Xenia not looking so good

[budhorse775]

I have some xenia in my tank for about a month now. It does not ever expand. The polyps pulse overnight but when the 10k lights come on during the day it shrivles up to look like a piece of old bubble gum. Any suggestions?

[ACBlinky]

Can you post your tank parameters and specs?
- Type of lighting, wattage, photoperiod
- pH
- KH
- NH3, NO2, NO3
- Ca
- PO4
A picture might help as well.

[budhorse775]

2 (65W actinic PC)12 hrs., 2 (65 W 10K PC) & 1 (96W 50/50) 10 hrs. for lighting
PH 8.1 at night,8.3 day
KH 10dkh
nh3-0, no2-0, no3-20
Ca 420
PO4-0

[ACBlinky]

Everything there looks fine to me (though I'm no expert by any means), but the NO3 is way high. Could be part of the problem, but I doubt it since half the time your Xenia looks fine. Normal, healthy Xenia retracts and re-expands quite often and it's nothing to worry about, but IME it looks like puffy little marshmallows, not shriveled up bubblegum. Could be we're talking about the same thing and your coral is just fine! Can you post a pic of what it looks like when it's 'shriveled'?

[budhorse775]

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/7874e662.jpg

[budhorse775]

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0131.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0130.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0127.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0126.jpg

[ACBlinky]

Hmm... unfortunately because the pics are so blurry it's hard to tell, but they don't look great. If you stand back from the tank and use the flash you should be able to get some clearer pics. I hope someone else can chime in here, I'm at a loss.

[ACBlinky]

Okay, I got a picture of what my Xenia looks like when it retracts -- looking at your pics, I don't think this is what yours are doing.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a21/ACBlinky/Coral/P6170019Medium.jpg

[budhorse775]

not even close to what mine looks like
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0143.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0140.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0139.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0138.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0142.jpg

[sammy33]

One thing you hear quite often in the reefing hobby is that xeniids do great in one reef tank and not so well in others.

I would make this same statement but include a generalization of aquacultured xeniids do well in most systems and wild xeniids don't.

What is the source of your xenia? Is a captive raised or a wild colony?

Another interesting thing is that most reef tanks exprience a lower pH at night. Xenia are sensitive to low pH and tend to cease pulsing when pH declines. You make an observation in your first post that pulsing is normal at night and ceases in the day?

My last observation is that the rock that your xenia occupy seems to be much darker than the rest of your reef. It seems that the rock was most likely under completely different lighting than what may be in your tank now. What lighting was the xenia under when you purchased it? Consider adjusting the position of the xenia based on this. If the lighting was brighter place the rock higher - if the lighting was lower, try placing the rock under an overhang.

Hope this helps...:)

[Ti]

Do u dose Iodine?

[budhorse775]

this is what it looked like this morning
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0151.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0152.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0150.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0149.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0148.jpg

[budhorse775]

this is it after 7 hrs of daylight
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0153-1.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/56c997aa.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0156.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0155.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0154.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0153.jpg

[ziggy222]

it looks like what happened when i tried to put it in my daughters mushroom tank with 2.8 watts per gallon.i put it back in mine with 4.50watts and a week later the color came back.i did notice you have 6.47 watts per gallon,that seems like alot.but then again some tanks just won't grow xenia.

[budhorse775]

still no change. It was quite full when I purchased it but I would say that it is still alive for now and that is good

[armagedon48]

your water seems fine. my xenia went through a stage were it wouldnt open. but it was because my ph and alk were going crazy. my ph was 7.9 and the xenia was mad.

recently i had another water problem were the salt went bad due to humidity and my xenia was normal exept the fingers werent feathery. i bought new salt and 2 water changes later it looks realy good.

i add trace elements and iodide and calcium to my tank. xenia will need a bit of phosphates i beleive and your nitrate seems realy high. try a water change useing ro water and new or fresh salt. do this 1x per week up to 3 weeks. if it doesnt improve then idk whats wrong. id say 25-50% changes depending on water volume and cost. i use reef crystals by instant ocean.

[sassyfish]

Mine thrive on water changes and less light. They pulse all the time and grow large. Try them in different light and moderate flow.

[budhorse775]

these are pics I took this morning. My xenia is looking better but it does not extend like it did when I first bought it any suggestions?
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0327.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0331.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0335.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0333.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h213/budhorse775/DSCN0334.jpg

[ryano]

Put your xenia in a high light, high water flow area and supplement your tank with iodine

[edwardbotha]

xenia sensitive 2 alk + ph, if 2 low will stop pumpingand retract. not 2 much flow either. moderate current and good light.. normal 2 recract 4 short peroids a day.

[cwegescheide]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7890398#post7890398 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ryano
Put your xenia in a high light, high water flow area and supplement your tank with iodine

Ditto. Iodine helped tremendously for my xenia