Pulsing Xenias and Mushrooms

[Guest clownfish4]

How do Pulsing Xenias and Mushrooms reproduce?  I have both and they are growing at an exceptional rate but I'm not quite sure how to make them spread.  Am I suppose to cut them or will they naturally spread?

[peacetypes]

Xenia, Let them grow naturally, but if you want to move them to other parts of the tank, then frag and place them wherever.  shrooms reproduce a lot  but they the grow, i see a new one every week or so mine are working thier way up the glass at this point

[Guest clownfish4]

How exactly do you frag?

[Guest goblinshark]

Yeah, Robert the ones u gav me at the CMAS meting hav already doubled in number, even after meetin the evil lurking coral eating nudibranch ....but now Mr. Coralmunch is..well lets say in a better place (my clownfishes stomach)  [td]

[peacetypes]

Get the razor blade/scissors out and start dicing, cut and the base and place them somewhere elkse in the tank and let em grow

 

Robert

[OUsnakebyte]

For the shrooms, you can cut the base near the rock with a pair of scissors.  Then take it out and place it on a paper towel, napkin, whatever.  Take a razor blade and slice the shroom into pizza wedges.  Try and cut through the mouth if you can.  Depending on the size, you can usually get anywhere from 4-8 slices.  If it is your first time, I would just cut in half until you get some experience, but it's up to you.

 

Now, here comes the tricky part - getting them to stick.  The most reliable way is to cover the slices with a piece of bridal netting, plastic lace, pantyhose, etc.  Something see-through (and obviously non toxic) that you can tie around a piece of rock so the shroom can't get swept out by the current.  Secure it to the rock under the netting (I use fishing line) and place back in the tank.  It will take a few weeks for it to heal and attach.

 

I have also done this by just cramming the shroom in the crack of a rock and placing something (like a small piece of rubble) over it to anchor - although this is a VERY easy way to lose one or all of your slices.

 

Also, it's gonna slime, so you'll want a small bowl of tank water to rinse the shroom(s) in.

 

HTH,

Mike

[michaelg]

Xenia- if they are healthy, you can just chop and relocate- the base will normally regrow.

Shrooms- If you want them to spread locally- slice them down the middle through the oral disk- cutting them in half.  Else to "frag" and place on a new rock, it is easiest to cut at the base as described.

 

Now to answer your question on "reproduction"-

Corals are somewhat unique in that they can have multiple modes of reproduction= Fragmentation through natural enviroment being one, self budding (asexual reproduction) being the second, and sexual reprodution (spawning) being the third.. The later tends to be a somewhat rare event in aquaria- fertilization and settlement, regardless of what paletta claims, are even more rare.

[Guest tgallo]

so far all is well with the cuttings i took from the larger piece's of xenia.