How do I make my Xenia pulse?

[binaryterror]

I bought this yesterday, and it was pulsing like crazy. Looks super healthy, and still does. But now the polyps are just totally open and dont pulse...? Why is that, and how can I make them pulse? Thanks!

 

[Buster4900]

Strange, my experience it about always is pulsing. Give it time?

 

[affan]

Patience, my friend.

 

[Airman]

IMO they pulse when they are stressed. If they are not pulsing than your tank is in good shape.

 

[binaryterror]

Really? So I have a healthy tank! Thats pretty good to know. But they look so cool when they pulse!

 

[r00onmac]

no i dont know how much i believe that... they pulse more/faster with flow... as i moved mine from my smaller tank to my new tank where they are in less flow they pulsed less - which i didnt like... so i aimed one of the return outlets in their general direction and they started pulsing almost immediately...

 

[AIMFish]

Mine pulse when I put them in lower current.

 

[binaryterror]

Jeez, lol. Everyone has a completly different experience with Xenia!

 

[PatrickJ]

My brother did a science expirement on Xenia. He made the connection with light intensity to pulsing ratio.

More light made the Xenia pulse and prosper and less light made the xenia pulse less and eventually die.

I also have found this to be in my own tank. The xenia at the top of the tank pulses far more than the stuff at the bottom.

I believe the more light, the more symbiotic zooxanthelle produces engergy (in the form of glucose), feeding the xenia, therefore giving it the energy to pulse (which has been speculated as the way it resperates)

The test subject was xenia elongota.

 

[binaryterror]

Well mine are like 1' under 150w 14k MH. So they should be pumping. But I am guessing it is because I just got them a yesterday?

 

[PatrickJ]

Oh by looking at your picture, your stuff naturaly does not really pulse that often. I have cared for that strand of xenia. Really that stuff barely pulses compared to the Red Sea "pom pom" xenia, I really like the xenia elongota, it really pulses fast.

In the previous section, flow was minimum in the expirement.

Certian species pulse faster than others. You shoul look for this.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2366

or

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=2390

 

[binaryterror]

Mine looks exactly like the Pom Pom when I bought it. But then expanded as soon as it hit my MH's.

 

[PatrickJ]

not really. looks more like white xenia or something else. It is not pom pom.

Pom Pom is very feathery. Yours is differnt.

 

[binaryterror]

Yeah, I know that it isn't, but it looked just like the Pom Pom when it was at the LFS But it also wasn't as opened as it is now.

 

[edwar050]

Mine pulse more when I turn off the Seio 1500's in my 120.

 

[pufferpoison]

I also heard that your ph / mag / alk needs to be up there to get them to pulse and if they drop, they stop pulsing?

 

[PatrickJ]

I speculate that too much flow stops them from pulsing, because I believe when they pulse, this is a form of breathing for them. Well, with powerheads, the water is blown through there polyps and thus stopping its need to pulse.

This is not a bad thing. Flow is good. They just wont pulse.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

Mine will only pulse when they're in either very low flow, or very bright light...or both lol.

But the way i have them, they're just blowing around a lot, and they're doin great in that, so i just leave them.

But when i take them out to frag them or whatever, i put the pieces that i cut off in just a little bowl or something and they go nuts...nonstop pulsing.

 

[IndyReefMan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8072938#post8072938 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PatrickJ
My brother did a science expirement on Xenia. He made the connection with light intensity to pulsing ratio.

More light made the Xenia pulse and prosper and less light made the xenia pulse less and eventually die.

I also have found this to be in my own tank. The xenia at the top of the tank pulses far more than the stuff at the bottom.

I believe the more light, the more symbiotic zooxanthelle produces engergy (in the form of glucose), feeding the xenia, therefore giving it the energy to pulse (which has been speculated as the way it resperates)

The test subject was xenia elongota.

I agree. When I had a 72 gal softie tank w/ 260W of PC lighting, my Xenias never pulsed. I upgraded to (2) 150 20K MH and within 60mins they were pulsing nicely and continued to until I traded them away some months later. It sounds like you may need to give them a little more time.

 

[nathan_unsane]

xenia needs iodine doses!!!!!!!!!

mine started pulsing after i started a couple days later after doseing the iodine, i think they need it...