Shriveled xenia
 

I have a colony of xenia but one part of the colony is shrivled up and not pumping at all. All other corals are good. Parameters are good.

give 'em a day or two - doesn't sound all that abnormal

theyve been like this for 3 days i believe. I did a water change. All my parameters are pretty stable. I guess i can only wait it out?

i had a massive colony of xenia that grew and grew from 1 to 5 heads, it was unstoppable. one day they all started to shrivle and stop pumping, eventually every head wasted away into nothing. some say xenia is seasonal, others dont. be sure to add iodine to your system xenia need that to sustain themselvs, there r also certain types of crabs and inverts such as mithrax crabs that can nibble and pick at xenia and other similar soft coral

wow..thats some good info but I hope my colony doesnt disintigrate into the water. I will add some iodine to my water and i dont think i got anything irratating them.

If I see a xenia head shrivel I cut it off and a better one grows back pretty quick...it is weird stuff.

i'll try that if it doesnt get better in the next 48hrs and respond to the iodine supplement.

mine shriveled up one day, lost it all. it came back bigger than before. now I'm wishing it would have stayed shriveled up. can't get rid of the stuff:)

how long before the xenia came back? mine has been gone for about a month and a half/2 months. did the xenia fully disentigrate or where there little globs left over?

they come and go. when you say your levels are fine what exactly do you mean.

Iodine is not needed. There is no scientific evidence anywhere that says you need it in any way.

Xenia is particularly sensitive to low pH and/or low alkalinity (usually go together and you know). Also, they are great "canaries" -- anything amiss, like a little copper from a dying powerhead or the like, can cause them to "go".

I've heard a lot of conflicting reports on the iodine. I *do* know that in general, the more advanced the aquarist, the fewer supplements they put in their tanks! (see "Tank of the Month" on ReefKeeping.com). I used to dose lots of stuff, but now rely on frequent water changes for trace mineral supplementation. Also, if you're using a good two-part Ca/Alk supplement, you will find that they contain trace minerals including strontium and iodide.

Dan

whats your Mag reading at?

The Xenia have recovered from whatever was bothering them and have grown considerably since then. I moved it to a different area of the tank..might of helped. I do a 20L water change every week on a 26G and only dose TECH CB A and B. Once a week 4mL purple up. And i havent checked my mg levels. I dont have a test kit for it.