Xenia not looking so good?

[Passinetti2007]

My xenia look like crap, but everything else looks great, what's wrong? Water chemistry is fine but I did a 50% water change anyways. Still no positive change. Here's a pic

 

[Passinetti2007]

this is what it looked like before obviously a big difference. What could it be?

 

[Damsel13]

I have no idea if this will help but I have had a similar problem. After about a week with frequent water changes my pom pom xenia grew from one stalk into four. It still doesn't look as good as the one stalk did but it seems to be growing!? Maybe yours is just growing?

 

[Passinetti2007]

The polyps look like there have been caught on fire or something like when you burn your hair on your arm while BBQing. Sorry that is the best I can do for a visual. If you havn't burnt your arm hair while BBQing, don't try it because it sucks. But seriously it looks weird. And I have like 5 different stalks and they are all shrivelled like that one in the picture. But every other coral I got looks fine and my fish are fine too??????

 

[Damsel13]

Hmmmmmm....ask Boomer? He mentioned something to me about them being irritated . I know nothing, I am a newbie at this.

 

[Minus The Ich]

Mine retracts like that from time to time but is always out later that day or the next day. I think my problem is a fish irratating it every so often. Do you have anything bothering it?

Dennis

 

[Passinetti2007]

Nobodys bothering it and its gotten worse since last night. I think it's all dead. I checked on it about 3 a.m. and it was covered with some pods, eating it possibly??? Should I try and remove it?

 

[twilliard]

Water too clean

Yes it is true, you can have too clean of water.
Try to avoid changing so much water at one time.

Xenia loves "dirty" water and a lot of light.

 

[Fishead77]

The first one I had melted over a weeks time, to nothing. I heard they are sensitive to alkalinity. I noticed that when my alk levels went down the xenia would close up, below 8.0 dkh.

 

[twilliard]

zenia will close up under a number of things. One is water #'s. They tend to close up easily under PH changes.
They do adjust well to Alk changes, but will close for a little while.

 

[Passinetti2007]

I'm pretty sure the change happened before the water change. Does garlic have effect on xenia, that is the only thing I added to the tank that it may not be used to.

 

[Passinetti2007]

theres a huge difference between what is going on with them now and them just closing up. They are litterally wilting away. It seriously looks like they were set on fire. They are crusty and wilted and the stalks look like they have been deflated. I'm having my doubts that they will return.

 

[twilliard]

I was just stating that a 50% water change did not help them. Just made the water more sterile.
Water quality is the one main thing I have found that will kill it off.
Garlic? Hmm never have used it before.

Yes they are dieing.
But any little peice WILL grow if the water is right.

 

[Fishead77]

Bummer man! How long has your tank been established?

 

[Passinetti2007]

few months had xenia since i've been able to have inhabitants and it's never done this before.

I didn't take offense to the water change advice I just know that couldn't have been the cause but yes if they are that sensitive to clean water then I really screwed up by changing that much water. OOPs , oh well though I'm learning a lot from this.

If they are indeed dead, would I need to remove them and if not wouldn't they cause the amonia levels to rise?

 

[Passinetti2007]

What do you guys think if it were possible that coral eating starfish did this?

 

[twilliard]

None to nill

I have never seen anything eat my zenia.
I have never been able to compleately rid of it.
Even with DIRECT light
This is a shot of some of mine at about 10" under MH

My tank id fed heavily daily.

What is your nitrate and PO4 readings?