae like chaetomorpha in a sump refugium. It has been reported to be as effective as chaeto. Personally I would suggest not using it for this purpose only because not as well known what the pros and cons are compared to chaeto and there’s a chance some could drift into your display and wedge itself in a hard to get place if you need to remove it.
This is something I’ve considered myself and think would be gorgeous. I imagine a clown harem tank with loads of Xenia would be a joy. The movement of the Xenia combined with the friskiness of a large group of clowns would be immensely entertaining. The additional benefits of the display itself basically having the benefits of a refugium is also pretty darn compelling.
Sometimes Xenia will stop pulsing. It’s disappointing when this happens but it’s not necessarily permanent. It isn’t a sign that the coral is in poor health so there’s no need for concern. Unfortunately not much is know about why this happens and what can be done to get the pulsing to start up again.
I experienced this in a tank myself and the coral did not begin pulsing again before I broke the tank down. It did stop pulsing for several months before I pulled the plug. I didn’t break the tank down because the Xenia stopped pulsing but because my experiment with grape caulerpa in my fuge didn’t go so well. That’s a story for another day.
You’ll either love or loathe Xenia’s rapid growth. It’s a beautiful coral and for the right reefer with the right tank it’s a great addition. With good flow and a not-too-clean tank they will definitely thrive and then some. As with all things reefing, don’t go into anything blind. Do your research! Also go slow.
You should now be prepared for how to deal with it if it begins to become a nuisance. Good luck and happy reefing!
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