Do Xenia's always pulse?

[powerbuddy]

I have a pulsing Xenia which i got from my friends tank a few days ago....when i put him in mine he did just fine. He was spreading, waving and pulsing. Everything seemed ok with him. However; I have noticed that sometimes they will shrivel up ( close the tentancles) and stop pulsing.... for few hours... and then start pulsing again. I thought it had something to do with the lighting or the current. But I am quite confident enought that with 130 watt PC's and 3 power heads in a 30 gallon, cannot go wrong. Also ammonia and trites are zero, trates are 20. So my question comes back to my main topic question....Do Xenia's need to always pulse as a good indicator of health...

FYI....I lost two mushrooms corals unexpectedly due to bug attack. Other corals are doing fine, especially my yellow colony is growing like wild fire. :bum:

 

[L and L]

The pulsing action is still not fully understood. Some retract at night and spaced breaks during the day. Some don't retract in certain aquariums, but retract in other aquariums (Sarcophyton sp. was found to cause Xenia to pulse).

It was thought that the pulsing was for enhanced nutrient uptake, but later work leaned towards respiration and gas exchange.

So, the answer to your question would be "NO".

 

[dfcjr]

Mine ball up at night for a few hours. Also if they are in a high flow spot they wont pulse as much. IME

 

[davocean]

I have one I've fragged into 3 sections.
Low flow under good light seems to pulse the most.

 

[powerbuddy]

Oh i have put that guy directly in the path of the powerhead....

 

[davocean]

I have one there too, never notice pulsing, probably doesn't need to.
Bet if you turn off powerhead you'll see it start to pulse

 

[spoiledcats]

Mine seem to close up really tight right after the lights go out. After about 30 minutes, they open up and start pulsing again. I think it's normal for them to stop every now and then.