Xenia Collapse?

[scuba guy ron]

Also salinity has always b een constant @ 1.025-1.026.

 

[Orochimaru]

cool....thanks...

after more and more readings...stability is another factor...whether it's low or high ntirate or clean and dirty water.....shouldn't have too much changes?

 

[thebanker]

I can't believe it! I'm having a xenia meltdown after over a year of it flourishing in my tank.

Sg 1.025
Ca 380ppm - 400ppm average
Alk 6.5 dkh - 7 dkh average
NO3 undetectable (API)
PO4 undetectable (API)
Temp 80
4x54w T5 on for 10 hours/day

Any ideas?

 

[carlosR]

Don't worry I had the same thing happen. They turned black and didn't open, looked like hell. My LFS, a good one, advised me the same. It will be o.k. just some wierd cycle they go through.

 

[bigworm175]

thebanker,
Bummer. Has your nitrate always been 0?

I put some back in the 120 recently and it began to melt in 1 week. My 120 has more nitrate than my nano. 120 nitrate = ~5, nano = ~2 ppm. phosphates are 0 in both (GFO). The 120 has a controller now and is very consistently 78.5-78.8 degrees and 8.15-8.20 ph. Salinity has been consistently 1.025-1.026 for months now. Lighting could be a factor (120 has a 400w Mh where I put the xenia and the nano has a 150w mh). I can't figure out why it won't grow in the 120???

 

[thebanker]

It's been 0 for a while. Who knows.

 

[lvreefer]

There is a lot of good info in this thread its much appreciated. Back in the day when Xenia started showing up at the whole sellers I noticed a couple of things. Shipments that came in stressed were usually due to temp drops or sitting in the bag to long. Lugals Solution and water flow played key the recovery process if the colony wasn't too damaged. Lighting is also a big factor. Replacing bulbs on a regular basis would help spur growth. They also make excellent nutrients exporters so when I hear about a tank that has zero nitrates with a colony of Xenia it makes me wander if that is the reason. However this is not reason to abandon water changes and the use of carbon. This coral has probably the worst smell I have ever come across from a health coral. Once it builds up in the water it could be mother natures way of controlling itself. Likewise, too much of a water change can rob it of nutrients. Like any reef system stability is key, no mater what parameter. On a side note, the Red Sea has an elevated salinity due to high evaporation, low rain fall, and no major fresh water streams emptying into it.

 

[thebanker]

Tested pH... 7.8 in the morning so apparently that might be a problem. I can't imagine it's anything else.

 

[bigworm175]

That's not too out of whack for the morning depending on how high it gets in the afternoon. Do you have a calc. reactor?

 

[scuba guy ron]

banker,

when was the last time you changed your bulbs?

 

[thebanker]

I put the bulbs in last may. I think heat might have been the problem. I turned up the jager heater a couple degrees when temperatures in So Cal were in the 30s to try to stabilize the temp swings. That was a mistake, because temperatures were back to normal and I forgot to dial down the heater. The colony that died was the largest and the closest to the surface. Maybe it just got too hot.

The rest of my xenia seems to have since stabilized, and I haven't experienced more die-off. Heat and pH will be the culprits in my mind, for now.

 

[rivoth]

Alk 6.5 dkh - 7 dkh average

I think it's worth bringing your average dkh up to 9. Running some Granulated Activated Carbon might also help and can't hurt.

 

[thebanker]

Brought it up to 9 already, just in case pH was an issue, also added Mg to keep alk more stable.

Running GAC already, and the "xenia collapse" i was having seems to have stopped, and the remaining colonies are holding stable.

 

[jamesBS]

i have had xenia in my tank now for 6 years it grows like a weed i know it likes 10k mh .don't think much else matters

 

[j.p. harrington]

just mainly skimmed through this thread but i grow xenia like mad i keep it right at the top of my tank under 4x54 watt t5 in my 74 they are only about 8" under the light go to the very top of the tank water have to frag constantly to keep in on the same rock

some ppls tank just doesnt support this stuff and i have seen urchins in my buddys tank eat it in a day he never could figure it i gave him frag after frag finally we seen his long spine sitting on top of the stuff killing it.

melting seems to be very common but you should check you ph and alk. i would also dose some iodide and strontium as they seem to really suck this stuff out of the water fast.

i also feed extremely heavy and i mean extremely but ive got a great skimmer



hope this helps

 

[thebanker]

How do you know it uses strontium? Also, how do people know it uses iodine?

 

[j.p. harrington]

well i keep mainly lps z/p's mushrooms and softies the test kit is how i know what my tank uses. and you can read many articles that say they consume iodide quite quickly as they use it to grow and that it is a limiting factor in the growth of xenia cant recall where i seen this but seen it in more than one place

 

[j.p. harrington]

but i would assume how the ? of how does someone know what it uses is measure what the water starts with in a controlled enviroment and then test all elements and then test again to see whats used????? not a chemist here but thats my take on it

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Every time I have had a meltdown it was due to oxygen depletion. Not saying that is the cause of anyone's xenia collapse other than mine, but it is something to look into.