Re: Xenia disappearance  - 08/15/06
Thanks, again, Bob.
<Welcome Tom>
It's 12:30 PM here, and I just came into the darkened room to look at the Xenia.  My light fixture has lunar lights, which were bright enough to just
make out the shape of my hitchhiker crab right there, apparently working on the Xenia.
<Ah ha!>
I decided to grab him and pull him out.  I succeeded, but he took with him the rest of the Xenia stalk he'd been working on.
<Arggghhhh, the irony!>
So now I'm down to one Xenia stalk, but presumably no predators in the tank.
Thanks for what proved to be good advice!
Tom
<Mmm, hopefully your one Xeniid stalk will grow into many>
P.S. I wonder why he had no interest in the Sarcophyton.
<"Not as tasty">
P.P.S.  I wonder if all the hermits and Peppermint Shrimp can be deemed safe.  I suppose I should give the Xenia time to grow before I experiment.
<Good idea. Cheers, BobF>
 

Mixing Xenia Species? - 04/06/06 Hey there guys, <<Howdy (gals here too, btw) Currently in my tank, I have 7 different species of Xenia.  I've been doing quite a bit of research, but my findings are still inconclusive when it comes to this question.  GARF recommends a polyculture environment for xenias in preventing crashes; however, I firmly believe it is the lack of nutrients (phosphates+nitrates) in the water that causes crashes. <<A contributing factor, agreed.  But I've also heard speculation that this (crash) is just what these species 'do'...that based on certain environmental factors/cues, Xenia will wither/melt away only to be renewed (reborn?) from the remaining matter if left undisturbed.  And as for polyculture...I think any coral would be 'easier' to maintain in a mono-specific tank.>> The reason I ask this question is because many speak of Red Sea Umbellatas being one of the fastest spreaders/growers, yet I only have 4 stalks that I received 4 months ago.  My Goldback Xenia on the other hand, has been the faster grower out of the bunch.  My White Fiji was growing when nitrates were at 80ppm, but now that I've lowered and maintained it at 0, their growth has been stunted. <<Hah, Indeed!  Xenia is thought to be a primary absorption feeder and has been observed growing on the sewage effluent pipes from hotels (a bit of nitrate there I imagine!)...and most any coral will benefit from some nitrate in the water (3-5 ppm). It seems to go in phases, typically the newly introduced Xenia will show the most growth.  Currently my Tan/White Bali is starting to pick up which was introduced 2 weeks ago.  My Cespitularia showed growth when first introduced in February, but has also slowed down.  I suspect my Pulsing Sinularia since it is the only coral in the tank showing the most continual growth, but at the same time, that could be because I feed Cyclops/phyto on a daily basis. <<Leather corals are some of the most noxious...keeping these with Xenia in a small system could very well be having deleterious effects on the Xenia long-term.  Adding carbon/Poly-Filter to your filter path can help with this.>> I have this green polyp leather that showed no growth for the longest time until I started propagating it, then it grew 3 times bigger, but has since then stopped.  Propagating the corals also seems to stimulate growth i.e. cutting them in half or into quarters. <<Yes, much like 'pruning' terrestrial plants will sometimes result in renewed growth...as long as there are available nutrients/foodstuffs to support the growth.  Everything comes at the expense of something else...fragging triggers the growth spurt to 'heal' the injury, but must use energy stored for other uses (fighting disease/parasites, reproduction, etc.) in the absence of available nutrient uptake.>> My water parameters are "textbook perfect" and the 20g tank is lit by a 175W 20K bulb. <<Hmm...Xenia are highly photosynthetic, you might consider a Kelvin rating closer to natural 'daylight' and see if that helps.>> I have recently started running carbon as well, so any ideas and opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.  I have included an extra large image of the tank for examination purposes if necessary. <<Yes, does not appear to be overcrowded...at the moment <grin>.>> Also, random turbulent currents are achieved by a return pump mounted with a SCWD pumping approx 300gph, and assisted by 2 Rio600s w/ HydroFlo attachments. Thanks for your time in advance. <<Quite welcome my friend.  Regards, EricR>>

Sea Urchins and Xenia   2/22/06
Dear Madam or Sir:
<"Paperback writer...">
Thank you again for your assistance with my aquarium.  After reading a few books, and pestering my local merchant, I recently purchased some Xenia.  The folks at Norfolk, VA's Colley Avenue Corals (a new store, if I may give them a shameless plug) spent hours with me as I examined their tanks and asked questions about basic compatibility, temperature, lighting, water quality, etc.  However, I never thought about inquiring about sea urchins.
<Okay>
I have three sea urchins in my 55-gallon tank.  I believe they are either Echinometra lacunter (rock boring urchin - based upon the description and picture on your web site) or Echinometra mathaei (common urchin - based upon the location from which the live rock was collected).
<Both common>
They are about one-inch in diameter and appear as active during the day and night.  The tank has been up about one year, and they are probably 50% larger than when I started cycling the water.
At least two of the urchins seem fascinated with the Xenia.  They appear to crawl right up to the stalk.  It could be the rock has some algae on it, or it could be they see an enticing and expensive treat.
<Mmm, possibly>
I've tried to scoot the urchins away with a turkey baster, though this may upset the Xenia almost as much as being munched upon.  One of your FAQs (around NOV 2004) the following note about a diadem sea urchins and Xenias, "I'd say he is running out of good algal food, and this is his next choice.  I would feed him some Nori sheets...It may be a case where it is starving."  Unfortunately, the fish (and urchins) ignored the Nori sheets I used to place in my tank.  And I know the offenders are not diadem urchins.
Negative reinforcement does not work well with our cat (or our children),
<Nor me>
so I don't hold too much faith in the turkey blaster training regimen.  Assuming I want to keep the corals, should I look for a new home for the urchins?
<Possibly... sorry for this apparent vagueness... it may be that the urchins will leave this pulsing soft coral alone... not actually eat it, but could cause problems with "poking">
Or are they simply looking for algae in all the wrong places?
<Mostly this>
Will these urchins grow too big for the tank, and therefore need to move to a classier neighborhood anyway, relieving me from this guilt?
<Yes...>
Thank you for your help.
Sam
<Thank you for writing. Bob Fenner>

Removing Xenia 8/19/05
Hi Crew,  Greeting and salutations to all of you.
<Greetings!  Sorry for the slow reply.  It looks like your message may have been lost.  Thanks for re-sending!>
My question to you is one of getting rid of every last bit of my white pulsing xenia.  I've read on many excursion through your FAQs that harvesting over-grown xenia is the means of control for said softie.  I've done as much on many occasions and have even located a local LFS that is willing to trade if I can culture it.  At this point in time this is the least of my worries.  It is everywhere in my tank and at all levels from top to bottom.  It is even growing on and within the flutes of a couple of tridacnid clams.  The latter is the biggest source of frustration because it makes it difficult, if not impossible to remove the rock to scrape off all xenia evidence. <Wow! Some aquarists would say that you have nothing to complain about!  However, having had similar experience, I understand your frustration.>
Do you know of any source that sells Xeniid crabs?  I understand these are obligate xenia feeders and may be the answer I am looking for. I would rather deal with/find its' next home than deal with the eventual overgrowth in my tank.  <You may try posting at www.reeffrontiers.com or www.reefcentral.com for someone who has stumbled on one, but I don't know of anyone who intentionally imports them.>
Are there water parameters that I can "adjust" that make it a less than optimal environment for the xenia?  Bob Jones  <Perhaps so... xenia definitely prefers strong alkalinity and a pH in the range of 8.2-8.4.  Unfortunately, lowering these may be to the detriment of your other corals.  You may want to consider that some angels will eat xenia... Emperors and Blueface are probably most reliable.  Ultimately, you may just have to harvest aggressively and scrub the bits of remaining tissue from the rock to prevent regrowth.  Best Regards. AdamC.>

Xenia problems 5/16/05
WWM Crew, Help! Sorry to email, I¹ve done a bit of browsing but nothing too serious. I¹m just in a bit of a panic about some Xenia¹s I have recently acquired (not aqua-cultured I¹m afraid and only a couple of days in the store, they were just too beautiful and I couldn¹t help myself). There were 3 stalks and 1 is doing fabulous. 1 however is quite sick and there is what I believe to be necrotic tissue in a couple spots and all the polyps are shrinking up. The last one looks healthy but there are a couple of these spots on the base now. They are placed fairly high up but seemed quite happy once I put them there. I¹ve only had them a couple of weeks. There are a few clove polyps near them (just a few small ones that started growing in that spot a few months ago-could this be the culprit?). Everything else in the tank seems healthy. 
<This is a common problem with imported xenia. They may look good for a few days, and then the stress of shipping and handling gets the best of them. I would suggest blasting away any loose necrotic tissue with a turkey baster occasionally and being sure that they are getting pretty brisk current.>
I have a pH of 8.3, ammonia 0, nitrate and nitrite 0, alkalinity 3.5, 320 calcium (trying to raise with 10 ml does of bionic 2 part calcium alkalinity every other day), temp: 78F at night, 82F during the day (going to get an automatic fan), and a spec. grav. Of 1.023. 
<I would continue to try to work the Ca/Alk up to about 380-400/4.0 and the salinity up to about 1.025. You should be able to safely double or even triple your dose of B-Ionic until those values are optimized. Spreading the doses throughout the day will help prevent pH spikes.>
I have a simple AquaClear filter (hope to upgrade sometime), ecosystem hang on the back refugium, a bak-pak2 skimmer, 288 watts of compact fluorescent lighting and a couple of powerheads too. I change 10% of the water every week and use purchased RO water (also for top-offs) with Tropic Marine mix. 
<This all sounds great!>
Tankmates include: button polyps, purple colony polyps, clove polyps, starburst polyps, some coral mushroom anemones, a cleaner shrimp, tiger serpent star, sand goby, ocellaris, Midas blenny, a bunch of Nassarius snails, some Tonga, scarlet hermits, a big tuft of Halimeda and a ton of Caulerpa in the refugium. Sorry to bother you guys but you have been so helpful in the past! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, John Kelley 
<None of your tankmates sound like a threat to xenia. There isn't much you can do but to optimize your water chemistry and hope that some of the xenia survives, and if it doesn't... don't lose hope! I have had wild xenia colonies appear to completely die, only to regrow weeks later, seemingly from nothing! Best Regards. AdamC.>

White Crab Found in Xenia 4/2/05
Hello Crew. I thank you for being out there to provide such a valuable service. Now on to the question at hand. I purchased a beautiful Xenia colony yesterday (approximately the size of a baseball), which I brought home and placed in my 30 gallon quarantine tank after a 2 hour acclimation process. Shortly after placing the Xenia's base rock into position against another piece of live rock in the tank, I observed a white clawed crab, approximately 1.5" in width, inside of the colony. 
<Fascinating!>
All of the polyp tentacles were contracted at this time, and this crab was actually taking the closed polyps and placing them in its mouth. It wasn't shearing the polyps with its claws, and it did not appear to be biting off the polyps. Interestingly, it almost appeared as though the crab was cleaning the polyps with its mouthparts. 
<Understood... many creatures feed off of the mucus>
I became very excited, thinking that I lucked into a Xenia with a mutualistic relationship with a crab. H
<You may still have it.>
However, after searching your archives this morning, as well as my texts, I have been unable to find any indications of there being any known mutualistic relationships between Xenia and any species of crab. Based on the WWM archives, I would have to guess that this crab is a risk to my coral, and that I should start thinking about getting it out of the tank. 
<Perhaps not... I think you should leave it alone and just observe it in QT>
What do you guys think? I looked a the Xenia carefully today, and it appears to be healthy, with polyps opening and closing frequently. 
<Indeed... you would see predation is if was there. There is not much coral there... if it's getting predated, it will get eaten fast>
I could not find the crab in the colony, but I did notice that some polyps' tentacles were missing. I observed anywhere between one and four tentacles missing from those polyps observed to be incomplete, but I did not see any instances where all of a polyp's tentacles were missing, or the entire polyp severed. Should I be worried? 
<I'm just not sure... the missing polyps could be from shipping stress/mild infection/damage>
I will try to trap the crab tonight and will hopefully get a picture out to you guys tomorrow. 
Thank you for your assistance. Lou
<Best of luck, Anthony>

Xenia stung by Frogspawn 3/14/05
Hi there! Thanks for the great help you provided me so far! I only have two simple questions.
1- Is there anything I can do to save a pulsing Xenia which was stung by a Frogspawn??? (Only one branch was stung)
<strong water flow is key>
2- I'd like to know if the Coralife Aqualight Power Center is a good timer. (I'd really like to know. It's the only timer of this kind available around here and it's 75 $ CAN, so I don't want to get something that wouldn't do...) Thanks a lot!!! Ivan
<I don't have personal use with the timer or know of anyone close that has. Better for you, do check the big message board "Reef Central" for a consensus on customer satisfaction. Anthony>

Xenia eating snail?  Or snail eating xenia?
First off
40 gallon
Temp: 78
pH: 8.5
KH: 8dKH
Gravity: 1.024
Ammonia: 0 mg/L
Nitrite: 0 mg/L
Nitrate 5mg/L
Phosphate: 0.25 mg/L
Cu: 0 mg/L
Ca: 400 mg/L
My tank is almost 6 months old (Day 186) Thanks for the calcium help I have effectively reached 400 mg/L CA. I have a question about xenia. I have several Xenia pulsing away, I have had them for about 4 months. A couple of days ago I noticed one of the xenia kind of wilting and looking constricted as it sometimes does. Wondering I reached in to examine, on the other side of the small piece of LR in noticed a snail shell, completely covered in coralline algae (White flesh) that the xenia had attached to holding it fast. I did not purchase this snail and the xenia has been wilted on and off since I got it. I twisted the snail free and placed it a foot away from the xenia. A day past and I noticed that the wilted xenia was recovering but another stalk was withering. Looking I found that same snail right beside the withering stalk. My question is, "Are there snails that eat or attack xenia?" 
< Not that I knew of. But hey, maybe you found one. In this case I'd put the snail in a trap or remove it entirely and see what happens. > 
The snail's flesh is white, the shell is covered in coralline so I can't tell what it is naturally, any help is appreciated. 
< Well I think it would be fun to test this out. Keep the snail in separated from the Xenia for a few weeks, then put him back by the Xenia. See what happens. But this is really strange to me, as I've never heard of this happening. > 
Thank you, Troy 
< Blundell >

-Xenia compatibility-
Greetings:
I've read several of the correspondences of people whose Xenias have suffered because of incompatibility with Mushrooms, Anemones, etc.  Mostly the answer is just that it is an incompatible group.  So I'm wondering what is compatible? <Anything, provided it does not touch the xenia.> If I want to keep the Xenias, do my mushrooms, star polyps, yellow polyps, brain coral and clove polyp have to go? <Absolutely not. Xenia is an EXTREMELY fast growing coral, and thankfully, does not possess the power to sting. As it tries to take over your tank it will be stopped by some of the more potent stinging corals in the tank. This isn't a problem, and is normal, you may want to remove the xenia that is being stung at that point and run some fresh carbon.> What does well with the  mushrooms? <Most soft corals will not be stung by them noticeably.>  What will work if I want to keep the Anemone and clown? <Since there are far too many compatible corals to list, i would suggest you purchase Eric Borneman's book Aquarium Corals for all the coral information you'll ever need. As a general rule for anemones, there's no problem unless they touch another coral (please, one anemone to a tank, unless it's a bubble tip anemone and its clones). I hope this is of some help! -Kevin>
Thanks in advance.

Xenia question 8/27/03
Hi Guys, Robert here
<howdy>
I need your expert opinion on a matter concerning Xenia's and a mentally ill clown. The Xenia has been in the tank for a while and is growing like a weed, it has been harassed by my percula clown since it has been in the aquarium, the clown rips the polyps of and spits them out somewhere else in the tank, and every time he does this it starts a colony somewhere else (and I thought that clowns are reef safe fish).
<they generally are... but many are known to take residence in LPS corals like false-anemones and kill them... others nibble coral. Strange things happen in captivity... and Xenia are weakly noxious>
This one has a personality problem and seems to hate any inverts, it is not just the xenia but he picks the hermit crabs up and drops them on the other side of the tank or he pushes them like a snow plough through the gravel leaving them shell shocked and even the green star polyps have felt the pain caused by this mentally ill clown. The only friend this clown has is the Green carpet anemone, that he cuddles up to.
<ughh... how I dread to hear of anemones with corals. A bad long term mix for many reasons (do peruse the WWM FAQ archives on this subject)>
Is this normal behaviour or did he loose one of the two brain cells he had during shipment.
<I suspect she's just territorial>
But this is not what I actually wanted to ask, My question is that the last two days I have seen the Xenia releasing what looks like small white eggs into the water and this is eagerly gulped up by
the fish, I have no idea what this is, the pieces that are not eaten look sticky as they stick to the first thing it comes into contact with, Is this the Xenia trying to reproduce or is this some copepod or  worm thingy, The "eggs" are about
2mm in length.
<it could be reproduction... has been observed in aquaria>
I am no Marine biologist but I have never seen this before. They seem to be coming from the base of the Xenia between the polyps. They also seem to all be gone and when I check there are more of them again, The look like they have a sticky thread attaching them to the base of the Xenia and as soon as they move upwards and pass the polyps this releases and the "egg drifts
in the current until it finds something to attach to, I checked under a magnifying glass to see if they are not a small worm or something but they do not move and have no legs or anything suggesting that they are animals and not part of the Xenia
Any comments would be appreciated as always. Regards
Robert.
<it sounds like a thriving and well manicured colony ;) Enjoy... and please do consider pulling the anemone and clown to a separate species tank sans corals. Anthony>

Xenia Farm
Awhile ago I wanted to have some Xenia in my tank, now I think that was a big mistake. That stuff will not stop spreading. Is there anything I can do about this? Even if I remove it from the rock it just helps it seems. I would be open to just about anything.
Thanks, Robert Jones
<run a simple 20 or 30 gallon QT tank with a predatory angel (Pomacanthus) or hardy butterfly and train the fish to eat xenia while in quarantine for 4 weeks. If it passes with flying colors you may add it to the reef with caution. Some risk involved here though. Best regards, Anthony>

Re: Xenia
Robert,
<Your previous reply was from Anthony. Steven in this morning with the follow up. Anthony is giving several presentation this weekend at That Fish Place in Lancaster, PA.>
I have a copper banded butterfly in the tank now. I didn't put him in there for that reason, but do you think there would be any way that I could get him to eat it.
<Possibly>
What particular Angel or Butterfly would you recommend.
<No hard and fast rules here. Your Copper Banded Butterfly is a good candidate.>
Also I may not be able to add him in with my current livestock. I have a yellow tang, sail fin tang, copper banded butterfly, and Pseudochromis.
<An Angelfish would be better than another Butterflyfish.>
Is there any way that I can take the live rock out with the Xenia and move it to another tank that would kill the xenia and not the live rock, and I could put it back into my main tank?
<IN the dark would kill the Xenia, but leave most other nonphotosynthetic creatures alive.>
Thanks for any help, Robert Jones
<My pleasure. -Steven Pro>

Re: Xenia
As a guess, how long would it take of no light to kill off the xenia?
<A week, maybe more>
The live rock should be ok?
<Anything else photosynthetic will perish, too.>
Thanks, Robert Jones
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Reducing Xenia
I have some pulsing xenia that are like weeds.....(please stop growing so fast) now there is way too many. How do I remove some---most----since they're attached to the rock?? p.s. the rocks are very large and difficult to remove Thanks again
<the most effective method is to "skin" them from the rocks. A rock that can be removed will have a sharpened chisel taken to it. Placed at the base of the coral (not touching the tissue) you make a strike at angle which takes the coral off with only a sliver of carbonate base with it. For rocks submerged in the tank and too difficult to extract, you can use poultry scissors (the ones used in the kitchen for cutting through chicken bone, etc). They are stainless steel and can work nicely just the same. With these scissors, snip hard at the carbonate base just in front of the coral and take the specimen off the rock without cutting the tissue. All of these efforts to avoid cutting tissue are to prevent the propagation of it. If you scraped the coral or left any behind, it will simply regrow... even from a small amount of tissue. Please don't waste this coral either... find a local pet store, aquarist or aquarium society that can take and use this precious resource... a living creature not to be discarded for its success in your aquarium. Best regards, Anthony>
Joe Grunstad

Pulsing Xenia
<Cheers from America>
I have just bought my first pulsing Xenia.
<a very beautiful coral>
It resides in a tank that is 18 months old. I have various species of coral, including Sarcophyton, bubble coral, trumpet coral, Euphyllia, mushrooms and Green star polyps.
<an  interesting and aggressive (chemically noxious) group. The Starpolyps and mushrooms believe it or not are some of the most aggressive corals to be found... despite their lack of sweeper tentacles. Instead they shed considerable inhibiting elements in the water. As will all coral though, temper this with good water quality, weekly water changes, daily use of carbon and good protein skimming of course>
I have placed the Xenia (knowing how delicate it can be) away from my bubble coral and my creeping finger coral, and my Euphyllia for obvious reasons.
<agreed. Their aggression is quite plainly obvious with sweeper tentacles>
My water parameters are the following
PH 8.4/8.5 (daytime & evening, not dark)
DKH 8.4
Calcium 410
Magnesium 1300
Phosphate 0
Nitrate 20 ppm
<all quite fine>
Lighting is with 3 60" marine whites (HO bulbs) and 1 60" actinic 03.
<if the tank is less than 60 cm deep, the lighting is fine>
Water changes of around 12% are done weekly. I use carbon, Rowaphos and poly filters regularly. I dose with aqua-medic strontium and iodine weekly also.
<outstanding!>
Reading your FAQ's I see depressed PH can be a problem at night for Xenia, they do close up at night (natural I assume) but still pulse closed up if you see what I mean.
<understood and agreed>
My tank always floats between 8.4 and 8.5 PH, I hope this is sufficient for xenia.
<quite excellent>
My question is this. Will the Xenia suffer being placed next to my trumpet coral,
<yes...likely, but it may fare as well or better next to the leather as it is. Xenia has one of those uncommon relationships whereby they seem to have a commensal relationship (one benefits (Xenia) from the products and proximity of the other, while the other (Sarcophyton) may not benefit or be harmed)>
and also in such close proximity to a trimmed Sarcophyton coral as in the picture. All the stalks pulse and are being buffeted gently via a powerhead within the live rock and my main system pump. However as you will notice in the picture one stalk set just lollops down on the side of the rock and fails to pulse in the evening (when lights are going off).
<lack of current and light here too. May be that simple>
It still pulses in the day when all the lights are on, am I to be concerned by this?
<not at all>
the Xenia is my first advanced soft coral as such, so any advice would be appreciated.
 Best regards Jim Griffin
<no worries, my friend.. all sounds quite fine. You seem well read too. I have great faith your tank is beautiful and will continue to be. Keep learning, sharing and growing :) Anthony Calfo>

The benefits of Sarcophyton and pulsating Xenia
Hey guys( and gal(s)),
My question is for Mr. Calfo.  Mr. Calfo, according to your book it has been observed that pulsating Xenia do better when housed with a Sarcophyton.  Do you have any more information on this phenomenon?  
<all anecdotal... not any/much scientific research on this or any aspect of commercial coral culture>
Is one type of Sarcophyton better for this purpose than another?
<not sure... my experience with Xenia and "leathers" has been favorable with many Alcyoniids though>
On an unrelated note, does anyone know if mangroves are legal to buy in California?  
<I do not believe you are restricted but cannot confirm. I have seen many mangroves in aquarists tanks in Cali though... do pose this question to some of the societies (hopefully you will join some of these clubs <G>). Try SDMAS, MASLAC, Seabay, etc>
I emailed the department of agriculture as well as fish and game and have not received a response. Thank you for your trouble, -Cory
<best regards, Anthony>

Killing Xenia
I'm having problems trying to kill Xenia sp. around my SPS's. I've tried hot water injections, cold, Kalkwasser, I've even tried injecting vinegar but to avail. Is there anything that will kill them safely? Brett L.
<It is going to be far easier to manually remove them. Take a pair of diagonal wire cutters, that are clean and free of oil, and use them to take out a little bit of the rock under the offending Xenia. Be sure to thoroughly clean the cutters afterward, but be warned they will probably rust something awful. -Steven Pro>

Removing Xenia
To be honest... I agree with Steve. Diagonal pliers and poultry sheers are the best and most direct method. What we are suggesting to do is bit into the rock just below the Xenia to skin some rock away with the living animal. They cannot possibly grow back if you succeed in doing this... the very 1/16" of rock below the xenia is being removed! The wire brush though does leave bits of tissue which can regrow. Anthony>

Mushroom and Xenia
I have this Xenia that is moving off one rock and on to another rock that has some mushrooms. Is there going to be a problem if they contact each other?
<yep... the mushrooms may eventually kill the Xenia. They are quite hostile and the Xenia is rather passive>
If so what are my options? Thanks for the help
<place loose rubble between the two so that is one should grow nearer in the face of an attack, the "firewall" with coral on it can be removed and replaced. Best regards, Anthony>