Why can't I keep Xenia?

[Sea Serpent]

I hear everyone lamenting about their xenia running amok . .. and I can't seem to keep it alive for more than a few weeks at a time. I thought it was because I had trouble keeping my Alk steady . . . but I installed a calcium reactor a few months ago which has kept things VERY steady and my latest colony of xenia crashed - AGAIN. Water parameters are great, but I don't dose iodine because I was told that "if you can't test for it, then don't add it!" All other corals are flourishing!

Anyone else have trouble keeping xenia?

 

[Anonymous]

Xenia is very interesting stuff, I am in one of those "Runs amok" groups and I hate my xenia. I really think a lot has to do with dissolved nutrients in the water. I've never dosed iodine, so forget that one, I've kept it in a variety of lighting conditions so we'll throw that out. Nutrients are the only thing I can think of that my tanks probably have (skimmer doesnt pull much out and doesnt work 1/2 the time, never do water changes). It's funny, some people cant keep xenia a live and others cant kill it.

 

[BeanySParky]

I am assuming you also have very strong lighting, and the water temperature is a bit on the cooler side(under 80 degrees)?? Xenias needing high alkalinity is a myth in my book. I keep my alk and calcium at 7-8dKH and 450ppm respectively, but xenia do best in cooler waters and intense lighting. Xenia do not respond well to temperature spikes either. As for dosing iodine, I wouldnt bother with that either. Its too easy to overdose. I also find that heavy fish loads and high organics in the water help nourish them too. If your skimmer pulls out alot of waste daily, then you know you have high organics.

 

[Sea Serpent]

hmmmm . . . . Tank temp runs from 79-82 during the day . . could that be it? My lighting is adequate (2 250MH plus 2 110 VHO actinics over 72 bowfrnt). As for nutrients, I think there are enough - I dose DTs and I have kept a gonipora for 18 months!!!! Skimmer is good, but I turn it off overnight when I feed DTs (Aqua C EV90). I do 20% monthly water changes.
Maybe the temp . . . .

 

[BeanySParky]

The temp may be the prob, but I am not sure if 82 is high enough to stunt its growth. I just know that temps that other corals do fine in the xenia will melt down in. They are normally the first to go if you have a temp spike.

 

[sos1]

hmmmm . . . . Tank temp runs from 79-82 during the day . . could that be it? My lighting is adequate (2 250MH plus 2 110 VHO actinics over 72 bowfrnt). As for nutrients, I think there are enough - I dose DTs and I have kept a gonipora for 18 months!!!! Skimmer is good, but I turn it off overnight when I feed DTs (Aqua C EV90). I do 20% monthly water changes.
Maybe the temp . . . .

My tank also fluctuates between 79-82 and my lighting is similar to yours but my xenia grows like weeds. I've seen that xenia can be really strange in that it seems to do well in some tanks but not others. I've fragged xenia before and seen it shrivel up in other's tanks for no apparent reason even though their setup and parameters are very similar to mine.

 

[MarkO1]

It could be the species...
Only one of the 4 types I have isn't growing like mad.
Sea Serpent, I live in Lowell. If you are willing to make the trip, I will give you as much as you want.
I TRY to KILL the stuff... but it STILL keeps coming back!!! Urrrrr!
Of course I'd prefer to trade a frag...
See it here:
http://home.attbi.com/~ohary/wsb/html/v ... 17038.html
_________________
Mercedes CLK Class

 

[Sea Serpent]

Hey MarkO - I'll take you up on your offer. I live in Bedford - only a stone's throw from Lowell. I have a beautiful acro that I could frag, only I am not sure how to do it . .. I have a nice rock and some superglue gel - but I am not sure how to cut the acro so that it, and the rest of the colony, will be OK. That is why I was hoping to go to Greg's for his Prop meeting at his house. If you can show me how, I'll trade ya . . .

Thanks,
Sea Serpent

 

[MarkO1]

Yeah, I was hoping to swing by Gregs too. But I haven't heard whether it was next Thursday night or not.
I've got a game until 8:00, so I'm not sure if I can make it if it is Thursday.
As for fraging, I have limited experience too.
With this Xenia I have, I couldn't kill it if I tried. I'm looking to add an urchin to munch on it.
Let me know what you want to do.
I've got a pretty busy weekend, but some night next week if you want.
_________________
Honda GL500

 

[Anonymous]

My temp is normally 82*f and in the summer the normal is more like 83*-84*f. My xenia grows like crazy. I frag it and trade with my LFS. I also dose iodine and the xenia seem to love the additions.

 

[Anonymous]

I've given up trying to frag it for LFS, they dont want it. Yeah my temp can get up to 84 in the summer and get down to as low as 74 in the winter nights, no effect. Very mysterious.

 

[danmhippo]

I placed a colony of xenia into my tank 6 months ago, and now the colony is still there, but never spread. I am suspecting dissolved nutrient as my NO3 is undetectable thanks to tankfull of caulerpa.

 

[kcinminni]

I added a colony of Xenia about a month ago. It was doing okay, but not great. A couple of days ago I lowered my temp to about 77 (had been running79-81). Now the Xenia is looking good. I dose Iodine, too, so who knows WHAT makes them happy!?!

 

[liquid]

Sea Serpent,

What other corals do you have in your tank? Maybe it's a coral competition problem? I'm one of those that can't keep it for the life of me. My Xenia is stunted and I can't keep Anthelia either.

Shane

 

[BCReefer]

I had a colony of Xenia that has been in my tank since November. It has grwon from a frag to a little forest. It survived the attack of the moving carpet anemone, which caused the Xenia to frag into 4 – 6 sprouts. It really looked good and the clowns loved it.

2 nights ago I did my twice a week kalk drip. I didn’t look at my tank in the morning but I received a call from the wife telling me something was wrong with the Xenia. When I got home they all died. I starting checking the water and saw that my pH was almost 9 or a little over so I did a 20% water change.

I will check again tonight but I can’t seem to understand what happened. All the other corals and fish are doing OK. I feel really bad. Not sure if maybe I put to much kalk or what???

I have to pull the rocks out tonight and clean them up. Not looking forward to it.

So in conclusion I had my Xenia grow from 1 small frag to a nice bushel, and it all collapsed in 1 night. I will test everything again tonight.

 

[Bobzarry]

Sorry about your loss BCReefer
I believe its a nutrient thing when it comes to xenia and anthelia. I have not done a water change in over a year, and I dont skim very heavily.
I use my xenia, anthelia, and finger leather as nutrient exports. I give it away and or throw it away and the stuff grows like mad, been like that for the past 3 years or so. I dont add anything except kalk, and feed mostly flake. For top off I use DI water and I keep my tank at 79-81 under 2 175w 10k MH with no other lights on a 55. I have very good growth on all my corals but those 3 are like weeds.


Bob

 

[Sea Serpent]

Thanks for all of the replies - Yes, this is a mystery. Because of the calcium reactor, my PH is pretty constant from 8.0 - 8.2 (after lights on for 5 hours).
Other corals are: 3 different kinds of Sarcophyton, a beautiful fox, a potent Torch Coral (Euphyllia), many polys of varying colors, 2 tubastria (Which I feed often - adding nutrients to the water), a Blastomussa Coral, 3 different Acropora, 3 different gorgonians, 2 tree sponges (orange and red), and a bunch of srooms.
All in all, a nicely balanced mixture. EXCEPT for Xenia! and I can't seem to keep much macro algea either. I have to say that I don't have ANY algea - no valonia, no hair, no neusance algeas at all. I did have some anthelia which did well, but when I fragged it to give away, the remaining colony crashed.
One of life's little mysteries.
Thanks again,
Sea Serpent

 

[Anemone]

I'd be interested in what people's phosphate levels were. I've seen posts of people who had xenia growing fine but suddenly crash after phosphate was reduced (both through of a phosphate sponge or RO/DI water).

Kevin

 

[trigger0214]

I keep my Xenia a cool constant 75-76 degrees F, and they are doing fine. I am at a higher altitude, so I am mainly concerned with keeping dissolved oxygen levels up, since I am runinng a salinity 0f 1.025, to keep the the Xenia pulsing. I agree with the dissolved nutrients, since I have a fully stocked tank (I mean triggers, angles, harlequins tusk, etc...), and not too much luck with other corals (only tried two others guys, and not any more of that in show tank (Xenia where tank cultered and very small when I got them (besides I'm seting up a smaller additonal reef (God, you' d think the coral police are where after me :evil: )))).

Although, I have managed to keep nitrates around 10 ppm or less, pH a constant 8.3, Ca with Kalwasser 350-400 ppm, alkalinity <3.2 mEq.

 

[fishfarmer]

I believe its a nutrient thing when it comes to xenia and anthelia

My 38 gal was a xenia/anthelia farm. I think nutrients were a big part of the success of my xenia. I also had a good growth of macroalgae in the sump and main tank as well. I used MH/PC combo that put my tank over 6 watt per gal. Calcium was all over the place but mostly around 400 ppm. Alk was usually over 3 meq/L, but when it dropped to 1.6 for a few months, the xenia DIDN'T care. pH was over 8.2 usually. Temp ranged from upper 70's to low 80's. I used RO/DI water mostly and very rarely got a phosphate reading over .05ppm.