I planning on getting some xenia. I have been looking up on them on RC and researching them, and it looks like im up for it! Just got a question about one thing. Most of the websites, and peoples comements say that you need a "Nutrient rich tank". What do they mean by this, and what do i do to take it up?
"Nutrient rich tank"
- Thread starter Imanz0
- Start date
Capt_Cully
Active member
I think that SPS tanks are low nutrient tanks. Lots of flow, heavy skimming, high wattage lighting, frequent water changes.
Opposite to that, I know 2 guys that have gone over 12 months!!!! without doing water changes. They have beautiful tanks full of softies, euphillia sp, xenia, anthelia etc. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen them myself. They would be "nutrient rich" to say the least. These tanks also have fish in them.
One of the guys is a local mentor with a 220, 2 180's, and a 90 gal tank with countless frag systems.
Opposite to that, I know 2 guys that have gone over 12 months!!!! without doing water changes. They have beautiful tanks full of softies, euphillia sp, xenia, anthelia etc. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen them myself. They would be "nutrient rich" to say the least. These tanks also have fish in them.
One of the guys is a local mentor with a 220, 2 180's, and a 90 gal tank with countless frag systems.
Ok, well ill stay away from SPS, but can you guys help me out with corals? Im planning on polyps, 3 red mushroom, 3 blue mushroom, and 2 stalks of pulsig xenia. But want some more, Any other things no SPS please, because i perfer xenia over them, and since im a beginner, i dont want a tough time with em. I do water changes every week, 10-20%.
Capt_Cully
Active member
Euphillia (hammers, torches, frog spawn)
Acans if you spot feed them, big$$$$
Shrooms, yummas, ricordia
Xenia will love it
Acans if you spot feed them, big$$$$
Shrooms, yummas, ricordia
Xenia will love it
Moonstream
New member
plan on eventually haveing WAY more then 3 polys of mushrooms and 2 polyps of xenia. how big is the tank? other good beginner corals are palyotha, zoanthid, Euphyllia, candy canes, leathers, softies, star polyps, muchrooms, and maybe a few rics.
You may very well be right. But then, you might be wrong.
There are all sorts of things that are 'bunk' in this hobby. IMO two that are far more true than 'dirty water' (we were actually talking about 'nutrient rich', not quite the same thing) are
a) you need lots of flow to have a reef tank
b) you need lots of light to have a reef tank
neither is necessarily true. So 'bunk' is everywhere.
Certainly not many would disagree that certain corals TOLERATE nutrient rich water more than others (the OP used the unfortunate word 'needs'). And it is an important matter, because setting up such a tank can be simpler and cheaper than a 'spotless' system. No skimmer necessary, for instance. Fewer water changes. No need for any of those silly (IMO) reactors, with the requisite plumbing. No sump if you set it up right. Many, MANY corals actually feed on fish poop, so you can stock more fish, without needing so much of that equipment people on RC love so much.
There are few hard and fast rules in keeping a reef tank. It's all inhabitant determined. I know people who use xenia to help CLEAN their tank (like some use aptasia), so they must 'like' it at least a little.
nalbar
McCrary
Can't Stop Time
Good coral to start with are mushrooms. If you are having trouble keeping mushrooms alive there is not much sense in trying to keep other things. I wouldn't worry about having a tank that is too low in nutrients to keep certain coral, it is usually something that is not done by accident.
Ok 3 questions, and im all done!
I have heard that if you do water changes every week, like im going to do, i dont have to check for Magnesium and calcuim? Is that true? Im keeping poyps, mushrooms, xenia, ricordia, and some frogspawn.
If im doing a BB tank, and if i dont put any live rock in there, will the tank automatically cylce? or should i put a peice of live rock in there? I dont want to put alot of rock in there because my store sells their corals on these big rocks that i would love to have.
What fish. Im thinking 2 clowns, or 1 big showfish. I got a 14 gallon tank. Can i put anything bigger than a 2 clowns or is that it?
I have heard that if you do water changes every week, like im going to do, i dont have to check for Magnesium and calcuim? Is that true? Im keeping poyps, mushrooms, xenia, ricordia, and some frogspawn.
If im doing a BB tank, and if i dont put any live rock in there, will the tank automatically cylce? or should i put a peice of live rock in there? I dont want to put alot of rock in there because my store sells their corals on these big rocks that i would love to have.
What fish. Im thinking 2 clowns, or 1 big showfish. I got a 14 gallon tank. Can i put anything bigger than a 2 clowns or is that it?
I keep/have kept all of that except frogspawn, and I have NEVER checked Mag, and have only checked Calc about 4 times in my life. And I use natural sea water that is low in Calc.
Use a decent salt mix and you should be fine. That said, it never hurts to check every once in awhile. More to be sure your system has stabilized.
nalbar
Xenia may help to clean a reef tank, but only so much as it takes in light and some nutrients and uses these to grow. Other corals, as predators, might well be better for keeping a tank clean than xenia, which are physiologically incapable of eating.
That said, my xenia do best with clean water (0 ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) and high light.
silverwolf72
New member
You have to have a cycle it's part of the nitrogen cycle. Without some kind of cycle your never building up the bacteria needed to break down waste into non-toxic elements
