Not sure whats eating my xenia. HELP!!!!!

sony922

sony922

New Member
Ok, I know a few of these fish are not reef safe, but I like them (well two of them). Something is eating my xenia and I am not sure which one it is. I dont want to take them out, if they are not the culprit. The potential suspects are, my Javanese/ Blue Velvet Damsel, Potters Dwarf Angel, Cowfish/horn boxfish, and Some white Damsel that I cant identify. It has a yellow strip across its top and blue with black fins. Thanks for reading this and any help.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by sony922 http:///forum/thread/379762/not-sure-whats-eating-my-xenia-help#post_3301940
Ok, I know a few of these fish are not reef safe, but I like them (well two of them). Something is eating my xenia and I am not sure which one it is. I dont want to take them out, if they are not the culprit. The potential suspects are, my Javanese/ Blue Velvet Damsel, Potters Dwarf Angel, Cowfish/horn boxfish, and Some white Damsel that I cant identify. It has a yellow strip across its top and blue with black fins. Thanks for reading this and any help.
Why have corals with fish that aren't reef safe?
 
That being said, I don't believe it to be your damsels or the cowfish/boxfish, so that leaves the Potters.
My guess would be the potters, regardless, they're frequent offenders of nipping at corals, ESPECIALLY softies like xenia. IMO, they're one of the worst choices of the all the dwarf angels for both the fact that they frequently eat corals and they're not very hardy. Almost all die in less than a year in captivity. Boxfish are a "with caution" fish only because they nip at tube worms and the like, they usually don't bother corals. Damsels don't eat coral.
 
On a side note, I would not house such aggressive fish such as damsels and dwarf angels with the boxfish. If it feel threatened or dies it will release toxins into the water that will kill your fish.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Take a pic of your unidentified damsel, we can probably identify it for you.
 
From what you describe (and it's late so I could be way off) here are my thoughts:
Sergeant Major Damsel
Marginate(d) Damsel
 
My guess is that it's a marginate damselfish
 
sony922

sony922

New Member
Thanks for the help. I am getting rid of the box fish today, and will update if problem betters or worsens.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
I agree that it's the Potters. What are the specifics of the tank and what are all the inhabitants? Just those listed or are there others?
 
sony922

sony922

New Member
It turned out to be the damsels. Both of them. The velvet is suppose to be reef safe! I was able to identify the second damsel, it is a bowtie. I have since caught the bowtie, but still working on the velvet. @Smartorl, I have four other tangs (tomini, Sohal, brown, and powder brown tang), the potters, and three goby firefish; oh ya, I just got a leopard wrasse a few days ago. My tank is a 100g, and am running 250 MH, with addtional 24w atinic T5 for more color. Everything else is pretty much a basic set up.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
I would keep my eyes open. I could be very wrong, maybe others have a different experience but in 20 years of reef keeping and I always have damsels in my tanks, I have never had an issue with a damsel eating coral. Many have very strong negative feelings about them, I happen to like their ballsy attitudes.
 
Not to say that if they weren't already dying or dead, they wouldn't scavenge because they probably would.
 
What are you seeing? Can you get pictures? When Xenia is dying, it can give the appearance of being nipped. Although it is considered to be an "easy" coral, people tend to either have it grow rampant or have it all die.
For years, I struggled with it. Everything else in the tank would be thriving and growing and I would put Xenia in my tank and it would croak.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/379762/not-sure-whats-eating-my-xenia-help#post_3303717
I would keep my eyes open. I could be very wrong, maybe others have a different experience but in 20 years of reef keeping and I always have damsels in my tanks, I have never had an issue with a damsel eating coral. Many have very strong negative feelings about them, I happen to like their ballsy attitudes.
 
Not to say that if they weren't already dying or dead, they wouldn't scavenge because they probably would.
 
What are you seeing? Can you get pictures? When Xenia is dying, it can give the appearance of being nipped. Although it is considered to be an "easy" coral, people tend to either have it grow rampant or have it all die.
For years, I struggled with it. Everything else in the tank would be thriving and growing and I would put Xenia in my tank and it would croak.

 
 
I actually had a Hippo tang eat my Xenia. Some "reef safe" fish go weird and do crazy things. The LFS guy didn't believe me, he thought that maybe it just was nipping some algae growing on it. When I went in after trading up...he said I was right, it ate other corals too. I knew I was because I caught him in the act.
 
Also a clean tank free of Nitrates is no home for xenia coral, they love nitrates. It's an easy coral for beginners because they usually have bad water conditions.
 
 
sony922

sony922

New Member
I seen the damsel actually take bites out of the xenia. So ya its just one of those weird cases. The xenia, is doing well, I will just see nubs where the hands use to be. Its growing fast enough were the damsel has not ate it all. Another weird note, I also have fiji pom pom xenia, and the damsel has yet to touch it. I have had trouble with xenia before, but this is out of a local farmer from a club I belong to. http://www.scmas.org/ (the club), and this is his website, http://garretts-acropolis.com/ . so being that they are far from the original mother colony, they are very much use to good water conditions. . Check out Steve's website, and you are local come to the meetings, and support Steve. He will def treat you well, and give you more then your moneys worth.
 
anitaw4

anitaw4

New Member
Wow too wierd. I am having the same trouble. I keep buying zinnia and either it wont open or now today i noticed something bit the ends off. I have two convict damsels and one very aggressive percula clown who always bites my hand when i stick it in the tank. I have a decorator crab also but he only comes out at night and who ever bit the ends off did it today. There are so many conflicting stories about what and who is reef safe. The one reply to your question seemed a bit rude cuz like me, different people and places give you different answers to what is compatible so much of it is trial and error. I will let you know if I ever do figure this out. It is a toss up between clown and damsels.
 
anitaw4

anitaw4

New Member
Hey, very strange I am having the exact same trouble with my zinnia (sp)? In my tank it can only be my percula clown or my two convict damsels. Just had to let you know that you are not the only one, very frustrating and very expensive. People and places give you opposite answers often so it really is trial and error..
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by anitaw4 http:///forum/thread/379762/not-sure-whats-eating-my-xenia-help#post_3320559
Wow too wierd. I am having the same trouble. I keep buying zinnia and either it wont open or now today i noticed something bit the ends off. I have two convict damsels and one very aggressive percula clown who always bites my hand when i stick it in the tank. I have a decorator crab also but he only comes out at night and who ever bit the ends off did it today. There are so many conflicting stories about what and who is reef safe. The one reply to your question seemed a bit rude cuz like me, different people and places give you different answers to what is compatible so much of it is trial and error. I will let you know if I ever do figure this out. It is a toss up between clown and damsels.

I had te same problem and it turned out to be a bobbit worm. The tank was a little over a year old, so the worm just haden't gotten big enough to do damage until then, so it had been in my live rock all that time.. I got moonlights and watched to see what was eating my Xenia, it was always at night and next morning they were chewed on. Thats when I spotted it.
 
anitaw4

anitaw4

New Member
Hmmmmm, what the heck is a bobbit worm? I have had a salt water tank for many years but just this year, I started trying corals. I did have other worms, i think bristle worms, I got a rash all over my hand because of them. Hopefully they are now gone, since I did purchase whatever to eat them. I could use help though, Ive been reading alot but still having a few issues? I bought a fanned hood with two 10K lights, two lights on each, I think that means I have 20ks of lighting???? Is that right?? And Is that enough for corals, anemones, etc???? I would sure appreciate anyones help as long as no one thinks since Im an amature that I am not worthy cuz if they think back they were too at one point in time. Thanks
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

A Bobbitt worm is a coral eater and hitchhiking on a rock with coral would be the way to land up with one. They grow very long and unnoticed. Watching under a moonlight is about the only way to see whats eating the corals at night. It would usually look grey color and favor a centipede.
 
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