Those having difficulty keeping xenias..

[XeniaMania]

I got my Salifert Alk test yesterday. I've been using Red Sea and never really felt comfortable with the "low, normal, high" scale. Turns out my tank had Alk of about 5.7dKh with NSW being 8, yikes. I've been gradually adding Kent Probuffer, and it's at 6 now, still got more to go, but some of my xenias are changing already. Be interesting to see when I reach 8 in a few more days.

 

[psimitry]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7304718#post7304718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XeniaMania
I got my Salifert Alk test yesterday. I've been using Red Sea and never really felt comfortable with the "low, normal, high" scale. Turns out my tank had Alk of about 5.7dKh with NSW being 8, yikes. I've been gradually adding Kent Probuffer, and it's at 6 now, still got more to go, but some of my xenias are changing already. Be interesting to see when I reach 8 in a few more days.

I REALLY need to get that test. I have a seachem, but I accidentally broke it's non-standard dripping pipette so now all of my readings are pretty much just like the red sea (low, normal, high).

 

[kaserpick]

My Xenias have been in the reef for about 5 weeks. I use IO and dose Seachem Iodide twice a month. Also, I have a 1" bed of FL live sand. It splits like crazy and pulses. I kinda always thought they liked "dirty" water.

Thumbs up!
Kaserpick

 

[XeniaMania]

Xenias can tolerate a variety of conditions as evident of my earlier post of my Alk being low. Changing one parameter can alter their looks, so I think what I can best acheive with this thread is to come up with a few setups with highest probable results, i.e. High lighting, high alk, high pH, low nutrients result in light colored, compact, fast pulsing xenias.

 

[kaserpick]

I see. Well my water is "dirty" And my light is PC so I'm probably not a good example to look at. Interesting thread!

Thumbs up!
Kaserpick

 

[XeniaMania]

Doesn't mean you can't keep xenias tho kaserpick. It just means your xenias would take a different form based off its enviroment, but still will survive and thrive.
Thanks!

 

[scarter]

I have about 200 stalks of xenia, four different types.
I use IO and dose Iodine every other week. I have had the tank to 85 several times and have never had a crash as a result.
I do know that light is the key. if a split shadows the mother colony it can shade it out and kill it. I have also had a couple stalks shrivel up, turn yellow and die. If they are touching another stalk that one may die also. I think they might get some kind of disease once in a while. Maybe this is the reason why some cannot keep them. I have also noticed that they grow better with leathers in the tank. maybe I am crazy but they seem to be very friendly with the leathers. I wonder if they are found together in nature.

I also know that if a stalk does die you should get it out of there right away because they leak all kinds of nasty's in the water. and decompose badly. If you have ever touched a dead xenia and then smelled your hands you know what I am talking about. Maybe that is whyt some people cannot keep them. If one does die and pollutes the tank with whatever it may be toxic to other xenia, (A dying stalk can kill the one next to it) then if the reefer goes out and buys another one and doesent change water or anything it could cause a cycle of events...
maybe I am just a nut-case.......

S. Carter

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

XeniaMania, did you not test your alk before or just on occasion?

 

[Raresofty]

XeniaMania not to be off topic but what are the 10 species you have?

 

[XeniaMania]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7305131#post7305131 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scarter
maybe I am crazy but they seem to be very friendly with the leathers. I wonder if they are found together in nature.

S. Carter

You're not a nut, you're closer to the truth than you realize. Sarcophyton leathers are found in close proximity. Perhaps there's a symbiotic relationship that has not been realized yet. You are not the only one to notice that so trust in your sanity

Only recently have I started to read up on toxic capabilities of soft corals. My neon green tree has recently suffered RTN, Rapid Tissue Narcosis, it's when the body blackens and it spreads fairly quickly. I wonder if that happened because it's losing the war in my tank due to me removing 2 other sinularias recently. However, that's beyond the scope of this thread so I'll leave that for a later time. I've taken some measures so I'll see if the neon tree will recover.

 

[XeniaMania]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7305153#post7305153 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
XeniaMania, did you not test your alk before or just on occasion?

I did test it, but the scale I had read "Low, Normal, High". It wasn't a precise number.

The 10 species that I have are: Fiji White, Fiji Blues, Giants, Blue Giants, Torquoise, Silvertips, Goldbacks, Bali, Micros, and Red Sea.

 

[Raresofty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7305276#post7305276 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XeniaMania

The 10 species that I have are: Fiji White, Fiji Blues, Giants, Blue Giants, Torquoise, Silvertips, Goldbacks, Bali, Micros, and Red Sea.

I'm sorry I meant species not common names. Do you have like 4 species but some different colors? I ask cause I don't know if different colors mean a new species or xenia. I was told they dont.

 

[XeniaMania]

I'm actually trying to name them right now. Unfortunately when it comes to xenias, X.Umbellata and X.Elongata are the only 2 that have a formal scientific name. I scour the libraries and whatever online sources I can find, but in the late 1800s and early 1900s, all they did was draw them and they all look the same..:lol: I might have posted a few pictures in the earlier pages, not sure, I post so many..:lol: I can assure you though, with 12 yrs experience keeping xenias, I can pretty much tell them apart and tell which ones are the same despite the difference. For example, the Fijis may look like Red Seas to many, but if you look inside the polyps, you'll see a dark outline that the Red Sea will never have.

 

[XeniaMania]

These 2 you can definitely tell apart

And I don't think these can be mistaken for Elongatas despite their similar appearance.

 

[XeniaMania]

 

[solbby]

Some more pic of the same corals as XeniaMania, .

 

[XeniaMania]

Uh oh...it looks like it's not 10 species of xenia, but 2 species of Cespitularia, I'd take that

 

[SBV]

XeniaMania- I've pm'd you in the past about not being able to keep both types in my tank and I'm still stumped. The Elongated grows like weeds and the pom pom remains the same size for months. Its like it has decreased in size actually.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/532459300/2436276760059932423AYJfor


The elongated has almost taken over the tank where the pom pom does nothing and barely pulses. The elongated pulses like MAD under the (2) 175 watt 10k halides over our 60 gallon tank. I've dosed Lugol's to no avail. I've tried all the supplements and still nothing. I have some high and some low in the tank and they all do the same thing. Tank is a year old and everything is growing fine in our tank except for this pom pom. (20 gallon fuge w chaeto) IO salt from the get go. Water parameters in check with 0 nitrates. What do ya'll think??

 

[XeniaMania]

Hey SBV, that's what we're trying to figure out in this thread, why some will grow and some won't. It's obvious your parameters are suitables for xenias as exibited that the growth of your Elongatas. I couldn't see the other pom poms in that picture, where are they? Have you tried another colony?

 

[SBV]

Won't be able to see them in that pic. They are on the left side of our tank. I have 5 "small" pieces in the tank. They are from 2 different tanks. One had pc's and the other MH's. Biggest frag is the size of a quarter's base. I litterally have no idea of whats going on. Some are getting high flow, some low flow. Dosen't seem to make a difference it seems. I've even tried using my old school pc strip when the tank was first started to see if they would grow under just pc light to no avail.....

This is a VERY good thread to try and nail down the answer!