Question about xenias (please help)

[mark_d]

Ive had some xenias since yesterday. I acclimated then and they seemed very much ok.. I had to relocate them twice which they did not seem to appreciate but their in a good spot...
They had been open and the little hand-things (name?) would open and close like the store guy said they would if it was healthy.
Then suddenly, everything closed, and it shrank..... is it ok for this to happen? im worried... i turned off the lights and then instpected it.. it seems alright... light are back on and it started openin up again.. is it normal for them to do this???

 

[lauras]

xenia is funny, I have Red Sea, Pink and Pom Pom. The red sea seems to do the best in my tanks, growing like crazy, my clark clown is hosting and trying to feed it which has me concerned.

But I digress.. back to your question. Sometimes it will not pulse as fast, arms curl up and then its fine. I did have one frag that was too close to some shrooms, it melted away but I left the rock and moved the shrooms further away, the little blob that was left has come back and is growing nicely. Bornman's coral book says they really don't know why it pulses fast or slow and sometimes not at all. But don't mess with it too much I have found that mine likes light but not a heavy flow and they don't seem to care for other corals being too close. With that said I have read that it does great for some people and dies out in others. I don't agree that they like dirty water as I have sometimes read.. my water prams are very good, super low to no nitrates. I also have only xenia that was aquacultured which I think factors in, at my LFS he has it growing on the glass and everywhere. Resonably priced so that is a plus, I have heard and read that it does not ship well. Good luck it will probably be fine.

 

[lauras]

Forgot to add, likes light about mid range of tank, mine don't do well if I set them too high and they don't seem to care for the bottom but each tank is different so just give it time, you know hurry up and wait

they are so cool when they take off. My red sea looks like a Bonsai tree, has 3 large trunks which my clown nestles into when the moon lights come on. It strinks up quite a bit as he rubs all over it but in the am it's fine again and pulsing like mad.

 

[mark_d]

Oh god... i discovered the problem... the ruberband holdin it was too tight.. and broke the very end of the stalk o__O... its now rubberbandless on a rock in a low flow area... how long do these take to stick? its in a not-so-good place in a rather undesirable position . . >__> :help:

 

[viper_930]

Xenia take 3-4 days to attach to a substrate.
Try not to mess with them or move them around too much as that would stress them out more, just leave them in one spot.

 

[emperor11]

Originally Posted by mark_D
They had been open and the little hand-things (name?) would open and close like the store guy said they would if it was healthy.
Polyps.

 

[lauras]

I have fraged some with good results by doing what my LFS does, take a very shallow tupperware dish, add some of your substrate to the bottom and lay the zenia near a small piece of rock inside the tub that you want it to attach to. I have had it grab on in as little as two days. you will want some flow over the top of the dish but not enough to blow it out. It has wroked for me rather than using a rubberband. Good luck and keep us posted. It can be hardy once it gets going, i cut it one time and a small piece fell off into the water it was just a "flower top" so I didn't bother to retrieve it, it is now pulsing two little hands in my substrate. :hilarious Mind you I don't have a lot of fish that disturb things, so that may make a difference.