Xenia in Trouble?

[lar1]

Hi all,

So my xenia was doing fine until a few months ago when it stopped opening all the way up and started looking bad in general. I had it on the bottom of my tank, and for a while, it was near the hammerhead, although it started looking bad well before the two were close. I moved it to a high position a few weeks ago, and also removed a small tube (with something in it!) that was on it's rock. I think the tube might have had one of the polyps below in it.

Water Parameters:
Nitrate: 20ppm *
Nitrite: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
pH: 8.1
SG: 1.025
Temp: 78.5

*I know this is high... my (Davis) tap water measures about 10ppm with my test kit... what can I do about this?

Everything else has been doing fine....
Any ideas about what's going on?

Thanks,
Jonathan

Xenia:

Polyp (what are these? My peppermints ate the Aiptasia, but haven't touched these. They're very small....):

Tank:

 

[Avalanche Wolf]

Get a RO/DI filter for the first problem. WOW 10ppm on Nitrates on the tap water is huge . Gotta check mine now since I am wondering.

But the tap water is a huge thing.

Have your water ( tank water ) tested for Phosphates also. From what I have learned from other members and to qoute one , Xenias are like the Canary In the cage in the mineshaft. They will be the first to go when a problem occurs.

Are you feeding them ? I had 3 in really bad shape and since I have start dosing filter feeder foods they are coming back. Just gotta be carefull not to add tomuch or you well end up with other problems from the water being too nutriant rich.

 

[lar1]

I haven't fed them, no. Occasionally I'll put a small amount of phytoplex in, but I don't spot feed. Any recommendations on what to put in?

I'm curious to know how the nitrates are on your tap water, too.

 

[shiveley]

Anthony Calfo - Xeniids are also some of the most successful cnidarians in symbiosis with zooxanthellae and seem to derive the overwhelming majority of their "nutrition" from the products of photosynthesis (thriving in controlled culture systems without feeding of any solid matter). That is to say, they do not feed like "hungrier" corals, lacking developed digestive structures to do so.

As mentioned ipreviously, Xeniids have dramatically reduced feeding apparatus. In particular, they almost totally lack the ability to capture prey or particulates, and their mesenteries are reduced to the point where intercoelenteric digestion is rudimentary to non-existent. However, they are capable of dissolved nutrient uptake directly across the epidermal tissue surface. Pulsatility has been suggested to be related to this ability.

 

[shiveley]

Here's a good article related to Xenia sensitivity

Here's a good article related to Xenia sensitivity

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/sp/index.php

 

[dots]

Here is what your green polyps are:
http://www.marinedepotlive.com/tree...nthus-species-corals--mushrooms---polyps.html

You are missing a key parameter in Xenia health, which is Alkalinity. They are VERY sensitive to high alk shifts and can be considered "canaries in a coal mine" as mentioned to warn of potential problems. They like stable params will stop pulsing first, then retract if conditions are not ideal. High alk will burn off the "fingers" leaving a cotton ball on a stick look. As the Xenia dies, coloration will darken to purple and a yellow material will show as it starts to decay.

Xenia is very popular, thrives well in home aquaria, and it thought to be a good source for nutrient exportation. They do not need to be activly feed and can pretty much be ignored, if left unchecked they will grow out of control and need to be pruned back once in a while.

Xenia are a good coral for beginners to see cause and effect of water quality and learn to "read" the reactions of the coral and make the needed adjustments.

At 20ppm, your nitrates are getting high and could contribute to this. This can be addressed by doing more frequent and larger water changes and going to RO/DI water......Tap water BTW has phospates which are a main food source for algae as well. I know there are a few reefers in Davis, and I know they have soft? water there which could be a problem to.

Student eh?.......Can't students at Davis get RO/DI on campus?

This is probably your "tube" Vermetid snails(bottom of page)........
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rs/index.php

 

[Avalanche Wolf]

OH MAN I totally forgot about that !!

My xenias were doing great until I started using Kent Coral builder to raise the ALK in the tank. Talking to a few other members that was a same experiance thing also.


I have only been spot feeding them with the phytoplex to get them back to health and I also only does one tsp a month now on the coral builder.

I have a large frag of it in a nano which I have not dosed at all in the tank calc or alk just phytoplex and trace mins and it is HUGE , splitting and pulsing. They came from the same stalk and is doing much better than the same size frag in the 100gallon that gets dosed with calc and coral builder(alk)