xiena good or bad?

[rmw4547]

Some people say that xenia only do well in a tank with high nutrients in the water. So if you have healthy xenia does that mean that your tank is dirty? Should good xenia growth mean that your tank is unhealthy for sensitive corals? I would like to hear some opinions.

I have very good xenia growth and 0 nitrates. But people still insist that my growth is due to “dirty water”.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Do you feed a lot? Feeding heavily should make them grow faster. Algae growth is a better indicator of water quality than Xenia growth.

 

[rmw4547]

I run BB and have an oversized skimmer my nitrate is 0(salifert) and my xenia grows like crazy. I was just pointing out that a lot of people say good xenia = dirty water.

 

[ab420]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10790328#post10790328 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rmw4547
I run BB and have an oversized skimmer my nitrate is 0(salifert) and my xenia grows like crazy. I was just pointing out that a lot of people say good xenia = dirty water.

The other thing to consider... is if Xenia supposedly likes dirty water, and your xenia is doing great, and your water is clean... you could also say that the xenia is doing well because it's using all the excess nutrients in your water.

Did that make sense? It did in my head I swear... lol

 

[vanna101]

My Xenia does very well in my tank with light feeding and an over sized skimmer.

Maybe people think xenia likes dirty water because they don't clean their tank and their xenia is still growing

just a thought.

 

[michaeltwana]

Do you guys have anything to back up your claims?

I would like to see the science on these theories....

Vanna 101 has a good point IMO

 

[Tyler.L]

they like phosphates i believe. dont quote me on it unless someone else chimes in and also says but we could be wrong.

sometimes xenia will grow in one persons tank and will die in the next.

just depends on how they feel lol.

 

[chronicReefer]

My Xenia didn't grow at ALL over a period of 6+ months (high water quality). Then I stopped skimming for over a month and cut back on water changes to let the nitrates go up above 50ppm. Low and behold after a few weeks I had 4 new stalks all flourishing and bigger than the original one that I bought! Go figure.

The only thing I can figure out about Xenia is that they are consistently inconsistent. Currently I'm trying to get them to like cleaner water but they just refuse to flourish. I did read either here or wet web just this week, that they will literally grow at sewage dumping pipes in some areas.

 

[Clarkii3]

xenia is overtaking my entire tank. growing all over the glass, and over every rock. i actually love the stuff, i'll post pics of my tank tomorrow

 

[ihopss]

Xenia is the first indicator of poor water quality in my tank.

 

[Pea-brain]

What I've read indicates they are more sensitive to some parameters than others. Things like too much copper kill it where other corals wouldn't flinch, while 20+ ppm nitrates seem to be beneficial. IMO xenia is an amazing coral. SO delicate, but so sturdy. Prevailing where others wouldn't then dieing in conditions great for the rest. We know very little about it. Also, xenia HATE temp changes over 5 degrees a day. My temp went down to 68 in my tank and I nearly lost all my xenia. Luckily I took steps to fix it and now the 3 stalks that survived are budding. Its amazing the recovery they made in a week or 2.

Dan