Xenia? whats the secret

[motoxracing782]

i have a small frag of Xenias that have been in the tank for maybe a week or so and the havent really opend up. whats the secret to growing them and making them succeed im my aquarium. i have an oceanic bio cube that has two 24 watt bulbs so like 3.4 watts per gallon. whats the secret?

Ryan

 

[sir_dudeguy]

how bit is the tank? (gallons i mean) imo, it might be a little too low of light, but maybe not. I've got some in my 2.5 under just a 10 watt bulb and they're opening up fine (i just added them) however i'm going to switch to the 20 watt bulb instead of the 10 i got now.

but what are the tank params? temp, sg, amonia, nitrite, nitrate, all that stuff.

 

[fantastic4]

Some say dirty water,

Research iodine dosing and good flow.

I would also say good lighting

Some people grow everything but can't keep a single stock of Xenia while others have it growing on the glass, no scientific reasoning that I have found yet... other than dirty water.

 

[Agu]

Luck......

 

[motoxracing782]

its 14 gallon

 

[AIMFish]

I always test kH when it's looking bad in one of the tanks I take care of. I just moved some into my 5.5 from my 10 and it's doing well, both at home. Both use CF lighting, 80w on the 10 and 36w on the 5.5. For being a "weedy" coral it can be pretty picky about moving it from tank to tank. Oh, test the kH of the water it's coming from also.

 

[kpax]

Mine seems to like less flow

 

[ek9vboi]

LIGHTS! I think... I duno but its weed for me. I don't think my tank water is dirty... unless you have a defintion of dirty.

Actually I have no idea... it grows in my refugium too and I think that has low lighting as well.

 

[kass03]

I used to have trouble until I started adding reef plus about 3 yrs ago. Now mine grows like a weed.
Back then I paid $80 for 1 stalk and it was dead the next day. Then I ordered some online and it arrived dead but were a few live polyps in the bottom of the bag and I did the bridal veil thing from GARF.org and saved them.
Now I have the best xenia around lol and everyone in my club has some and it's doing well. It's the pink pulsing but I also have the bar/elongata.
I do have some nitrates in that tank but I did before and couldnt grow it until then.
That tank (my 55) is also 23 yrs old so prolly depleted of some of the nutrients where reef plus helps.
Mine is under T5's now but grew under PC's before that although it grows more scraggly looking with less light.
Reef plus has iodine so I'm assuming thats part of it. In a nano you have to be more carefull what you dose though.
I'd say try a water change and see if it improves.

kass

 

[ycrazyy]

I bought one small stalk of pink pulsing for my 24g nano maybe 3 - 4 months ago. The stuff has grown like a weed, it has split into 3 colonies and is moving around my tank. It may be a bit of dirty water, but it was growing well under the stock 72w PC lighting and loves the 150w MH over it now.

 

[snarfe]

your lighting shouldn't really be a problem, sometimes as Agu stated its luck for some people, see if you can find someone around you or a LFS to test your strontium. some believe thats the problem.

 

[Jim Cannon]

I am very new to xenia and probably have no business posting a reply.

However, last Saturday I was fortunate to get a stock for free. Note that this stock was in a tank all comfy, then ripped from its home, put in a plastic baggy, transported to the meeting, lay around for a few hours while the speaker talked. Then, scooped up in his baggy, taken home to a new home. I acclimated him, and gently placed him on a rock that I thought he might like.

He/she is doing great! When lights are out, its all closed up. Withing a minute of the lights coming on, it's all waked up and its swaying and its little fingers are opening and closing to grab whatever there is to grab. Turn out the lights, and it just draws itself in, and sleeps I guess.

That being said, I think light is something to look at.

 

[BLKTANG]

i agree with AGU,i have had xenia that grows outta control,& some that died off.Now i have no xenia because it tried to take over.