Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > Coral Forums > Soft Coral Keepers
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 03/13/2012, 08:46 AM   #1
splurge619
Registered Member
 
splurge619's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 27
Melting Xenia

I have a 29 gallon tank that is almost a year and a half old. My Xenia seems to be melting a lot. I have a chiller and my temp stays at a steady temp of 78.6. I know its not my temp so I can eliminate that. I do have a chocolate chip starfish and I know that it is not reef safe, however, it does not go near my corals. I only have two corals a Xenia and a Broccoli coral. My Broccoli coral is doing fine and has grown tremendously since the first day i bought it. I believe I have had the Xenia for almost 2 months. My guess that my water is too clean so it isn't that "dirty". I know for a fact that it isn't dead since it still retracts at night and i do have a small stalk growing on a piece of my live rock nest to the Xenia. I know my Nitrates are high but they are reducing slowly now. I have been lacking on water changes because I have been a little busy. I am doing 5 gallon changes every Sunday so hopefully that will help.

PH: 8.2
Salinity: 1.024
Temp: 78.6
Alk: 10
Ammonia: 0
NO3/PO4: .75/0
Nitrite: 0
Calcium: 400

I have:
2 Clown Fish
1 Royal Gramma
1 Chocolate Chip Starfish (Always chills on the front and sides of the glass)
1 Broccoli Coral
1 Xenia Coral


splurge619 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/13/2012, 09:01 AM   #2
kingfisher62
Registered Member
 
kingfisher62's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 4,972
Join The party!
I have never had long term luck with xenia. They do well for a while and then melt away. I would keep up with the water changes it might replenish that missing element that is causing the problem .
Good luck!


__________________
55g Tank - 216W T5's
Foxface, tomato clown, yellow tailed damsel, Starrie Blennie, LPS and softies
29G Biocube- 120W LED's
2 percular clown, Six line Wrasse , LPS and softies

Current Tank Info: 55 gl. Reef tank ,29g biocube Reef
kingfisher62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/13/2012, 09:30 AM   #3
splurge619
Registered Member
 
splurge619's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 27
Thanks, hopefully the water changes help, if not, I will try to stay away from any Xenia.


splurge619 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/13/2012, 09:48 AM   #4
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
 
CHSUB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Miami, Fl
Posts: 2,038
Quote:
Originally Posted by kingfisher62 View Post
Join The party!
I have never had long term luck with xenia. They do well for a while and then melt away. I would keep up with the water changes it might replenish that missing element that is causing the problem .
Good luck!
same deal; grows great for 6-8 months then it melts away? would like to here from someone who keeps it long term!!!!


__________________
Goniopora Police
_________________
building a 60"x36"x30" peninsula reef...follow at "NEW TANK BUILD" on reef discussion forum!
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2110638
CHSUB is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/13/2012, 10:00 AM   #5
kingfisher62
Registered Member
 
kingfisher62's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 4,972
Plenty of people complain that they over run their tanks!


__________________
55g Tank - 216W T5's
Foxface, tomato clown, yellow tailed damsel, Starrie Blennie, LPS and softies
29G Biocube- 120W LED's
2 percular clown, Six line Wrasse , LPS and softies

Current Tank Info: 55 gl. Reef tank ,29g biocube Reef
kingfisher62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/14/2012, 09:10 AM   #6
splurge619
Registered Member
 
splurge619's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 27
That is true they grow like weeds in some tanks and in others they just melt away. You basically have a 50/50 chance with Xenia.


splurge619 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/14/2012, 10:07 AM   #7
StangmanRob
Registered Member
 
StangmanRob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 7
They melt away in my tank too, but I have a bunch of other corals and livestock that are thriving. Oh well


StangmanRob is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/14/2012, 08:44 PM   #8
RogerJoys
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 33
I put one in my tank and it was in a lower light area (I have LED's and there is a small shadow between the 2 units) and it totally melted. I moved it 4 inches into better light and it popped back and is growing like a weed.

My LFS store also says they grow like weeds or wither. No in between.


RogerJoys is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/15/2012, 11:20 AM   #9
splurge619
Registered Member
 
splurge619's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 27
i went to look at my xenia that i have been trying to nurse back but it just completely melted away, i had a small stalk about less than inch growing on a different LR and it looked healthy and that dissapeared out of the blue.


splurge619 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/15/2012, 06:38 PM   #10
kingfisher62
Registered Member
 
kingfisher62's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 4,972
RIP xenia!

I guess that pretty much ends this thread.

Give it some time and maybe try again but I would not spend much on them.


__________________
55g Tank - 216W T5's
Foxface, tomato clown, yellow tailed damsel, Starrie Blennie, LPS and softies
29G Biocube- 120W LED's
2 percular clown, Six line Wrasse , LPS and softies

Current Tank Info: 55 gl. Reef tank ,29g biocube Reef
kingfisher62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2012, 10:50 AM   #11
SUPERSTOCKRACER
Registered Member
 
SUPERSTOCKRACER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 192
I have about 12 med. Pieces in my tank for over a year. Looking great but nothing spreading at all.


SUPERSTOCKRACER is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2012, 11:15 AM   #12
Franklin B.
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 65
Wont grow in my tank either.


Franklin B. is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2012, 01:13 PM   #13
SUPERSTOCKRACER
Registered Member
 
SUPERSTOCKRACER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 192
mines pulsing like crazy. moderate flow real good parameters mg. a little low 1100 other than that all my other corals look great.


SUPERSTOCKRACER is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/18/2012, 02:58 PM   #14
SushiGirl
Premium Member
 
SushiGirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Fort Worth, TX USA
Posts: 8,267
Ours did crappy lower in the tank. They go nuts at the top. A few pieces were our first coral in the tank in December 2010 (tank started in October 2010). They withered, lost all their little fingers, shrank up to almost nothing, then I moved them. Our nitrates usually run about 40 ppm.

March 2011


February 2012


Not sure what happened this January in our tank (that could be the month we changed bulbs), but we had a huge growth spurt of almost everything in the DT and the fuge, including the xenia (upper left in the following pics).

January 1, 2012


February 18, 2012



__________________
Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics.

Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank
SushiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/19/2012, 06:52 AM   #15
splurge619
Registered Member
 
splurge619's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 27
Very nice tank, apparently I looked on top of one my LRs and theres a small healthy stalk thats about less than an 1/2 inch growing in a small hole, so I think I am good now lol


splurge619 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/19/2012, 08:29 AM   #16
reefnut2012
Registered Member
 
reefnut2012's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Aberdeen,WA
Posts: 72
Be happy. I put some xenia in a tank I had a few yrs ago and it tried to overrun the tank.
Huge problem to get rid of. Very invasive. I will be starting a build soon and I will NOT be using xenia....


reefnut2012 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/19/2012, 02:19 PM   #17
Karlen84
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Whittier,CA
Posts: 194
Xenia's are wierd. Some people could never keep em and for some they grow like weed.. Ive always liked to have a couple stalks in the tank and for the second time already they have spread everywhere.


Karlen84 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/19/2012, 06:43 PM   #18
SushiGirl
Premium Member
 
SushiGirl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Fort Worth, TX USA
Posts: 8,267
Quote:
Originally Posted by reefnut2012 View Post
Be happy. I put some xenia in a tank I had a few yrs ago and it tried to overrun the tank.
Huge problem to get rid of. Very invasive. I will be starting a build soon and I will NOT be using xenia....
Some of us want it to be invasive. My 55 is a softy tank. The intention is to have a tank full of softies that sway in the current.


__________________
Visit my Homepage or "My Albums" (via Profile) for hitchhiker pics.

Current Tank Info: 55g softy/LPS tank & 20L reef tank
SushiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/19/2012, 08:07 PM   #19
smsreefer
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Trussville,Al
Posts: 329
Try taking your salinity to 1.025
1.024 tends to be a little low for xenia.
When they take off again,your nitrate will drop too.
9-10 on the alk ,so your alk looks fine.

p.s. I know you mention your CC star stays away from your corals,but I would not rule it out either.


smsreefer is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/20/2012, 02:03 AM   #20
Fryman
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Belmont, CA
Posts: 337
I have one of those tanks where Xenia grows like a weed. I have a rock where they are growing in between a big zoa colony and I can't get rid of them! Cutting them back only slows them down, they grow right back in a matter of days. You have to destroy ALL tissue to kill them, which is very hard to do on live rock cause of all the little holes and crevasses. I swear they will grow from any shred of tissue! I can't get too aggressive with the rock cause they're growing between zoa polyps. It's a real problem.

Xenia is a cool coral, but when they like your tank they certainly can go crazy. If I were to add Xenia again, I'd be sure to do more to contain them right off the bat. They spread by leaning over to touch another rock & splitting wherever they touch. So they generally grow up the rock & when they reach the top they don't know where to go. Don't leave a path to other rocks and you can contain them a bit. You still have to cut them back or they start to shed little stalks that float around until they find somewhere else (like right in the middle of your nicest zoa colony!).

Some aggressive coral can hold the line. My torch coral & pineapple tree coral keep them at bay, but they just grow right over the more peaceful stuff. They don't seem to sting, just smother. Definitely a love/hate thing for me atm.


My param tests from last w-e:

salinity: 1.025
pH: 8.4
temp: 79F
alk: 8.4
ca: 420
mag: 1330
nitrate: b.d.
phos: 0.02

I used to have a serious phosphate problem from recycled sand, and they LOVED it. They also love the light. They seem to grow in just about any flow. Good luck.



Last edited by Fryman; 03/20/2012 at 02:09 AM.
Fryman is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/23/2012, 09:03 AM   #21
SweTed
Registered Member
 
SweTed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Sweden (Timrå)
Posts: 27
Here is a video ive had the xenia for over 2 years and i think its looks alright let me know what you think below the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw5tH...1&feature=plcp


SweTed is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2012, 06:37 AM   #22
tuawcxs
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 91
I think its an Alk issue with Xenias. I had a tank with Alk levels of 9 -10 and the Xenias would burn over a couple weeks. I had a tank crash with the October power outages in the Northeast and had to start from scratch. My new redo of the tank has a stable Alk of 7 and the new Xenia frag I put in during January 2012 has let me split it 7 times so far and all are growing extremely well. Just my experience. If only I can get my SPS colonies to do as good


tuawcxs is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2012, 06:51 AM   #23
Gillundr
Registered Member
 
Gillundr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Clinton
Posts: 1,025
I have seen Xenia grow in all dkh ranges. I suppose some colonies do better at certain levels but as long as its stable and within range it should be fine. I have seen it stop pulsing at very low levels though. under 6. which in my opinion its too low for a mixed reef.
Xenia do need iodine in the water so you may want to get an iodine test kit and dose that or look into it and do some research on that.
I have had luck removing it off rocks using a torch! thats right. We took the rock it was on out of the tank and used a propane torch on that area of the rock and it never returned. the torch can be bought at any large store like home depot or walmart for less than 20 bucks.
Hope that helps a bit.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk


__________________
RG

120 display -40 sump - ATB 840 skimmer - 2x250 MH, 2x54 Actinics, Ice Cap LED moon - Vortecs and Koralias for flow. SPS dominant.

Current Tank Info: 120g tank 40g sump 2x250 watt MHs 2x54 watt actinics ATB 840 skimmer Vortecs and Koralias for flow
Gillundr is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/25/2012, 09:02 PM   #24
maukings
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 76
i too had xenia grow like crazy and all of a sudden started melting. Not sure what changed.


maukings is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/05/2012, 07:16 PM   #25
xCry0x
Registered Member
 
xCry0x's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Martinez, CA
Posts: 1,116
if you want to get rid of it just send me your rock

I bought a xenia frag 2 weeks ago, it is all shrivled up and melted now. Tried it in the back of the tank about half way up, didnt like it. Tried it on the sand in the middle of the tank, shrivled more, moved it up slightly, shrivled more.. now I have it in the front on the sand..

24x3w led on 25g tank about 4" off water, mp10.. run low nutrients with heavy skimming & gfo but feed a decent amount with a home made fish food blend.


__________________
Red Sea Max 250
xCry0x is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:29 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.