blue xenia questions???

HighlandReef

HighlandReef

Chalice Monger
Hi, I have a couple of questions about blue xenia.

1. what is the easiest way to tell the difference between waiving hand xenia (anthelia sp) and true xenia (xenia sp)?

2. I remember reading somewhere on here that true blue xenia has a organism or bacteria or something like that growing in it that looks like glitter under the lights...is this true?

3. where can i get some?

4. is it hard to keep?

Thanks!
Chris
 
1... Not the absolute sure way, but a somewhat easy way for the most part is just look at the price tag...if it is true cespitularia (blue xenia) then it will be ridiculously priced...where regular xenia tops at like 40 bucks at a store that has high prices... But do a google image search for cespitularia and just regular xenia...you should be able to see a color difference. And blue xenia grows a lot slower too.

2....dont know..could be i suppose...are you just referring to how some corals have the ability to fluoresce, or glow under actinics? If so, yes, they do somewhat do that from what i've seen..

3...online is gonna be your best bet. Very unlikely is it that you'll find a good bit in the store for a halfways decent price...but if you do, jump all over that!!! I'll say why in number 4...

4...somewhat, but more because they're not really good shippers at all... If you can find some in the stores and its doing good, then it probably did ok during shipment.
 
In a couple threads that I read, when you shine something like a flashlight at it, you will see sparkles on the stem of blue xenia (cespitularia).

Best way to find it is to check Reefcentral first, there are lots of hobbyists who have rare stuff for sale and then check online stores.

The blue cespitularia aka blue xenia I've heard is a bad shipper........someone mentioned to invert them upside down on some styrofoam to improve the survivalbility.

Good luck, I will be getting some soon and I will post pics of how things go..........I hope they survive the shipping.
 
Blue xenia (cespitularia) is irridescent because of the tiny calcium formations inside of its flesh. Its easily recognized as being different from other xenia. I found mine locally after searching for a year or two. Its not cheap, goes for 100$-130$ a frag depending on size, and as previously mentioned, not a very good shipper.
 
Anthillia usually grows out of a mat of its own tissue, Xenia has stalks that polyps grow out the top of , and Cespitularia does have a stalk but there stalk's are made up of the polyps and are connected to each other and then seperate as they reach the (head) end of the polyp. there is a (glitter) in Cespitularia when i shine my 1,000,000 candlepower spotlight on it. i did see that Fraggle Reef had some last time i looked at his site(6-15-07) and the price was very very resonable (imho) . I do own 2 colonies of Cespitularia 1 from someone who purchased there's from Atlantis Aquarium and the other from a Bali import that came in about 5 weeks ago (i work at a SoCal s/w wholesaler) and they are both doing great .
 
could someone post a pic. i have had some personal debate over my xenia. i have been told it may be blue xenia. it doesn't look totally pink the other xenia's i have seen. it has a pink stalk, and the back side of it's little fingers are a blue-green color.
 
I don't think its the color of the stock because people use different lights. WHat I've read is to look closely at the stalk and see if there are any sparkles on it. The second pic from humanremainz shows the cesp with some little glitters in it.
 
i can see little gliter like sparkles on the stalk! if mine is blue xenia then i got a heck of a deal on it. i only paid 12 bucks for it. and it was two small stocks.
 
i was at a lfs today and he had pom pom xenia and regular xenia is his display tank. and mine looked different from his. i expained how mine looked and he thinks it may be blue xenia also.
 
one of the lfs in my area has some listed as cespitularia, i will have to hit it with a flashlight and see if it has any sparkles in it?
The one thing that kinda worries me about what they have at the lfs is every time i go and check it out the polyp's are never extended, always sucked in per say.
Is this ok or should i stay away from it due to no0 polyp extension?
What do you guy's think?
 
if they have them under crappy lighting, or if they were just shipped in they will close up. mine were when i bought them. they opened up by the next day. and in about three days they were fully extended and pulsing. oh, and if they have a iodine depletion they wont open up. i haven't experienced that because i do regular water changes. but i have heard that will happen.
 
Cespitularia does not pulse, I believe Julian Sprung said it may pulse but Ive never come across anyone who definitly had it that did pulse. Its not a slight difference, blue xenia is so obviously irridescent. I have had several different types of xenia, and no other type has looked anything like this.
 
my cespitularia doesnt pulse, but it looks completely differnt than my umbulata, or my elongata. its like ribbed if that makes any sence to anyone . its 1 of my favorite coral i have. the pictures i posted are taken under a Iwisaki 50 k...
 
what do you guys think about this, cespitularia? This was shipped.
bluexenia.jpg
 
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