Those having difficulty keeping xenias..
- Thread starter XeniaMania
- Start date
XeniaMania
Active member
If you follow instructions on the bottle, it's usually a very conservative amount. Iodine may aid xenias in their biological process, but having strong lighting is where I'd put a priority on getting them to pulse. BTW, Salt brand and substrate DSM? thanks
SBJim
New member
Two types of xenia, growing like mad. NSW from UCSB, SSB, dose only B-Ionic, 192w PC over a 50g. Xenia does equally well on the sand bed as at the top of the rocks. Temp 79-81. Never had a crash. Anything else?
XeniaMania, if you don't mind, let me know what kind in this first pic.
XeniaMania, if you don't mind, let me know what kind in this first pic.
Cutiewitbooty
New member
Lets see i have the pom pom xenia and it is doing pretty good. I have some close to the MH and they are stubby and really compact, they still pluse alot. I also have some from the same colony lower in the tank and they are alot more open and pulse like crazy. Even though the ones near the top are bunched up they still split alot, even more than the fast pulsing ones near the bottom.
prams
amm 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10
i don't dose anything, i just do a 5-10 gal water change either every week or every other week depending on how busy i am.
Here are the ones under the MH
Here is the ones near the bottom
prams
amm 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10
i don't dose anything, i just do a 5-10 gal water change either every week or every other week depending on how busy i am.
Here are the ones under the MH
Here is the ones near the bottom
XeniaMania
Active member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7291309#post7291309 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SBJim
XeniaMania, if you don't mind, let me know what kind in this first pic.
I'm inclined to say Elongata, however, I see slight hints of blue behind some of the polyps which would not happen in Elongatas because they do not have that reflective quality which makes them Silvertips..
Silvertips and Elongatas are practically identical xenias down to the growth and pulse pattern, only difference again is that silvertips can reflect light behing the polyps. You also have very happy Red Seas 
Nu2SW
New member
I have two silvertip's they are both different colors, one is a purplish and the other looks like the post above me.
I do use iodine every week and im using instant ocean salt.
my purple silvertip was pulsing but it is not pulsing anymore and my other silvertip is about ready to split.
I use normal tap water treated to take out heavy metals.
I do use iodine every week and im using instant ocean salt.
my purple silvertip was pulsing but it is not pulsing anymore and my other silvertip is about ready to split.
I use normal tap water treated to take out heavy metals.
XeniaMania
Active member
C'mon people, don't be shy I know there are more people than this that would like to figure out how to raise xenias 
I know there are more people than this that would like to figure out how to raise xenias 
Mine came in with the live rock and survived the cycle when I set my tank up, including being transported (not by me) without water, and they were dumped into cold (it was January) raw saltwater, cloudy with sand.They almost bought the farm when the cycle peaked, lost the connection between the two clumps, they were stressed when hair algae set in, and then things began to turn around. They're common brownish pulsing xenia, and now have long stems and wild activity. The two dime-sized clumps now cover the area of two 50 cent pieces.
Saltz Creep
New member
Xenia prefers MH to anything else. Xenia also likes nutrients. My silver tip xenia has been going nuts for two years or more, and I get about 60 dollars credit at the LFS every few weeks for my thick monsters. A single trunk is 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter! I'll post pics soon.
XeniaMania
Active member
Thanx Lisa...interesting...that's 1 n 1 for Reef Crystals..
Thinking about back in the days..ok ..well..6 years ago when I was propagating xenias for store credit, it's funny to think the more I neglected my tank, the faster they grew. Now that I'm more meticulous, the Red Seas don't grow as fast although it's the same setup. The only thing I can think that's also different is that my MH light did not have an acrylic shield like it does now and instead of a Seaclone I have an Urchin...hmmm.
Thinking about back in the days..ok ..well..6 years ago when I was propagating xenias for store credit, it's funny to think the more I neglected my tank, the faster they grew. Now that I'm more meticulous, the Red Seas don't grow as fast although it's the same setup. The only thing I can think that's also different is that my MH light did not have an acrylic shield like it does now and instead of a Seaclone I have an Urchin...hmmm.
jay24k
Active member
I've never added iodine and I only use tropic Marin. I dosed 2 part and now am using a Calcium reactor and my Xenia still grow like weeds. I have two types of xenia, the pink pom pom and the red sea variety. Both I have growing only on the glass that equal about 4 square feet worth.
minireef30
New member
Just bought some today.
Pom Pom
IO salt
BB tank
10dkh
400ca
PH 8.1-8.2
Pom Pom
IO salt
BB tank
10dkh
400ca
PH 8.1-8.2
Cutiewitbooty
New member
oh yeah i forgot to mention i use topic marin salt too 
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
There are probably just as many threads on RC trying to figure out how to kill Xenia as there are to grow it.<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7292695#post7292695 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by XeniaMania
C'mon people, don't be shy
I never dose Iodine and Xenia still grows great if the aquarium has enough DOC's and water parameters are up to snuff.
facewedgie
New member
maybe a touch off topic, but...
the best looking piece i had at the time in my tank was an elongata that grew like crazy, perfectly purple (ish), anyways....was my fav. thing in the tank.
i use tm pro reef, 12 percent wc/week, iodine once/week, etc. (full params later if you really want).
ANYWAYS...i got a tiger cowrie to help with a tiny hair algae bloom i was going through, and about the 3rd night after getting it, my xenia started to look like crap. on the 4th night, middle of the night, i wake up and look in my tank to find...that damn cowrie EATING the xenia! it was totally wiped out. i read somewhere that xenia MUST HAVE mh or else it loses its natural defense, etc. (i dont believe this, though). maybe what happened to me, but i use pc with almost 6watt/gallon...
im just ranting now, sorry....
anyways, im STILL super bummed about it.
the best looking piece i had at the time in my tank was an elongata that grew like crazy, perfectly purple (ish), anyways....was my fav. thing in the tank.
i use tm pro reef, 12 percent wc/week, iodine once/week, etc. (full params later if you really want).
ANYWAYS...i got a tiger cowrie to help with a tiny hair algae bloom i was going through, and about the 3rd night after getting it, my xenia started to look like crap. on the 4th night, middle of the night, i wake up and look in my tank to find...that damn cowrie EATING the xenia! it was totally wiped out. i read somewhere that xenia MUST HAVE mh or else it loses its natural defense, etc. (i dont believe this, though). maybe what happened to me, but i use pc with almost 6watt/gallon...
im just ranting now, sorry....
anyways, im STILL super bummed about it.
XeniaMania
Active member
Oh wow, Tiger Cowrie turns xenia into Cowrie pie, thanks for that extra tidbit!
I know there are a lot of threads, isn't it much easier just having 1?
Thanx for the additional fb Amber, that makes 3 for TM I believe.
I know there are a lot of threads, isn't it much easier just having 1?
Thanx for the additional fb Amber, that makes 3 for TM I believe.
jer77
Phish Lover
Hey xeniamania, I have lots of elongatas growing like crazy, and red seas growing slowly, but getting surrounded by star polyps more quickly.
I have used Oceanic salt, but recently changed to TM with no changes in the xenia.
The temp is around 80-82 during the day.
pH is 8.4
I usually dose kalk every night, and add it all at once into the sump.
My parmaters are all zero
cal=450
alk=10dKH
mg=1400
Sr=8
I add coral vital, or some kind of amino acid supplement almost everyday. I have noticed when I add coral vital they open up faster and pulse better even when in the dark, elongatas I mean.
I add ocean's blend 2-part
I do dose lugol's and Tech-I
I recently took out my sandbed, but notice no difference in their happiness.
I have high flow since they are in a tank with sps, but there is still some softies, zoas, and mushies.
MH lights 20000K, but notice the rea seas like the 10000K better. Pulse more and get thicker and taller.
I have used Oceanic salt, but recently changed to TM with no changes in the xenia.
The temp is around 80-82 during the day.
pH is 8.4
I usually dose kalk every night, and add it all at once into the sump.
My parmaters are all zero
cal=450
alk=10dKH
mg=1400
Sr=8
I add coral vital, or some kind of amino acid supplement almost everyday. I have noticed when I add coral vital they open up faster and pulse better even when in the dark, elongatas I mean.
I add ocean's blend 2-part
I do dose lugol's and Tech-I
I recently took out my sandbed, but notice no difference in their happiness.
I have high flow since they are in a tank with sps, but there is still some softies, zoas, and mushies.
MH lights 20000K, but notice the rea seas like the 10000K better. Pulse more and get thicker and taller.
XeniaMania
Active member
Jer, please do keep me updated on your xenias after removing the sandbed. I've been thinking, if the DSB eliminates nutients, doesn't it make it a competing element for xenias? If this theory proves correct you should see an explosion in your xenia colonies.
jer77
Phish Lover
Hmm... interesting concept about the sandbed. I have already noticed the red sea xenia looking better. They are pulsing faster and almost like they used to. When the sandbed was there they almost stopped pulsing, compared to when I got it it was almost exploding with how strong it pulsed. I'm hoping it will go back to the way it used to be and grow faster too. How fast do your red sea xenia grow? Do you find feeding them anything works?
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