Xenia Dying

[Apple5150]

For some reason, I cannot keep Xenia alive!!! I can keep anything else, but not Xenia. I have PCs, and currently have 4 different leather corals, a hammer coral, torch coral, flower pot, daisy pot, numerous mushrooms, zoos, 2 seperate sun flower colonies, but cannot keep xenia!!! I thought water, but why would everything else in the tank be doing great and thriving if the water quality was off. Maybe I just killed too many weeds in my yard, and now they run from me!!

The only thing I can think of is cleaner crew or something. I have 3 peppermint shrimp (never see them) and a carribean cleaner shrimp. They do not go over where the xenia sits though. I have tried putting them in numerous spots in the tank, high, low, middle, no water movement, high, medium, but no luck.

Any ideas?

 

[tike]

Hey Apple5150 you are not the only one that has that problem! I have known dozens of others like you. I can't give you a straight answer on this. I grow xenia by the tons! But my buddy can't grow it at all! I also have that same problem with gsp . He can grow it and I can't. Mind you are water parameters are pretty much the same.

I do know that my xenia do better with cooler temps (76-79F) and will stop pulsing if I let the alk slip too low and I have them in high flow areas.

HTH
willie

 

[returnofsid]

Are you dosing Calcium or Iodine? There's been some research to suggest that Xenia don't appreciate either and the colonies will die off in the presence of calcium or iodine.

 

[Apple5150]

Yes Calcium is about the only thing we do dose in the tank. We just keep an eye on everything else. We have to because of the Daisy and Flower pot. Oh well, looks like its one or the other.

 

[shallowreef]

A few things i can suggest is that Xenia like cooler water 77*-79*, Also one of their main trace elements is iodine. With all the corals you have there may not be enough for the xenia to thrive. Another thing is lighting. I never could grow xenias under VHOs, but i don't know about PCs. I do know that they grow very well under Halides. They also like low to medium flow. As for the Alk being too low i really don't know about that one. That would be a new one to me but it may also be true. I too used to be able to grow xenia like crazy in my old 90 but now in my 210 i am having no such luck so that could be it.

 

[shallowreef]

Are you dosing Calcium or Iodine? There's been some research to suggest that Xenia don't appreciate either and the colonies will die off in the presence of calcium or iodine.

I always though that iodine was one of their main trace elements. Of coarse you can't OD the tank with iodine but it is good to add some just to see if they make a turn around.

 

[returnofsid]

I just resently read some research about the use of calcium with Xenia. Might try doing some research online about it. Maybe cutting back on the dose will help out the xenia without hurting the other corals.

 

[SaltyTemple]

Anyone want any Xenia? I have some if you want to pick up?

 

[twilliard]

You say you have PC's

How many watts and at what height? 10k's, actinics?

Also Do you have any specifics about your tank? like water #'s and equipment.

 

[Brenden]

Any dwarf angels in this tank? In my personal experience calcium and iodine do nothing to slow it. Trust me I have tried.

 

[roblou]

I have xenia under 4x95 VHO bulbs (2 actinic) in a 55g and they grow like weeds. I have read that they need iodine & use to dose a very minimal amount weekly (like 5 drops). I have since stopped dosing iodine as I've read it will build up in the tissue of things in your tank & eventually stuff will OD. I've been told (i.e. 2nd hand info) that xenia can be used to gauge iodine levels, with healthy xenia suddenly not doing so well being an indication of low iodine levels. hth, rob

 

[B Reese]

Xenia used to grow like a weed in my 20 gal under PC. I have 65 watt 10k and actinic. It thrived from mid level to high in low to moderate flow and I dosed iodine (~1.5 mL per week) and did weekly water changes.