anyone else can't keep xenia?

macawmagic

macawmagic

In Memoriam
so i've had pulsing xenia in my tank for almost 6 months now. It goes through stages of looking amazing, and then in a couple days is shrivels back down to almost nothing. I've check the nitrate, nitrite, ph, and ammonia during both cycles in the xenia and they're all correct levels. I know i've read of people not being able to keep it. Just wondering what's wrong and why it keeps doing this. Also, all my other corals are doing amazing...polpys are multiplying like crazy, mushrooms are splitting, ricordia is spreading. torch and frogspawn are fully extended. I guess its not that big of a deal that I can't keep xenia but it just makes me sad that I can't keep something that everyone else says is easy!
 
i have my pulsing xenia under 2 400w MH in a 65 and i cant kill it! Do you skim? i've had experiences where if you overuse carbon or phosphate removers or skim 24/7 xenia will not have enough "stuff" (for lack of the exct term) in the water it needs. There was even experiments being done a while back trying to see if xenia made good filtartion since it was so hardy under a non skimmed environment...
 
Hrmmm, I use carbon 24/7, thought its just in a media bag, not a reactor, and the skimmer is on 24/7. Would be interested in the outcome tho.
 
yea...i've got carbon in there...and the skimmer's always on...I also have some phosphate remover in there because i've been fighting my beginning mistake of using tapwater and salt to start my tank...my phosphates were at about 2.0...now they're down to less than .5 but the part I don't get is everything else is doing amazing...and the xenia isn't???
oh I jsut thought about this...I've got some kind of green leather that I thought was sunbleaching so I put it back in a cave a little so it didn't get as much light...still not doing to well...any ideas?
 
Xenia is a mistery does very well in some tanks and they just die in others for no reason. Xenia will adaped to all ranges of lighting and flow. Some people says ph, temp, nutrients, iodine, etc... affects their health. IME I have a xenia problem my parameters are: ph ranges from 7.9 - 8.4 during the day, calc 400, alk 2.5 - 3 mql, nitrates around 10+ (I'm working on this one), no phosphates but I doubt it, my temp rignt now is 76.7 and on the summer 82-83. You just never know. All I do is water changes and limewater 24/7. If you around my area I will be more than happy to give you some unmounted, I can just scrape my glass :) Here is a picture on the 55G I had, now it's taking over the 125.

The lights I used on the 55 were 3 40Ws 48" Phillips bulbs and 1 110W URI superactinic. 1 IceCap ballast 660
fulltank003.jpg


The 125 has 3 40W 48" bulbs and 3 110W URI actinics.
the 125 :)
DSC0005.jpg
 
Good lord. I mean, holy crap. Wow. Man, why can't other corals be like that, you know like, your favorite piece of whatever?!

I have xenia in my 55 with just a skimmer and some pura pads in the overflow box (great way to stop the noise and have a little extra filtration) and fliter sock... You saw the little frag in mine I think.. It's gotten huge now.

Have you tried different strains of it or just the same frag? That would also be an experiment. I'm sure I could slaughter up some of mine for you to try if you give me advanced warning
 
ive had 2 diffarent kinds...one shriveled up and disappeared a long time ago...this kinds still putting up a fight...it looks like it just got through the downhill cycle and is starting to come back...all the polpys are open...not pulsing but open...and theres new sprouts coming out of the bottom. it's confusing me soooo much!
 
People say that xenias can kind of tell you when something is out of whack in your tank. And they are very tempramental. If a snail bumps into them, they retract and shrivel up. If the temp fluctuates, the salinity is too high or low, the parameters are off, mine act up. Just keep an eye on your parameters.

And yeah, holy wow, that is a TON of xenia and a very nice tank!!!!
 
omg that is alot of xenia, its funny how the 3 corals i want to put in my 75g when i set it up are sometimes considered pests, xenia,GSP and kenya tree...lol
 
Gorgeous, Cristiam!! Keith, lighting with Xenia is basically inconsequential since it derives most of it's food through absorption from the water. Xenia often has problems when alkalinity or PH issues arise. They seem to do best with higher PH rates (8.3+)and will virtually shrivel up and disappear with low PH readings (7.8 or lower) according to Stephen Pro. Check your PH when lights are out to see if it is dropping low. Many aquarists keep their refugium lights on alternate to their tank lights as the PH climbs when photosynthesis is taking place and this practice keeps the PH from alternating drastically. Although many have had good luck with Iodine supplementation be cautious to not overdose. It's hard to get accurate iodine readings with conventional test kits and overdose is easy to do and often lethal to a tank's occupants. Small weekly doses are best.
 
I disagree about xenia not liking light. I have Xenia on my back glass and several here can attest to that. I have it at the top of the water down the back about a foot about 2/3 of the way across (6 ft tank). The stuff spreads fast. I had someone swing by(forgot name off the top of my head) and probably gave them about 3 handfulls.

I also don't think parameters have much to do either. My Co2 tank leaked on me and I didn't realize it. My alk was down to 4.5 dkh and calcium was 340 for a week. I had no loss but noticed a couple frags had a few fading spots which I thought was wierd. That whole time the Xenia didn't even show any signs.
 
about the refugium light being on at night...its on a timer so whenever the main lights are off it is on...complete opposite...

I guess i gotta check the ph...day and night and see whats happening...

and its only about 4 inches off the bottom of my tank in a 55...so its about 12 inches below water level and then 4 more inches to the lights...

it looks like its starting to go back into a good swing so i'll see if it starts to "crash" again.
 
Try to monitor the PH and see if there is a correlation. I have friends that grow massive amounts of xenia in much lower light conditions than MH in their sumps for nutrient export. I guess I wasn't clear above...I meant that I don't think your lighting is the problem as is evident with Cristiams lighting. Steven Pro, who I refered to above, is one of the most knowledgable speakers on the conference circuit and is a self-avowed xenia farmer...that's why I refered to his input on PH and alk. I've spoken with him and Anthony personally (As i wanted as much info as possible before purchasing my African Blue Xenia) and his take, as is Anthony Calfo's, is that PH is the most dominant factor in Xenia health. I've had xenia grow directly under 250 MH and nice healthy xenia grow under VHOs, as have many others, so again, I don't think your lighting is the problem.

Another of the experts on the subject, Anthony Calfo:

FAQs about Pulsing Corals, the Xeniids 2 (Wet Web Media)

Related Articles: Pulsing Soft Corals, Family Xeniidae

Related FAQs: Xeniid FAQs 1, Xeniid FAQs 3, Xeniid FAQs 4, Xeniid ID, Xeniid Behavior, Xeniid Selection, Xeniid Compatibility, Xeniid Systems, Xeniid Feeding, Xeniid Disease, Xeniid Reproduction, Soft Coral Propagation, Soft Coral Health, Alcyoniids, Nephtheids, Dendronephthya, Paralcyoniids, Nidaliids,

Xenia is dying
Can you please help? I have a 150 reef tank. It's been set up about 2 years. I put in 2 or 3 pieces of xenia more than a year ago. It has grown and speed like wildfire. All of a sudden, they are turning white and shriveling up. Any ideas?
Thanks, Ricky Knapik New Orleans, LA

"Many possible reasons for this but far and away the most common is a low pH. Xenia are notoriously sensitive to low pH. They stop pulsing at 8.3 and really show suffrage under 8.0. A reef aquarium ideally (to me) does not drop below 8.3 at night (low point)."
Best regards, Anthony"

Xenia
Hi I hope you guys may be able to help me with a problem I am having with my pulsing Xenia. When I purchased them about a month ago they were open and colorful, and now closed up for the last two weeks. They are still firmly attached to the rock, but refuse to open. Could hermit crabs be agitating them, I have heard conflicting stories about crabs.

"I feel that it is unlikely that the crabs were any bother"

I had my LFS test my water and everything was fine but my ph was at 7.9.

"bingo! Xeniids are notoriously sensitive to depressed pH. My colonies stop pulsing like clockwork when the pH dips below 8.3 and look very stressed when below 8.0. Do raise you pH SLOWLY over several days to a week to 8.4. Using Kalk or baking soda in small amounts may be a cheap and easy solution for you (either by night)" Anthony Calfo

Hope that helps. Marcye
 
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If you can figure out why it's dying in your tank so I can get that weed to die in mine, I'll give you $20. I have to throw it away by the handfull and have to pressure wash my live rock.
COUNT IT DYING AS A BLESSING!!!
BTW - Mine loves light. It grows up the back glass (and onto anthing that it touches) under 3 400 watt MH and 4 96 watt blue attinic PC's.
 
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