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windyridge
06/10/2011, 08:02 AM
What is wrong with my Xenia? It suddenly has these white areas at the base and where these white areas occur on the stem, you can see it flopping over. Help, this is my favorite coral in the tank.:worried2:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3412/5817755371_0208b78876.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/5817755371/)
DSC_0006 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/5817755371/) by onaridge2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/windyridge2007/), on Flickr

I should add that we just added a refugium a few days ago and replaced a fairly new HO 35W day light bulb with a Geismann Aqua Blue day light bulb (we have 2 days and 2 blue actinic)...other than that no changes.

thegrun
06/10/2011, 08:09 AM
Xenia tends to not do as well in high quality water. It could be that you've improved the water quality in your tank to a point where the xenia isn't happy .

windyridge
06/10/2011, 08:19 AM
The water quality can't be that good because I am almost daily brushing off long threadlike strands of green algae with bubbles at the top off of my live rock. This messes up the water because the junk on the rocks flows free around the tank. This is actually one of the many reasons we started the refugium. I hope you are wrong as it will only get worse then. :-(

thebkramer
06/10/2011, 08:31 AM
odd, weird, double post :lol2:

thebkramer
06/10/2011, 08:32 AM
what are your current water params??
What is the flow like for the xenias?
where in the tank.. compared to the lighting are they??

they may be just adjusting to the new lighting..
are the white spots bleaching areas or is it something that can be rubbed off?

windyridge
06/10/2011, 11:47 AM
Parameters: SG 1.026, Zero nitrite and ammonia, Ph = 8.2, Temp = 80, Alk/KH = 3.99/11.2, Ca = 430, Mg I couldn't read. The Ca/Mg test I have by Tropic Marine is terrible, it's very hard to discern an accurate color change as the sample is never exactly the same as the test tube. See photo below for position of Xenia. Water flow is medium, not violent but enough that you can see a light wave pulse every few seconds. Xenia is all the way on the left.

These parameters have been pretty constant since I added the organisms in the tank at the beginning of April.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2286/5818322165_f9972a06ca.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/5818322165/)
Tank no fish Just Corals and Anemones (http://www.flickr.com/photos/windyridge2007/5818322165/) by onaridge2000 (http://www.flickr.com/people/windyridge2007/), on Flickr

Dactylopterus
06/10/2011, 12:03 PM
How long have you had the Xenia?

windyridge
06/10/2011, 12:10 PM
We added it on 4/29 and it's been growing ever since...until today that is.

drywall_guy87
06/10/2011, 12:53 PM
wow sorry to hear about that hope it recovers

Dactylopterus
06/10/2011, 01:00 PM
Sorry to hear your Xenia is not doing well, that's one of my favorites too. I don't have a lot of experience with them, mine is doing well and likes high lighting. If it's open and pulsing, like thebkramer said it may be adjusting to the new light.

windyridge
06/10/2011, 03:09 PM
I also noticed that some of the "hands" look a little frayed. I only noticed that when the daylights came on. As far as lighting goes, the new bulb wasn't much of a change. It replaced a stock bulb that was barely a month old and is the same wattage.

MattAndKim
06/10/2011, 09:17 PM
This is not intended to be mean: let it die. Just my $.02. Xenia can get out of control and can be just as hard to eradicate as GHA. It looks cool now, but imagine that it fills your entire tank and you have to purge it weekly to keep it from smothering your corals and killing clams.

mike5051
06/10/2011, 09:21 PM
I've found my zenia to be more sensitive to lighting than anything else.

ColaAddict
06/10/2011, 09:30 PM
Try moving it down to the bottom, away from the bright new light, I would also keep it on the bottom like in an island rock by itself, so it can't spread to other rocks. I think it will look cool as an island.

streak
06/10/2011, 11:19 PM
if you alread have it attached to somthing you could put a piece of 2-3" pvc around it to slow the spreading on the bottom. My xenia died to to good of water quality I kept it in. Becuse i wanted to keep a nem. For a while i was doing great by dosing phyto in the tank every day when i was cultruing it.

Dan49
06/14/2011, 05:56 PM
Here's one for ya, I have had pulsing xenia for about a year it would grow but stopped pulsing under metal halides. I changed back to my stock jbj nano 4 bulb hood within a week they are pulsing again. the only other thing I can think of is I went from distilled water to ro/di water tds 003 .Any Ideas?

Andrew17030
06/14/2011, 09:07 PM
If you like the coral then keep it. If you tank is new it the algae should subside. Maybe look into bacterial dosing to help with the algae. Removing the algae from the cycle of nutrient breakdown will help to export the nutrients in the algae. I like xenia but they can spread fast in some systems. It was already said to keep them isolated from larger rocks where they can spread. This enables you to contain there growth. Lastly gets some fish and feed them well and xenia should do fine. O and changing too many things at once can cause an outbreak of symptoms that are hard to diagnose.

windyridge
06/14/2011, 10:16 PM
It seems to have recovered from whatever was ailing it. Maybe it was the new bulb? It is on it's own rock and is it's own island. As the water quality continues to improve with my new fuge I will keep a close eye on it. I do like this coral, love the motion. We just bought some fish. After Q they will be added.