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Austrarhyncus
03/11/2018, 08:31 AM
I just got my first coral, a Xenia frag, a week ago and I'm not sure if it's happy. It's usually waving a bit and each "tentacle" moves a tiny bit, but doesn't do the signature Xenia pulsing. Right now it's completely closed up and retracted, and although it's nighttime here, the lights are always on. I don't dose and I use NSW.

The tank itself is 1 gallon and run on an air stone. The light is an 8LED clip light, which probably isn't the best for corals, I'm looking for the Aqua One Marine Blue lightbulb to replace it.

Are these ideal conditions?
FoxFace Fish
03/11/2018, 11:17 AM
What else isn’t in the tank other than a Xenia... what are the parameters/ test levels also don’t leave the lights on 24/7 aim for only 8-12 hours I sit at 11 hours and my Xenia is living the dream
Tripod1404
03/11/2018, 11:36 AM
24h of light will kill corals.


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Austrarhyncus
03/11/2018, 04:27 PM
It's not super intense but sure, I'll reduce the lights to around 1 hours.

I haven't tested the water, I just assume the water has the right parameters, as precarious as that sounds, it's NSW, it's probably got everything in the right amounts.

There's no other corals in the tank.
RobZilla04
03/12/2018, 05:27 AM
One gallon w/ an air stone. I don't see it surviving very long.
Austrarhyncus
03/12/2018, 06:29 AM
Setups like mine have been known to be very successful and far more simplistic than a traditional larger setup, for example brandon429's vase reef has lasted over a decade.
RobZilla04
03/12/2018, 07:21 AM
It's not super intense but sure, I'll reduce the lights to around 1 hours.

I haven't tested the water, I just assume the water has the right parameters, as precarious as that sounds, it's NSW, it's probably got everything in the right amounts.

There's no other corals in the tank.

Won't last ten years if you're going to assume water parameters.

Best of luck.
Austrarhyncus
03/12/2018, 07:30 AM
Touche, might be worth getting a test kit.
theshaman
03/12/2018, 09:02 PM
Your tank is too small. I know there are nano tanks that can keep some corals alive but a one gallon is just way too small to be called a tank. It will be more work than what little enjoyment you’ll get out of it.


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Bent
03/12/2018, 09:20 PM
I’m not reading the OP.
I’m not reading any reply’s.

I’m going to go ahead and confidently say yes.

Then I’ll read everything.

Here goes.
Austrarhyncus
03/13/2018, 01:57 AM
I thought it was easy to keep a small tank? Just needed large frequent WCs and testing?
elecbzerk
03/13/2018, 02:08 AM
Xenia is very hardy in my experience, only thing Ive seen harm it is low salinity..xenia loves high nitrates or phosphates. I agree of course with previously stated advice, you need to check water levels. Even a nano tank with a very basic set up needs to have water parameters in check.
hersheyb
03/13/2018, 02:17 AM
give us more info and paramaters of ur tank.
Austrarhyncus
03/13/2018, 02:48 AM
The "tank" is a one gallon jar, run on an air stone, with a shallow bed of sand varying from one to two inches deep. It's been set up for a few months now, though I accidentally killed my live rock a month ago (see past thread), so I've gotten new live rock, both to repopulate the dead live rock and to replace the biological filtration. The previously dead live rock now has quite a bit of coralline, so the new live rock must've done its job.

The only inhabitants are a pair of small, locally caught crayfish that surprisingly do not fight and live happily with each other.

I perform weekly 100% WCs.

As I have implied previously, I do not currently have a test kit, though I will be sure to get one soon. I do know that the temperature is, or should be, around 25 (or 77 Fahrenheit), because the heater I use has 25 as the preset temperature, but my thermometer is broken so I can't confirm.

SG is around 1.025.

The light is an 8LED clip light, though I intend to replace it with a more suitable light.

The Xenia itself was purchased over Gumtree a week ago. It does not pulse yet, its tentacles move a bit and they do wave a bit, but not a lot. Sometimes it shrivels up completely but it eventually opens back up.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/140876409@N05/25912180567/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4463"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4779/25912180567_0d53d40016_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="IMG_4463"></a>
The Xenia right now, it isn't moving at the moment, it should reopen and start waving again.

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/140876409@N05/25912190727/in/dateposted-public/" title="IMG_4464"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4798/25912190727_45a0dec069_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="IMG_4464"></a>
man I could really do with a better light