Xenia discoloration

[bassplayer]

Wondering if my xenia are having problems. This morning when i turned my lights on, a few fingers on a couple of the stalks were dark in comparison to the rest of the colony. Is this normal?

[ReefDiver]

Yes, probably a normal finding. Could just be an increase in the number of Zoox in the tissues. I wouldn't worry about it unless you see signs of deterioration.

[bassplayer]

thanks for the reply reefdiver. I wont shed to many tears!

[jdallred]

Were the polyps closed or open when you observed the discoloration? If closed then yes this is a normal discoloration that you can expect to see often. Has the color of the polyps return to their normal color? The reason I ask is continued discoloration in xenia (polyps or stalk) can be a sign that the coral was damaged by another coral and/or fish. If allowed to continue unaided this damage can cause not only the damaged stalk to deteriorate but any other stalks that contact the decaying flesh. While this is not always the case and even if it is it is still nothing to worry about however I would continue to keep an eye on it. If you notice any loss of polyps associated with the discoloration IME it is best to place the coral in a moderate flow making sure that no other stalks are touching or down flow from the stalk in question. If the stalk continues to deteriorate it is best to cut the stalk off and discard it. Any pieces of the stalk left on the rock will grow into another stalk.

[bassplayer]

thnx jdallred. The polyps where open when i noticed the discoloration. Although the next day when i got home from work the stalk with the most discoloration was completely closed.So i decided to move the entire colony to a lower area of the tank where i could monitor it a little better. Whithin five minutes the entire colony was pulsing like normal, the discoloration was still there, but still had full polyp extension. Also the discoloration isnt ocurring on the entire polyp, its only happening to one or two of the "fingers" on each polyp, forming a dark line down the middle of the polyp. anyway thanks for the help, ill keep monitoring and posting some updates.