Xenias on glass

[MikeyZO]

Admittedly, I did not really think enough about my aquascaping when I started up my tank, and as such my LR only goes up about 1/2 way in my 36 bow. I would like to try to rearrange it in the near future, but anyway...

My pom pom xenia have moved to the highest point they can on the rock they are on. Since I got the frag, it has trippled in size and the head has split into three sections but the xenia itself hasnt split since, I think, it has nothing else to latch on to. I have seen tanks where the xenias are all over the back wall of the tank itself. Was wondering if anyone has experience with this, and if its an ok thing to let happen. Mine started to attach once and I moved the rock cuz I wasnt sure if it was such a good idea.

 

[Josh]

I am currently seeding three different types of xenia on my back overflow area, which is basically the same as the glass.

I think the easiest way to do it is to attach the xenia to a plug (not a disc), and then use epoxy to attach it the plug to the glass. If you position the xenia towards the edge of the plug, and then position that side close to the glass, the xenia should attach to the glass after a couple of weeks.

 

[MikeyZO]

ok, my next question then would be, since I hear that xenia can spread like wildfire, is it hard to frag the colonies off the glass wall?

 

[LeslieS]

I have ricordia growing on my back wall and it is much easier to remove them than it is when they are attached to rock. I just use a spatula to scrape them off.

 

[Josh]

ok, my next question then would be, since I hear that xenia can spread like wildfire, is it hard to frag the colonies off the glass wall?

Nope. If you take a razor blade you can scrape them off and keep the entire animal in one piece. It is a lot less stressful for them. Also, the base should be smoother than a scissor cut so you can even try gluing them with cyanoacrylate. If the cyano won't do it, I use rubber bands or bridal netting.

Leslie, how did you attach the ricordias to the glass? Do you find that they grow faster when attached to glass?

 

[LeslieS]

My back wall is plastic as the overflow takes up the entire thing. I put some glue on the plastic and then some glue on whatever substrate there is and stick the two together. Eventually they split and spread out. I never thought about it, but yes my blue ricordia that are on the back wall are growing much faster than the ones on the rock. The giant hairy mushrooms that are on the wall are very shaded so they seem to be growing slightly slower than the ones on the rocks. It is interesting to see that they have moved about 3-5 inches up toward the light over the last year.

I have not tried gluing them on the glass. I imagine your method for attaching xenia would work on ricordia as well.