Shrinking Xenias

[sharkbaitx2]

I have a couple of varieties in the tank but they share a common problem. It may take a couple of weeks and some may not be so susceptible but they appear to be getting smaller in size. Water changes are done regularly and the ph is at .023-.024. Lugols is added once a week (3 drops per 75 gals) and they're spot fed once a week with pumps off. They have about 4 watts/gal and placed midway up in the tank (power compacts). Calcium is also added - approx. 10-15 cc's once a week although a calcium hasn't been checked in some time. I'll check the Ca level but any other suggestions???

 

[iamjosh]

.023-.024 - That's your salinty What's the PH at?

Are they in a higher flow area then they were before? What's your temp been running at?

 

[sharkbaitx2]

shrinking xenias

Josh,

Sorry for the delay. Water temp has ranged between 78-82.5 degrees. As for areas of flow they really chose their own. They started outgreat in the middle level of the tank but 1 or 2 chose to move upward. Another "Pom-Pom" was at mid level, stayed there, was great for months then slowly shrunk away. Ph is at 8.1, alk = 2.5. I need to do the Calcium level tonight. As both ph and alk are low any suggestions for raising them?

 

[iamjosh]

Sounds like everything is in order get the calcium up and alk up and see if that helps stabalize your tank... Good Luck!

-j

 

[Ed Hahn]

sharkbait,
What type of animals do you have in the tank with Xenia?

 

[sharkbaitx2]

shrinking xenias

Ed
The other crittersI have in the system are: a cleaner shrimp, two ocellaris, leopard wrasse, yellow tang, orange spotted goby, mandarin. A coral banded shrimp once existed there but when one of the xenias disappeared overnite he was banished to the fuge. The xenias (smaller) had also disappeared or appeared stressed in the morning but now peace seems to have been restored in the realm. -except for the x. that seem to very gradually shrink.

 

[The Claw]

Mine did the exact same thing, but it was a god send. The stuff was out of control. I was mowing it like the lawn. Yikes! That stuff can take over. I rated it right up there with Aiptasia.

 

[Mikeydog]

You need to check your Nitrates and phosphates.. Xenia like nitrates and actually help knock down nitrate levels, but if you have excesive nitrates the xenia can become overwhelmed. I think 25 or higher is bad (it's bad for the tank anyway)..

 

[Scooterman]

After almost two years, mine is making a come back, since I've replaced my bulbs & added MH. They seem to be growing back strong, not sure if there is any other reasons, not much else has changes otherwise.

 

[DonW]

Xenia need good iodine levels, but you need to check it with a test kit. You may be overshooting the iodine. Very easy to do. Not all Lugos is created equal.

Don

 

[cwcross]

I would suggest Kalk for raising Ca and Alk. If you alk is low, your Ca is likely low also. Changing pH is more problematical. pH largely depends on the buffer system in the salt you are using and maybe also what type of substrate you have. For this I would suggest watching it for a few water changes that are done more frequently and somewhat larger than usual and if it doesn't come up, consider changing the pH slowly.

 

[DonW]

Actually kalk will take care of all three. If ph does not come up with the kalk you may look at co2 saturation. The bottom line is dont put anything that you cant or dont test for in your tank. If you get your alk up your ph should go right up with it.

Don

 

[NaH2O]

cwcross - WELCOME TO REEF FRONTIERS!!! great to see you here! I look forward to learning from your chemistry expertise!

 

[cwcross]

DonW is correct, pH is normally dictated by alkalinity. However, I would not expect a pH of 8.1 with an Alk of 2.5. This could indicate a loss of buffering capacity of the water due to things other than carbonate/bi-carbonate etc, an over abundance of organic acids, or as DonW pointed out a problem with CO2 equilibration. This is why I suggested not to worry so much about the pH until some water changes. Water changes will help to increase any lost buffering capacity due to other buffers with pKa's in the range of 8.x and would also help to dilute any effects from organic acids that are building up. If, the alk is raised, a few water changes are performed, and the pH is still chronically low, then some other action may want to be considered. However, I would not try to add anything but Kalk in the short term.

Sincerely...Collin

 

[TonyMc]

Mine did the exact same thing, but it was a god send. The stuff was out of control. I was mowing it like the lawn. Yikes! That stuff can take over. I rated it right up there with Aiptasia.

I agree. Sharkbait? If the coral banded did eat some Xenia don't exile it to the fuge, send it my way. He would be one happy camper in my tank. :badgrin: