Is Xenia a nutrient export?

[Neto]

I still dont understand my tank.... Chaeto barely grows, have 4 fish in a 25 total system volume tank, I feed decent, change 1 gallon of water weekly, nitrates are 0 and the only thing that grows like a weed is my pulsating Xenia... I am starting to wonder if its a good nutrient export? I will have to sharpen a machete soon to controll its growth, seriously... lol

[smallreef]

Not really...it does like dirtier water but it does not exactly export anything like a macro algae does...

If your chaeto barely grows that could mean you don't have a lot of excess nutrients...but if you have a good skimmer and the chaeto is still growing a bit your doing okay....

[Neto]

I do have a skimmer but in my closet full of dust lol.

[Tracy G]

How compact is you Chaeto? I had the same issue not realizing it needs room to grow. See if you can pull it apart a little bit then see if it starts to grow.

[Jason Rhoads]

You can use Xenia for nutrient export, but the key will be to harvest them (take them out of the system and trade or discard them). It is similar to using aptasia for export in a nutrient raceway (I think Calfo wrote about that in "The Book of Coral Propogation").

[ridetheducati]

About ten years ago, I maintained a skimmerless tank and used Xenia as a nutrient export mechanism. Worked flawlessly.

[Integral9]

You can use Xenia for nutrient export, but the key will be to harvest them

+1

 

As with any nutrient export. You must harvest the algea, xenia, whatever to "export" it. Otherwise when it dies it will just re-import the nutrients it absorbed. ime: Xenia is a less common nutrient exporter. Most people use macro.

 

My azalea bush really likes the macro algea from my fuge.

[jaddc]

In my mind, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) exist in the tank in 3 forms (excluding the chemistry view).

 

1) Sequestered-in use. These are nutrients that are being used. As fish, corals, algae, bacteria grow, they need nutrients. They get these nutrients primarily through feeding the tank. Some also use recycled nutrients from waste.

2) Sequestered-but exportable. These nutrients are locked away in some form that can be easily removed from the tank. GFO, macroalgae and fast growers like Xenia. As mentioned above you must export them by physically removing the material from the tank (like changing the GFO). If you don't, then the nutrients will remain in the tank and get recycled by organisms we don't want in the tank (e.g. cyanobacteria or GHA). So yes, if you prune the Xenia and remove it from your tank, then you are exporting nutrients. The Xenia will quickly grow back, thus sequestering more nutrients away before nuisance algae can use it. I would consider anything that grows fast to fall in this category. More often than not it is macroalgae that is used because it grows faster than Xenia and is easier to tame and localize.

3) In the water column. Nutrients don't normally last too long here unless they are in excess because every living thing in the tank needs them. When they are in excess, then it is a matter of time before nuisance algae grows. Also, the excess interferes with stony coral growth and the general good husbandry of invertebrates.

Edited March 20, 2013 by jaddc

[jaddc]

How compact is you Chaeto? I had the same issue not realizing it needs room to grow. See if you can pull it apart a little bit then see if it starts to grow.

 

+1 Also try to populate the ball with a variety of amphipods and copepods to help keep it clean.

[Neto]

My chaeto algae probably needs some cleaning and expansion too. Thanks for all responses

[zygote2k]

I have a fuge on a service tank that used to grow Chaeto quickly. I would harvest one half and by next month would have to harvest the same amount.

I started putting the Xenia clippings from the main tank in the fuge and before long, the Xenia dominated the fuge and the chaeto stopped growing.

I now remove 1/2 the Xenia on a monthly basis.

 

I flushed a 5 gallon bucket of Xenia once...

[jaddc]

I have a fuge on a service tank that used to grow Chaeto quickly. I would harvest one half and by next month would have to harvest the same amount.

I started putting the Xenia clippings from the main tank in the fuge and before long, the Xenia dominated the fuge and the chaeto stopped growing.

I now remove 1/2 the Xenia on a monthly basis.

 

I flushed a 5 gallon bucket of Xenia once...

 

Would you consider doing only Xenia in a fuge and no macro?

[zygote2k]

Would you consider doing only Xenia in a fuge and no macro?

sure.

[ridetheducati]

I tossed buckets of the stuff in the back yard. I can still remember the slime and stench.

 

From the omniverse.

 

 

[flooddc]

hmm! I couldn't get the dog gone xenia to grow in mine tank (I believed I have xenia eating green chromis ). Got 2 branches left in my fuge and they are not growing a bit for the past year! My Chaeto and other macro grew very slowly too in the large fuge. But grow much much more in the sump of my anemone's tank under the old freshwater light strip.

[Origami]

In my mind, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) exist in the tank in 3 forms (excluding the chemistry view).

 

1) Sequestered-in use. These are nutrients that are being used. As fish, corals, algae, bacteria grow, they need nutrients. They get these nutrients primarily through feeding the tank. Some also use recycled nutrients from waste.

2) Sequestered-but exportable. These nutrients are locked away in some form that can be easily removed from the tank. GFO, macroalgae and fast growers like Xenia. As mentioned above you must export them by physically removing the material from the tank (like changing the GFO). If you don't, then the nutrients will remain in the tank and get recycled by organisms we don't want in the tank (e.g. cyanobacteria or GHA). So yes, if you prune the Xenia and remove it from your tank, then you are exporting nutrients. The Xenia will quickly grow back, thus sequestering more nutrients away before nuisance algae can use it. I would consider anything that grows fast to fall in this category. More often than not it is macroalgae that is used because it grows faster than Xenia and is easier to tame and localize.

3) In the water column. Nutrients don't normally last too long here unless they are in excess because every living thing in the tank needs them. When they are in excess, then it is a matter of time before nuisance algae grows. Also, the excess interferes with stony coral growth and the general good husbandry of invertebrates.

Good summary. I would add that (2) includes skimmers, chemical and mechanical export means, and biological conversion (such as N2 and CO2 release to the atmosphere).

[jaddc]

Good summary. I would add that (2) includes skimmers, chemical and mechanical export means, and biological conversion (such as N2 and CO2 release to the atmosphere).

Yup!

[Sharkey18]

I have never been able to grow chaeto. I switched to Calupera, much easier for me. I am finally growing a small string of chaeto under leds. As far as I can tell different types of algae grow best under different types of light.

 

I have Gacilaria and caulerpa under 6500k flourescents and a small led.

 

I have dragons breath, ochtodes, ulva and chaeto under LEDS.

 

My plan is switch over to all leds when I can. From what I can see if grows macro better.