my xenia just started doing the strangest ting...

[kiowascout]

OK, I got some xenia from a fellow RC member a while back. I put it in my tank and its continued to live. All the while it swayed very nicely with the flow but never really pulsed as it was in the Donor's tank

Well, I just switched lighting systems this past week and guess what?

It has decided to pulse again. So anyway, I'm pretty amazed by this and thought I'd share.

 

[F1rebird]

What did you all change?

 

[Aquabucket]

In most cases xenia will pulse more as the light gets stronger. So what did you upgrade to?

 

[kiowascout]

I went from a 4x 65 orbit Pc fixture to a 6x54 t5 tek light . I think that theres a significant increase in light intensity even though it doesnt *look* brighter.

 

[kass03]

I can't believe it does'nt look brighter.
When I switched my 55 from pc's to T5's it was like night and day.

I had to move alot of my corals down and shade them to acclimate them to the light.
With both lighting my xenia always pulsed alot though.

kass

 

[kiowascout]

well, I suppose it IS brighter perse. THe thing is this, the way i have the new lights set up, it is more blue than before in coloration, so my eyes may be thinking that it is darker when it really isnt.

The only thins that seem to be unhappy are the mushrooms, ut I can live without them for the most part.

The kenya tree frag that I got from you through Jason turned brown under the PCs. It is now green again. So thats cool

 

[kass03]

put the shrooms on the bottom or shaded under a ledge if they don't like it. I had trouble with some of mine at first also like the red or blue/purple.

My FL. rics were ok though as they liked more light. Yuma rics like less light except the greens lol.

You do have to acclimate the corals to new lighting. I raised my light up higher when I first got it.
I ran 2 10k and 4 actinic at first and after about 6 months switched to 3 of each.

Yeah the green tree is odd lol it was really green under my pc's and turned a little more brownish under my T5's but still green.
The one I gave Michelle stayed bright green under her T5's and under halides.
I have the cheaper T5 bulbs so that's prolly why mine did.

kass