pulsing xenia dying?

[evilsweeps]

Hi all, hoping you guys can help me before these little guys are completely gone. Everything else is very happy and healthy in the tank.

I have a 14 gal biocube, temp is around 78-81, salt is a little high, around 1.026.

I put the xenia in last week, after a short acclimation period they looked great, pulsing away and looking very heathy. But then a few days later the xenia did not look so good, some were doing fine but some looked like they lost their head, like it fell off (or was eaten off). Now they're all shrinking and looking like they're on the way out .

Have two fish, a damsel and a clown goby, and a bunch of cleaners. 6 small hermit crabs, 4 small snails, 2 peppermint shrimp and an emerald crab. For corals, I have a big zoe, a 3 Head Duncan...and my dying pulsing xenia.

I feed the tank a solution of frozen prawn row and a cupfull of the tank water once a day around 5pm. My light cycle is 6am to 3pm for the white bulb, and 9am-930pm for the blue bulb. The tank is by a window and also gets some natural light in the morning and the early evening.

Hope I'm just doing something wrong and a easy adjustment can be made to bring these guys back.

Thanks!

 

[Mpfaff77]

I would say it is your lighting cycle. You have 15+hours of light. Should be closer to 12

Usually ppl turn blue lights on for hour prior to whites to simulate sunrise and hour after whites go off to simulate sunset

Example
Blues 10am-10pm
Whites 11am-9pm

Also what type of lighting do you have. Xenia get food from photosynthesis

 

[evilsweeps]

I would say it is your lighting cycle. You have 15+hours of light. Should be closer to 12

Usually ppl turn blue lights on for hour prior to whites to simulate sunrise and hour after whites go off to simulate sunset

Example
Blues 10am-10pm
Whites 11am-9pm

Also what type of lighting do you have. Xenia get food from photosynthesis

Thanks will try adjusting the light cycle. I have the Corallife Oceanic tube bulbs, the ones that go with that tank. But I'm going to make the switch to LEDs soon.

 

[Mpfaff77]

I would adjust is slowly too like 1 hour change daily over course of week or 2

 

[evilsweeps]

I would adjust is slowly too like 1 hour change daily over course of week or 2

will do, thanks

 

[wireefman]

. Xenia get food from photosynthesis

xenia gets its nourishment from nutrients in the water.. it is why many people run a xenia forrest in the sump... for excess nutrient export..

 

[erndog1001]

You're trying to save them and I'm farming them out every so often bc they overran my 125 lol

 

[evilsweeps]

well, almost all of it melted away while i was at work today
Dropped my light cycle by an hour as suggested but these guys are just not surviving. Any ideas what else could be wrong? I think at this point they're done for...:headwalls:

 

[DarienReefer]

have you tried lowing them in the tank??

 

[ReeferKimberly]

I have run xenia with 24 hours of light. Is it natural? Nope. Did they do fine? Yup.

I would look for another cause. For instance xenia likes more food matter in the water column and less than pristine water. Also it likes more iodine than other corals.

Good luck!

 

[IowaJeeping]

I noticed my xenias did better in my tank when i lowered my lighting schedual and let the water turn alittle dirtier

 

[millertj]

Do you happen to skim? Are you adding anything else (ie. chemicals) to your tank? As mentioned, I too used xenia as nutrient export. I noticed when I overharvested I began to see evidence of algae in my tank and when I allowed it to grow, the algae went away. When I finally did add a skimmer to my 37 reef, I noticed the algae began to die away. I imagine its either the lack of nutrients that did it or perhaps the water became clearer..hard to say. In your case, its likely something to do with your water quality. As someone mentioned...make it too clean and sometimes xenia dont do as well.

 

[jwoyshnar]

Xenia is a tough coral to figure out. I had at one point 3 tanks going but it will only grow in one tank. Could never figure it out. All apollo led lighting in each tank, same salt and same parameters in all three.

 

[FeTTo]

My xenia started off as a single small stalk in march 2012. It thrives to over 40 stalks and covered an entire 6" rock in my 20 gal tank. Since the summer hit, with this heat wave, and I dont own a chiller, my tank would hit close to 85. when normally its 78-81 with a salinity of a steady 1.026. My xenia started to melt away, quickly. I also noticed that my limpets have been hanging out more in my xenia garden, and appear to almost be eating my xenia as they will sit in one spot for hours, and the next day when I get home from work and they have moved, the xenia in that spot is completely gone.

When I did lack of water changes for say 1-2 months and just kept topping off the tank, my algae would bloom a bit, and my green hair, but my xenias would thrive.

Now my tank looks bare without my xenias. I have one 1 tiny stalk left and i have to keep picking the limpets off the rock and tossing them in the AC70.

I have put thought into doing a 5 gallon refuge under my 20 gal, and putting my xenia in there to hopefully thrive and come back, and throwing all my bristle worms and limpets in there too when i switch them back

 

[RA]

I would just check your ALK. Xenia doesn't like a low ph.

 

[usmc121581]

Mine tend to almost melt away, and then come back. I do know some people can get it to grow like weeds, while others could pay it to grow.

 

[sbazain]

sorry I just posted asking the same thing and didn't scroll down a'm having the same problem I just brought them down to the substrate lets see what happens I put some pics maybe if any body is interested in looking at them .

 

[SavingOurSeas]

One of the systems are actually growing Xenia under household lighting.
I wanted to run an experiment and well, revolutionary results so far.
I'll do a write up with the video footage and photo's one day, perhaps.

 

[SavingOurSeas]

Hmmm

Hmmm

I have a 14 gal biocube, temp is around 78-81, salt is a little high, around 1.026.

Every system/species is different to how things are ran (parameters/hardware and husbandry) and how things react. There are general rules to care, but so many things will work, in this case, for Xenia.
For instance, the Xenia system here is running on 75* and .024 - it's absolutely thriving.
Your best bet is to go by the general care and to find out what the parameters were in the system you purchased the Xenia from. It technically matters only what your specific piece is used to.
I don't think they were doing well at all once they were added to the current system, I think it was a matter of time before they were noticeably doing bad. Sometimes it can be several weeks for something to show good signs or bad signs.
I hope they perk up soon and you're able to keep them through this experience.
Please give an update.
Good luck my friend!

 

[SavingOurSeas]

Show me the money (Xenia)

Show me the money (Xenia)

... I put some pics maybe if any body is interested in looking at them .

I'm absolutely interested! Please post photo's.