Pulsing Xenia problems

rappa

rappa

Member
I cannot seem to keep Xenia alive for some unknown reason. This is the third time I have tried now. I have corrected every possible thing I can think of that could be wrong, making these things die. I just bought a super huge colony of them for 60 bucks, thinking that I could keep at least half of them alive. But they are doing what they always do, shrivel right up into nothing. The stalks eventually just wither away. So now I have a 60 dollar piece of live rock, just as always. I don't get it, everything else in my tank is thriving... I have a Hammer, Frog, Torch, Toadstool, Maxima Clam, Rose BTA, Sebae Anemone, Misc zoo's, Sun Coral, shrooms, Feather dusters, and some other stuff. All growing and looking great. Can anyone tell me why these things won't survive in my tank? I like they way they look and would loveto have a colony survive.
My parameters are:
Salininty: 1.025
PH: 8.4
Calcium: 420
Trate: 25
trite: 0
KH: 10
Ammonia: in between 0-.25
 
L

lockemup

Guest
Those are a tempermental type os softy. I have a friend who has wonderful luck with stoney corals, but can not keep a xenia to save his life. I am the opposite, I can keep Xenias and can not keep stoneys. I put mine in a lesser lit area of the tank and they move to where they want. I started with about 5 stalks on one rock and now I have about 8 on 3 different rocks. They pulsate very well when I shut the return off for maintenance and pulse a bit less when the water is flowing.
What is your lighting?
Where do you locate them in the tank relating to the lighting and water flow?
Are you adding supplements like Iodine, Coral Vite etc?
How do they look as they die off? Do they move from the rock prior to death or just stay put and look like they are melting away?

 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
I have noticed that my Xenia have been doing much better since I have begun to add Tropic Marin's (Lugol's) Iodine solution. I was having the same problem as you and my levels are nearly identical to yours.
 
sltwtr90

sltwtr90

New Member
I was on a great web site that has tons of info and oneof the things they say about it is that it is very temperature sensitive. Be sure to keep your temp below 79. At 80 it will start to shrivil up.
Here is the web site
www.garf.com
 
rappa

rappa

Member
Originally Posted by lockemup
What is your lighting?
Where do you locate them in the tank relating to the lighting and water flow?
Are you adding supplements like Iodine, Coral Vite etc?
How do they look as they die off? Do they move from the rock prior to death or just stay put and look like they are melting away?
I have 150 watt MH with dual 65 watt actinic PC's. I have them in the middle of my tank about half way up slightly under a ledge. They looked great on day 1, ok on day 2, bad on day 3, and today they are pretty much all dead. Over half of them released themselves from the rock as they were dying, and they other half just withered away.They are in a light flow area. The flow moves them but it's not like they are getting blown away. I do not dose Iodine or coralvite. Just my daily alkalinity/calcium supplement and Reef Solution Additive which actually has multiple trace elements in it including Iodine, Stontium, Magnesium, and Vitamin C.
Temp is at 80. I don't thnk a difference of 1 degree is going to make or break these critters. By the way, that website is garbage as there was nothing on there concerning any marine animals. And I did search. If I am wrong, please post the link of the article.
Thanks for the advice so far and if anyone knows how I can save they few stalks that are left, please let me know.
 
bronco300

bronco300

Active Member
well i dont think temp will be a factor, i keep mine at 81/82 and they pulse like crazy...ive always been told that for some unkown reason sometimes they just die off....have you have them out from under the ledge?? i know i have two small stalks that started as babies that were on the bottom of the tank under the other xenia that is above, and they have hardly grown a bit compared to those on top...so if they are gettin enough light for some reason, that could deal with it
Luke

 
rappa

rappa

Member
Yeah Luke, when they started looking crappy, I put them in the light and it didn't do anything, I just put them back under the ledge and maybe they will comeback. I dunno, this is the third time, and it seems to be the only thing I can't keep. Frustrating...
 
clown52

clown52

Member
Originally Posted by Bronco300
well i dont think temp will be a factor, i keep mine at 81/82 and they pulse like crazy...
ditto
 
colorteck

colorteck

Member
The first three times I tried they all where gone. I started looking at the rocks that they where on and they where growing back. I now have two different colonies on each end of the tank about 1/4 the way down in a 75 gallon and they are now doing great. my temp is about 81.
They are actually spreading onto the other rocks now. I had the problems when I had them at the top of the tank and now where they are they are doing great.
 
L

lockemup

Guest
Man, I am sorry to hear you are having such a hard time with them. Mine are located about dead center (Height) on the left end of the tank below the overflow. I did not acclimate them, I just put them in the tank and crossed my fingers. As I said before though, a good friend can not keep these in his tank to save his life, but he can keep SPS corals without a snag... On the other hand, I have had bad luck with the SPS but these are growing like weeds. Some of the meat that tore off of a stalk that moved sprouted babies on a rock. They seem to be as hearty as star polyps in my system. (at the moment at least)
 
rappa

rappa

Member
Originally Posted by KDFrosty
What's your alkalinity? They have problems if alkalinity is a little off.

Alk = 10KH
 
dragonboy

dragonboy

Active Member
Their tough at times but their pretty hardy. Its kind of hard to figure them out sometimes I had at least 2 or 3 colony's that died come back and died and come back again. Now so far I have a pretty good colony that seem to do be doing pretty well. I just depends if your lucky or not where they can adapt to your tank or not.
 
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