Xenia either melting or being eaten

[Ninsha]

Hey all,

I had a beautiful island of pulsing Xenia. And around a month ago I noticed that it was starting to seemingly recede. I didn't intervene, because I know how fast it can grow. Well, now the entire rock (about the size of a basketball with one flat side) is completely devoid of xenia, only a little white crust on the rock remains.

Are there crabs known to eat Xenia? I ask because I was sold an "Emerald Crab" that has grown to be about fist sized, and I'm wondering if he's part of the problem, or if it is more likely water-chemistry related. Thanks for any help!

 

[miranda1960]

xenia is a strange coral.. sometimes its growning fast sometimes its going away .. just normal

 

[jayball]

Hey all,

I had a beautiful island of pulsing Xenia. And around a month ago I noticed that it was starting to seemingly recede. I didn't intervene, because I know how fast it can grow. Well, now the entire rock (about the size of a basketball with one flat side) is completely devoid of xenia, only a little white crust on the rock remains.

Are there crabs known to eat Xenia? I ask because I was sold an "Emerald Crab" that has grown to be about fist sized, and I'm wondering if he's part of the problem, or if it is more likely water-chemistry related. Thanks for any help!

Not sure if it is eating your xenia but any fist sized crab is not likely to be reef safe for fish or coral and I have never heard of an emerald getting nearly that big. I would re-home it or send to the sump if possible.

 

[Randy27]

That size of a xenia colony doesn't just go away, and isn't just a characteristic of the species. Sure, xenia can be a little finicky to change, but that big of a die-off means something is amiss. That big crab is suspect, I'd remove him. Otherwise, gotta check your parameters.

 

[kwhyle]

I'd re-home the crab and see if the colony bounces back before making other changes.