Pumping Xenia Help!

[redondoreefer]

I can't keep Pumping Xenia...it melts away fast!

Tank 8 Gallon AIO nano
AI Nano light
Chemipureleite and purigen in rear sump
eshoppe Nano skimmer.

Water Param
0 amm
0 Nit
10 - 30 Nitrates
1.026 salin
PH 8.1
Temp 81 degress

Any thoughts?

 

[el_pinguino]

This is completely normal for Xenia. Sometimes they just melt away. In my 8 gallon, they grow like weeds however.

My advice:

Try to keep your temperatures below 80. In the wild, Xenia colonies tend to die out in the summer months, if I recall correctly.

Go easy on the activated carbon. It seems to pull something out of the water that they like (possibly Iodine). I don't run activated carbon 24/7. I alternate between AC and GFO.

Xenia like high light (relative to other softies). I don't know the details of your light setup. But generally, stock lighting is not enough to keep them happy.

They also like high flow. If they are pulsing, it means that they are probably not getting enough flow. The pulsing action is a mechanism designed to expel excess oxygen waste that is a byproduct of the coral's metabolism.

 

[Ghetto Man]

Consider yourself lucky. Xenia is cool, but it will quickly take over your entire tank.

 

[caesar5000]

My xenias retract and look terrible the minute my salinity hits 1.025 so I use them as a top off alarm.

 

[el_pinguino]

My xenias retract and look terrible the minute my salinity hits 1.025 so I use them as a top off alarm.

If you're having trouble at 1.025, you might want to check the accuracy of your hydro/refracto meter.

 

[fren]

xenia usually needs iode ( iodine in English ? ) more than others

 

[fishmate]

Xenia actually like dirty tanks, like excess nutrients

also, it either grows like a weed, or it melts away, sorry

 

[owenspackman]

i've heard different stories about how to have success with xenia. I have kept clean tanks and had them do awful, I've kept dirty tanks and had them thrive.

In my current 180 which is running carbon and it void of nutrients and extremely clean, my xenia is thriving more than ever.

 

[AquaTDV]

i've heard different stories about how to have success with xenia. I have kept clean tanks and had them do awful, I've kept dirty tanks and had them thrive.

In my current 180 which is running carbon and it void of nutrients and extremely clean, my xenia is thriving more than ever.

I've also found this to be true. For the last 10yrs I've been running a Xenia fuge with undetectable nitrate levels in a predominately SPS reef. This coral still amazes me, delicate and hardy at the same time. Some stalks will just wilt and die for know reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKfhOu2GBaA

You could also try turning off the skimmer for a couple of weeks then introduce more Xenia. Sometimes it needs a little extra help to get over the initial stress of the acclimation. My skimmer directly competes with the Xenia. When the skimmer is running consistently the Xenia look lethargic. However when its turn off they pump much faster and have better color. Also I would choose the Elongata variety instead of the PomPom. For me the Elongata is a little more forgiving.

 

[dr. todd]

Ive loved xenia ever since Ive been into captive reef. I had 155 sps tank couldnt get xenia to go no matter what killed so much of it. I just set up a 100 sps and xenia growing like crazy. 0 nitrates, phos .08, spec grav 1.025, temp 80 constant, 10 39w t5s I dont have them in a massive flow region. Im not sure anyone can give a reason why they go or dont. I have both elongata and pom pom both taking off. Sorry, but like many people say some tanks they just wont grow in it was very frustrating and disappointing.

 

[wireefman]

i run a very nutrient rich aquarium.. cant keep xenia... had 4 different color variants melt after a couple weeks

 

[lostintheocean]

Is there any scientific research to back this up

---------they also like high flow. If they are pulsing, it means that they are probably not getting enough flow. The pulsing action is a mechanism designed to expel excess oxygen waste that is a byproduct of the coral's metabolism. -------

I have not found any to explain the pumping, I have noticed the pumping to stop or slow with lower PH though

 

[el_pinguino]

Is there any scientific research to back this up

---------they also like high flow. If they are pulsing, it means that they are probably not getting enough flow. The pulsing action is a mechanism designed to expel excess oxygen waste that is a byproduct of the coral's metabolism. -------

I have not found any to explain the pumping, I have noticed the pumping to stop or slow with lower PH though

Yes, here is the paper published earlier this year: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/04/17/1301826110

 

[CaptainNJ1969]

Just my 2 cents....

After reading the abstract from the supplied link the pulsing action appears to be an adaptation to increase photosynthetic rate. Since they have the symbiotic algae for food production, that is reason for pumping....make more food in the most efficient way. The article does talk about oxygen concentrations but it was referring to artificially raising the O2 content to prove that the photosynthetic benefits were primarily from the increased O2 removal by pumping. It is expelling excess O2 from inside it's body as you stated but that's because it is making ideal internal conditions for photosynthesis.


The pumping gives it up to an order of magnitude higher photosynthetic rate. The pumping isn't a sign of distress or unhappiness.

 

[el_pinguino]

The study attempts to explain why the coral pulses even though the pulsing action is so energetically costly. It would stand to reason that, to give the coral the best chance for survival, we should provide conditions in which it does not need to expend more energy than necessary.

I have Xenia in both higher flow and lower flow areas of my tank. And while all stalks are surviving (no sign of distress or unhappiness), the stalks in the higher flow areas do exhibit less pulsing and faster growth.

 

[dwolson2]

I have Xenia in both higher flow and lower flow areas of my tank. And while all stalks are surviving (no sign of distress or unhappiness), the stalks in the higher flow areas do exhibit less pulsing and faster growth.

I had the same thing happen in my last tank.

 

[Fsarmien]

Yeah my xenia like drop seeds of xenia everywhere. There's high light and flow.

 

[Josh40996]

I have read lots of accounts where people just cannot keep Xenia in a system even where parameters seem to match people's systems where it thrives.

As for pulsing in high and low flow. I have personally seen Xenia stop pulsing in both situations both in high flow and low.