Yellow Encrusting Xenia (YEX)

[chrisaggie]

Just as a side note, I have learned that this coral is a horribnle shipper similar to xenia several healthy frags melted during priority overnight delivery. This scientifically doesn't tell didly just thought I would throw it out there.

[Shawnts106]

It grows on a stalk... with multiple pulsers...

I am not 100% sure its Anthellia...
Point out a species of ANthelia that it is and maybe Ill agree.

Is it possibly a Cespitularia Species? I have seen some on WetWebMedia that look very simular to Xenia Elongata...
No reference to Elongata was made..


I think it develops a yellowish color because of your system...
What lighting do you have?

I have WHAT I THINK IS, but not sure anymore, is Xenia Elongata up actually ON TOP of the waters surface growing, and it has developed a slight yellowish hue.

I have T5's...

[Shawnts106]

I think you may have a cespitularia species..

Look here, at the Cespitularia species from N. Sulawesi Under Genus CESPITULARIA


its yellow like yours, and pulses, .. does yours branch like it does?Cespitularia?

[chrisaggie]

Shawn, I agree with you. I think it could be xenia, I think it could be cespitularia, and (yes) I think it could be anthelia. I think it's really awesome that you have thrown out some real ideas. I think it's probably fair at this point o say that we have no clue what it is though. I think the cespitularia in your link is very simiar and it made me lean a little more to it being cespitularia.

I have 250w 10k XM bulbs with vho actinics.

Do you have a picture of your coral?

[Shawnts106]

Im thinking its Ces for sure... Does your branch off the MAIN stalk?

Which coral picture?

[chrisaggie]

No, it does not have any main stalks. It has a main encrusting base that the polyps come off of.

Sorry, I misunderstood you about the coral. I thought you had it.

[Shawnts106]

No, I have Xenia Elongata, or what I believe to be, that will turn yellowish if you get it close enough to the light... but its barely noticeable.. Im going to move some under my XM10K lit frag tank and see what goes.

[c1truz]

Just to let you guys know. Its under decent lighting in my tank too. its under 175w MH in a 30g. When i received it, it was in decent condition. I didnt reply until it got 100%. IMO it looks nothing like any of the xenia i have. It doesnt pulse while the other 2 types of xenia i have do. I have white and silver/brown which both pulse like crazy. And im not sure what its called but the part that pulses just doesnt look like the xenia i have. I will put it as high up in the tank as i can to see if it "Yellows". Ill let you know. Anyway thanks a lot for the frag Chris!

[c1truz]

Please note: I do understand that it pulses and its yellow. Maybe it just needs the right conditions and maybe they arent the same as the xenia i have.

[reefdna]

I have this same type of xenia that I brought with me from Nashville though not yellow anymore I have always called it silver branching xenia. It started out very yellow at the LFS but grew more of a fleshy pink and silver under MH's. they are identical to yours but in color. I say we just dub it the "The Un-IDed but cool Soft Coral" from the genus "Cool Color"and when enough of us agree then it will be so....... JMO

Ed C

[XeniaMania]

[Juan-Carlos]

Reef DNA,
You said you call it "silver BRANCHING xenia"
does yours branch or fork out at all? Ours dosent branch AT ALL the polyps are all individual growing out of a mat, think GSP but in Xenia form.

Regards,
-Jc

[Shawnts106]

My FINNAL Vote now, is Xenia Elongata, that has either been in a sulfer rich, or Iron rich environment...

Since this coral is not holding its color, we can safely assume that its not any special species of "yellow Xenia"...


Its Elongata.
Have a nice day.

[Juan-Carlos]

LOL! Dude... It's not elongata, nothing close lol.

I all the tanks that I have seen it in - it is yellow. I wouldn't say it doesn't hold it color, Mine and Chris's has always been yellow. I have elongota, red sea, and bali giant and they don't look yellow I think it's safe to say it's not sulfer or iron rich waters that cause the yello coloring.

I feel this "Xenia" for the sake of calling it something is special. It is very diffrent from anything I have ever seen before. To the point that we tell people we have ENCRUSTING xenia and they think we're crazy, until they see it and then they are Whoa!

Again remember it NEVER branches AT ALL, it grows almost like GSP or encrusting gorgonians.. very cool indeed.

Cheers,

-Jc

[Shawnts106]

Ah.... it encrusts!
Pardon me then!...

The pictures taken earlier in this thread remind me of Elongata almost 100%, even the picture in the hand looks to be it... as if you pealed some off the rock.


If it truely doesnt produce stalks(Branches) then there is no way its Elongata.

if it truely, encrusts, only to produce "pulsers" out of a main flat encrusting base... then you truely have a unique specimen!


The pictures are a bit decieving... could we possibly get better ones?

[Shawnts106]

After reviewing the pictures a bit more... I dont know how I got elongata out of that...

sorry, Ill blame this on.. ?.. drunk posting?... yeah, thats good. haha


So...
its then not Cespitularia, as ces branches quite a bit...

Could it be Efflatounaria?

Are there pulsing anthelia species?.... Im not aware of these.

[reefdna]

definitely need pictures of the base. I have several types of xenia and more than a dozen colonies fragged from the parent coloinies and each has taken on it's own way of growing depending on where it sits. some have grown with a thin "mat sideways and polyped out of that while others grw a largeer trunk and then poplyped out of that. Whilst I agree in the "Specialness" of the color it has my vote for xenia. Again just my humble opinion. Good luck with it and can't wait to see if someone with a real education in these matters pipes in.

Ed C

[Shawnts106]

I just moved my Xenia Elongata to my frag tank which is lit by a 175watt XM10K, now my Elongata is yellowish... with pink tips... go figure!

In the main display its PINK! purpleish..

but under the 10K bulb its definatly got yellow on the stalks.

[c1truz]

I say this again....... IT DOES LOOSE ITS COLOR......this is for the guy above that says it doesnt.........htf do you know that it doesnt loose color? Just because its yellow in your 2 tanks dont mean jack ****. I dont know if that statment was pointed at me but i def. dont like being called a liar. When i got it the tips were yellow but that was gone within a week. Again its under 175W MH over a 30G cube, so dont tell me its because of lighting.


In fact im going to take a picture of the **** within the next couple of days. Might solve a lot of the problems

[chrisaggie]

I totally agree, I have seen the stuff loose it's color under lower light conditions.

[Juan-Carlos]

That is like saying a blue acro is not blue - only because under lower lighting it is brown.

-Jc

[Juan-Carlos]

Originally posted by c1truz
I say this again....... IT DOES LOOSE ITS COLOR......this is for the guy above that says it doesnt.........htf do you know that it doesnt loose color? Just because its yellow in your 2 tanks dont mean jack ****. I dont know if that statment was pointed at me but i def. dont like being called a liar. When i got it the tips were yellow but that was gone within a week. Again its under 175W MH over a 30G cube, so dont tell me its because of lighting.


In fact im going to take a picture of the **** within the next couple of days. Might solve a lot of the problems

c1truz, I don't know if that comment was directed towards me or another member.

First off, Reef Central is a familly forum, so keep that in mind when posting... lets keep things clean please.

Second, I fail to see your reason for such crude hostility. This is a discussion thread, not an argument. You are taking this defensive stand for no apparent reason. No one called you a liar, you made that assumption on your own.

I think we need to get some facts straight: Now maybe you don't know this or maybe you do (as I am unsure of your experience in the hobby since you've failed to fill out your ReefCentral Member information) But many corals will change or loose coloration when acclimating to a different tank.

You received your xenia fragment from Chris on Jan 26, 2007 exactly 3 weeks ago, I find it bold of you to assure everyone reading this thread that "1.) Its not yellow" After owning a coral for 3 weeks the coral could not even be fully acclimated to your aquarium or you your lights, and perhaps fails to show the yellow due to the acclimation process, stress, or a number of factors.

The xenia might not look yellow in your tank possibly because of the lighting you are using. But I can assure you it is yellow. And not only in two tanks buddy, Chris and I have had this Xenia for about a year and a half, many people have it now, and every other tank we have seen it in, it is yellow. Under 10k halides in Chris's aquarium, under 20k halides in My aquarium, under 14k halides in and friends aquarium, and even under natural sunlight in a friends greenhouse just to name a few.

Also if your going to make such a bold statement as "2.) Its not xenia" the least you could point out your scientific proof as to why it is not xenia. What taxonomical differences do you notice that separate this coral from Xenia?

The whole idea of this thread is to learn, to figure out scientifically what this corals' ID is, not to win an "I'm sure of what it is" contest on a gut feeling without any literature to back it up.

Some people THINK it is Xeria, some people THINK it is not. Before you say "I KNOW it is not Xenia" show us the evidence towards your hypothesis, only like that would anyone benefit from this thread.

And buddy, relax... we are all here trying to enjoy this hobby, you should to - there is no need for arguing and anger.

Take care man

-Jc

[Shawnts106]

I agree with JC, lets see some pictures and lets here some equipment being used...

what is your lighting, placement, flow.. etc..
how long did the yellow tips last etc....


I have seen corals come in nasty ugly, and turn out beautiful with a little TLC, and I have seen BEAUTIFUL corals that come in and get PI$$ED off and turn brown, only to recover several weeks/months down the road...

Blue Tortusa is still Blue Tortusa even though its feeling under the wether ATM
the same goes with this species of Xeniid.

[Shawnts106]

I agree with JC, lets see some pictures and lets here some equipment being used...

what is your lighting, placement, flow.. etc..
how long did the yellow tips last etc....


I have seen corals come in nasty ugly, and turn out beautiful with a little TLC, and I have seen BEAUTIFUL corals that come in and get PI$$ED off and turn brown, only to recover several weeks/months down the road...

Blue Tortusa is still Blue Tortusa even though its feeling under the wether ATM
the same goes with this species of Xeniid.

[c1truz]

Maybe i was a little too harsh and sorry for that but with you saying it doesnt loose its color, you are wrong. Maybe i do assume but after i say "it lost its color" you say........."It doesnt loose its color". Well i know that im not color blind.

As for everyone else. I will get pics of the stuff when i get my camera back from my girlfriend. I moved it to the top of my tank the same day that i said i was going to and still no change in color. Will wait a few. I will say though........i made a mistake earlier when i said it doesnt pulse, Well it still doesnt pulse just closes up one finger at a time till it makes a fist.......its cool though......I will say that the "fingers" dont look as bushy as the ones in the pics that chris has of it. Maybe not fully recovered but we will see.