Xenia Coral

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by tthemadd1 http:///t/347390/xenia-coral#post_3534748
I have xenias and have had the same colony for around five years under 65w power compacts. They are one of the easier corals to keep.


They climb to the top of the tank seeking light. I had mine under PCs as well, and they did look very nice and healthy. However mushroom and Kenya tree corals are happy at the bottom of a tank with nothing more then fish lighting, Xenia won't thrive under fish lights. You're correct, they are one of the easiest corals to keep...LOL, if you have a little nitrate, they don't like it too clean. I have friends that can't keep Xenia alive for all the tea in China.

 

[pegasus]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/347390/xenia-coral/20#post_3534759


They climb to the top of the tank seeking light. I had mine under PCs as well, and they did look very nice and healthy. However mushroom and Kenya tree corals are happy at the bottom of a tank with nothing more then fish lighting, Xenia won't thrive under fish lights. You're correct, they are one of the easiest corals to keep...LOL, if you have a little nitrate, they don't like it too clean. I have friends that can't keep Xenia alive for all the tea in China.
They do like a little, but they can't tolerate too much. I don't even test my water for Nitrates anymore. I just check the condition of my Xenia, and when the trunks start to darken and shrivel, it's time for a water change... lol!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/347390/xenia-coral/20#post_3535603
They do like a little, but they can't tolerate too much. I don't even test my water for Nitrates anymore. I just check the condition of my Xenia, and when the trunks start to darken and shrivel, it's time for a water change... lol!

LOL...I used to know by the way my corals acted too. Funny how we develop a feel for what the tank needs. On hind site and a few more years experience....It isn't a good practice, because you don't know something is wrong until things are already reacting, and the whole reason for water tests is to hold off the bad events BEFORE it happens.

You can get away with a monthly test instead of each week, but I would do the tests...nitrate isn't the only enemy to be concerned about, phosphates is a an ugly dragon.

 

[pegasus]

I was kidding... lol! I check my water's parameters once a month. I had a spell where my Xenias would shrivel before I tested, and every time it happened, my Nitrates were pushing 20ppm. Nothing else appeared to be affected, and a quick water change would bring them back to normal in a day's time. Nitrates are the only thing I had trouble with, and that seems to be under control now. My Xenias shriveled slightly a few days ago, and a quick Nitrate test showed 5ppm. Turned out to be a false alarm, and the next day they were plump, smooth, and fully extended. Not sure what was going on then, but everything's fine now. I'm still a little wet behind the ears, but I know how quickly things can turn around, and the importance of water tests. It's our first line of defense to avoid catastrophes. I would never encourage anyone to judge the quality of their water on sight alone. But yes, we do develop a "feel" for the needs of the tank. Which reminds me... I feel I need to go feed my Xenias and all the other filter-feeders. LOL!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/347390/xenia-coral/20#post_3535686
I was kidding... lol! I check my water's parameters once a month. I had a spell where my Xenias would shrivel before I tested, and every time it happened, my Nitrates were pushing 20ppm. Nothing else appeared to be affected, and a quick water change would bring them back to normal in a day's time. Nitrates are the only thing I had trouble with, and that seems to be under control now. My Xenias shriveled slightly a few days ago, and a quick Nitrate test showed 5ppm. Turned out to be a false alarm, and the next day they were plump, smooth, and fully extended. Not sure what was going on then, but everything's fine now. I'm still a little wet behind the ears, but I know how quickly things can turn around, and the importance of water tests. It's our first line of defense to avoid catastrophes. I would never encourage anyone to judge the quality of their water on sight alone. But yes, we do develop a "feel" for the needs of the tank. Which reminds me... I feel I need to go feed my Xenias and all the other filter-feeders. LOL!

Hi,

Xenia is a tough coral...I had a beautiful crop, then my lights went bad and I didn't have the money to buy another. The regular lights weren't enough, and I watched as each week they got smaller and smaller until there was nothing left but a pool of goo. I left it on the rock and figured it would disappear on it's own. Well a few months later, I finally got the new light, and after running them for a month, I noticed something fuzzy looking the rocks, so I got out my magnifier....where the pool of goo had been, I see tiny little xenia. It grew into the most huge beautiful crop of it I ever seen. LOL...Because of that incident, I never remove a coral skeleton or the remains...I'm never sure if it's really dead, I have had 'dead" coral bounce a few times back to life..

 

[snakeblitz33]

every pulsing xenia I ever purchased... never pulsed. I noticed that my xenia always shriveled with alkalinity was a bit low. it was always a reminder coral for me... to change my water or to add some baking soda.

I never grew it as well as anthelia though.

 

[pegasus]

Wow, Flower... I didn't realize they were THAT tough! LOL! I had a similar incident with a chili coral. I put it in my display tank, and it lay on the substrate like a deflated red balloon for about four months. I moved it to my QT, blasted the dead skin off, and in two weeks time it was standing up. Two months later it was covered in polyps. It's true... you should never give up on a coral until it's completely gone.

I bought what was called a Blue Pulsing Xenia, but it never pulsed for me either, Snake. At least it looks cool swaying in the current...next to the Anthelia.

 

[flower]

Mine pulsed like little hands opening and closing...I wish I had pictures.

 

[pegasus]

I've never seen them pulse in person, but they look awesome in some of the videos I've watched. Someday...

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/347390/xenia-coral/20#post_3536006
I've never seen them pulse in person, but they look awesome in some of the videos I've watched. Someday...


I went to a LFS...I watched the coral before purchase, it pulsed so I bought it. I most times order on-line, but sometimes I get lucky at the fish store and find what I want. When you order on-line, you get whatever they send you.

 

[pegasus]

I live in a rural area, and the closest LFS is *****, which is a 60 mile round trip. They have a very limited saltwater selection. Every once in a while, I will find something there that catches my attention. The last time I was there I bought a red mushroom rock for $45. I knew there were quite a few on the rock, and when I got home, I counted the heads. There were 13. These typically sell for $10 each, so I did pretty good on that purchase. Unfortunately, it's too far to drive to ***** every weekend to see what's there. I typically buy online, and I prefer to buy WYSIWYG. When I can't, I usually put a note in the order requesting what I'm "hoping" to receive. It's a gamble, but I've had pretty good luck so far... except for a couple of emaciated Green Mandarin Dragonets. The first was only $9.95, and the second was a (free) replacement. I only buy from vendors that give good service, which means I buy from a select few. Saltwaterfish, R2G, and BZA are at the top of my list.

Oh, and one more thing... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/347390/xenia-coral/20#post_3536194
I live in a rural area, and the closest LFS is *****, which is a 60 mile round trip. They have a very limited saltwater selection. Every once in a while, I will find something there that catches my attention. The last time I was there I bought a red mushroom rock for $45. I knew there were quite a few on the rock, and when I got home, I counted the heads. There were 13. These typically sell for $10 each, so I did pretty good on that purchase. Unfortunately, it's too far to drive to ***** every weekend to see what's there. I typically buy online, and I prefer to buy WYSIWYG. When I can't, I usually put a note in the order requesting what I'm "hoping" to receive. It's a gamble, but I've had pretty good luck so far... except for a couple of emaciated Green Mandarin Dragonets. The first was only $9.95, and the second was a (free) replacement. I only buy from vendors that give good service, which means I buy from a select few. Saltwaterfish, R2G, and BZA are at the top of my list.

Oh, and one more thing... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


Happy new year to you too!!!

On-line type Diver's den...you get the very coral you are looking at.

saltwaterfish.com also has an eye it and buy it section.

 

[pegasus]

I've been on Divers Den mailing list for several months. I get an email telling their expected inventory, and an early list of received inventory. They're a little pricey, so I don't buy from them very often. Besides, most of the stuff that catches my eye is already sold by the time I check my email... *sigh*.

 

[tahoereefer]

I have a 24 gallon Nano Cube Deluxe and my Xenia were out of control--not that you can tell from this photo. When they stopped pulsing, I purchased some "Coral Accel"...brought them back to life.

My Clown loved them.


I haven't put them in my 125 gallon yet. Afraid I'll end up with too much of it.

 

[pegasus]

I have mine on a single rock that I keep on the substrate, isolated from the other rocks. Once they outgrow the rock, I'll harvest some to keep them in check. Problem solved... lol!

PS: Nice Clown and Mandarin.

 

[flower]

Helpful tip for xenia lovers:

Set the rock it's on at an angle on other rock or even the tank glass...it will climb upward towards the light and spread as it goes...I thinks it's a beautiful coral.

 

[Kristin1234]

Helpful tip for xenia lovers:

Set the rock it's on at an angle on other rock or even the tank glass...it will climb upward towards the light and spread as it goes...I thinks it's a beautiful coral.

Flower, I bought a rock that had2 xenia on it. I placed it towards the middle of the tank and it has shriveled a bit. Should I put it on the sand bed?

 

[pegasus]

Flower, I bought a rock that had2 xenia on it. I placed it towards the middle of the tank and it has shriveled a bit. Should I put it on the sand bed?

It depends on how strong the lighting is, as they don't require strong light. I would recommend you put it in the sand bed unless you want them to cover your rockwork completely up. It's easier to contain them than to try to remove them from rocks when they overrun your tank. It may have shriveled because it isn't acclimated to your tank. If it doesn't perk up after a few days, you may want to move it to a darker, calmer spot in the tank.

 

[pegasus]

When I bought my blue xenia a couple of years ago, it never pulsed. It grew into a large colony, until it mysteriously died. I have no idea why, because my water parameters were good, and nothing else seemed affected in any way. A small patch of tissue survived, and a new colony formed from that small patch. The new colony started pulsing as soon as the polyps got big enough to see. It's pulsed ever since (4 months). Hmmm...

Now I'm afraid that what wiped out my original colony is attacking it again. I noticed a couple of stalks are shriveled and dying. Dipping the xenia didn't save it the last time, so I may just have to ride it out again. I have another colony in my other tank that grew from a frag of the original, and it's doing good. I can always take a cutting from it to start a new colony in my 125 if it comes down to it. I hope not. Here are some pics of the cycle:

Original colony, and a pair of frags on each side. The frag on the left and the left side of the mother colony are dying.

Mother colony died, except for tiny patches of tissue left on the rock. From the tissue, three small patches of xenia started growing.

And the latest round of death beginning,

 

[Kristin1234]

It depends on how strong the lighting is, as they don't require strong light. I would recommend you put it in the sand bed unless you want them to cover your rockwork completely up. It's easier to contain them than to try to remove them from rocks when they overrun your tank. It may have shriveled because it isn't acclimated to your tank. If it doesn't perk up after a few days, you may want to move it to a darker, calmer spot in the tank.

Thanks Pegasus. I have a corallife t5. Blue and white bulbs. Idk the techy name for it lol. I'm gonna lower it to the sand bed when I get home. But it also has button polyps and some strange tiny blue bulbs covering the rock. You think it'll all be ok?

I'll take a pic when I get home, I'd like to id these little blue balls covering the rock