Xenia Coral

[pegasus]

They should all be okay on the sand bed. It's always best to start your new corals under low light, and gradually work them into brighter light if they need it. My xenia have always been on the bottom and they've always grown well and had great extension. Too much light and they will stay shriveled. Looking forward to the pic, and perhaps we can ID these mysterious blue balls...

 

[Kristin1234]

Looking forward to the pic, and perhaps we can ID these mysterious blue balls...



Lol. I laughed.

 

[pegasus]

Looking forward to the pic, and perhaps we can ID these mysterious blue balls...



Lol. I laughed.

I wondered if you would. Sorry... I couldn't resist!

 

[flower]

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?

Just noticed your post...sorry.

Turn the rock to it's side with the fleshy part a exposed a little more, the xenia will climb toward the light, even a tiny bit of flesh will start a new colony. Actually they really like bright light, and will climb toward it, I used to turn my rock so it would keep spreading. What position within the tank will depend on what type of lights you have, metal halides and strong LED mean the xenia can be lower, but for all other types of light such as PCs, or T5HO, mid tank is good, not the sand bed.

They don't REQUIRE fancy lighting, but they really like it. Old bulbs will cause them to die, but if there is any flesh left at all, as soon as the bulbs are replaced, they come back. They are a great beginners coral because they need a little nitrates to be happy (5 to 10)...so a really clean tank won't be able to sustain them.

 

[pegasus]

What position within the tank will depend on what type of lights you have, metal halides and strong LED mean the xenia can be lower, but for all other types of light such as PCs, or T5HO, mid tank is good, not the sand bed.

I have T5 lighting, and my xenia have been on the sand bed (23" from lamp) for two years. It all depends on the light intensity...

The blue xenia had died, except for three tiny patches of tissue. This young colony grew from the tissue. It's only 4 months old.

 

[pegasus]

It's pretty much completely gone now. After testing my water tonight, I'm (almost) certain it starved to death. My water is too clean for xenia. NO3 is .08 ppm, and PO4 is barely above 0 ppm... much closer to zero than .08 ppm. So far, nothing else has been affected. Fingers crossed...

 

[pegasus]

It's pretty much completely gone now. After testing my water tonight, I'm (almost) certain it starved to death. My water is too clean for xenia. NO3 is .08 ppm, and PO4 is barely above 0 ppm... much closer to zero than .08 ppm. So far, nothing else has been affected. Fingers crossed...

Okay, I'm now more confused than ever. The large colony in my 125 is completely dead... yet... the frag that I took from it several months ago and put in my 40B is healthy and growing like crazy. If these two tanks were completely isolated from each other, I could blame it on water parameters. However... both tanks share the same water. I'm now leaning towards a xenia eating parasite residing in my 125... or... these corals are like annual flowers that have a limited lifespan. ???

 

[reefkeeperZ]

xenia is one strange coral, the why does it live and why does it die has been kicked around forever and no satisfactory answers have ever been solidly conclusive. Anyone can throw guesses out there but unfortunately the honest truth is no one knows why in some cases xenia dies off and others they thrive. some people can't seem to kill it and others can't keep it alive.

 

[Kristin1234]

xenia is one strange coral, the why does it live and why does it die has been kicked around forever and no satisfactory answers have ever been solidly conclusive. Anyone can throw guesses out there but unfortunately the honest truth is no one knows why in some cases xenia dies off and others they thrive. some people can't seem to kill it and others can't keep it alive.

I'm the one who can't keep it alive. Lol

 

[pegasus]

It is a strange creature. I bought it about 2 years ago, and it did great up until the time it croaked... one stalk at a time. I thought perhaps it was because the water was getting too clean. Even that's not possible, as I have a small colony from a frag I took from it several months earlier growing in another tank. The tanks are "tied together", so water parameters are exactly the same. Strange, indeed...

 

[Kristin1234]

It's weird. They are shrinking. I did have some high alkalinity but now it is back down. They haven't got all slimey and droopy. Just tiny. Idk. What is a good starter coral? I need something in here. My mushrooms are doing good. I had some zoanthids which are doing awesome until the Fox face ate them all...

 

[flower]

It's weird. They are shrinking. I did have some high alkalinity but now it is back down. They haven't got all slimey and droopy. Just tiny. Idk. What is a good starter coral? I need something in here. My mushrooms are doing good. I had some zoanthids which are doing awesome until the Fox face ate them all...

Hi,

How old are your lights? Years ago my Xenia shrank to a pool of mushy goo because the bulbs were old...but as soon as the light bulbs were replaced, tiny little xenia popped up where the goo pool was. It grew into one of the most beautiful colonies I ever had. Also it will help to turn the rock with Xenia on it's side, angled upward, they like to climb toward the light.

 

[Kristin1234]

Hi,

How old are your lights? Years ago my Xenia shrank to a pool of mushy goo because the bulbs were old...but as soon as the light bulbs were replaced, tiny little xenia popped up where the goo pool was. It grew into one of the most beautiful colonies I ever had. Also it will help to turn the rock with Xenia on it's side, angled upward, they like to climb toward the light.

I have a Cora life t5 something or another with 2 bulbs. One is blue the other is white. Lights were bought in January!
Yes. Rock is angled as you suggested to me a few weeks ago. Still nada.

 

[pegasus]

What is the color rating on the bulbs you bought, and what brand are they? This info will be printed on the bulbs. If Coralife bulbs, most likely 10,000K and Actinic (420nm), but lets confirm this to be sure.