New Pulsing Xenia!

protossdisaster · 09/17/2015, 11:16 AM

Bought these labeled as leather polyps they were mis labeled at my LFS and the staff member didnt know. Any tips for taking care of them?
Tanks a 46 bow front
aquamana 160w dimmable LED
coralife 65 protein skimmer
hob penguin with poly and a couple black stars for organic filtration
30 lbs of live rock
2 clowns
1 arrow crab
3 snails,
10 hermits
1 anemone

cloak · 09/17/2015, 11:18 AM

Check this out.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

HTH.

Webmanny · 09/17/2015, 12:49 PM

I'll summarize it for you and save you some pain in the future.

Place them on their own rock in the sand bed.
Keep them away from other rocks (They jump or extend and travel).
They like dirty water(Think of them as filters for Nitrates and Phosphates).
They are almost impossible to kill. (You will find out soon) :-)
If they look sad and shrivel down a bit, your tank is clean (I use them as an early warning system)
If they have too much flow, they will not pulsate. (They pulsate to generate a void around them and bring in nutrients) Direct flow eliminates that need.

theMatrix · 09/17/2015, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Webmanny

I'll summarize it for you and save you some pain in the future.

Place them on their own rock in the sand bed.
Keep them away from other rocks (They jump or extend and travel).
They like dirty water(Think of them as filters for Nitrates and Phosphates).
They are almost impossible to kill. (You will find out soon) :-)
If they look sad and shrivel down a bit, your tank is clean (I use them as an early warning system)
If they have too much flow, they will not pulsate. (They pulsate to generate a void around them and bring in nutrients) Direct flow eliminates that need.

Get this man a beer

cloak · 09/17/2015, 02:30 PM

I'm not exactly sure I agree with the "they like dirty water" statement. This might hold true in some cases, but I've seen plenty of tanks where the Xenia was thriving up top right next to the acroporas. Also, if they appear to shrivel up so to say, check your alkalinity and make sure it's not bouncing around. A lot of people consider them to be a very easy coral to keep, but IME they can be kind of tricky sometimes. Definitely isolate them though. If conditions are favorable they can spread like wildfire. GL.

protossdisaster · 09/17/2015, 05:55 PM

Ive been moving them around a little bit, some of the smaller ones are wilting and a couple heads fell off a small shoot of them.
Im running the LED's about 25% power, should i increase or keep the same?
I have a 2-3 time a day feeding regimen with my clowns. So the water isnt clean but i try to skim wet hold a steady salinity, and regular water changes. On top of cleaning the HOB polisher ever day or so.

Milez803 · 09/17/2015, 09:51 PM

Xenia are not light intensive coral, but they do love dirty water like zoas. Maybe your light is too strong and burning the coral. Whenever buying new corals, you should start them on the sandbed. Move them up every 4 or 5 days to the desired high. Good luck

protossdisaster · 09/19/2015, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milez803

Xenia are not light intensive coral, but they do love dirty water like zoas. Maybe your light is too strong and burning the coral. Whenever buying new corals, you should start them on the sandbed. Move them up every 4 or 5 days to the desired high. Good luck

I have a very thin bed of crushed coral. The xenia was on its own frag so i put it on the bottum and it stopped wilting and reveresed. ill post a pic later.

Webmanny · 09/21/2015, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by protossdisaster

I have a very thin bed of crushed coral. The xenia was on its own frag so i put it on the bottum and it stopped wilting and reveresed. ill post a pic later.

Good to hear they came back. Please, please, please... keep an eye on them and away from other things. I'd hate to read a post from you a few months from now asking how to get rid of them and how they have spread over all your tank and are killing other corals.

Trust me... It will happen if you don't keep an eye on them. I love these corals, but you have to keep them in check.

protossdisaster · 09/22/2015, 12:22 PM

They are doing alright not much pulsing but i have pretty decent current.
They open with the light and close at night.
I moved to a couple pieces of rubble live rock away from the big LR,
so if it spreads i have seperate pieces.

First picture wasnt doing so well, 2nd i moved directly under the LEDS and away from LR as my arrow crab likes to hove above it and knock it over.

2nd pic i moved it away

protossdisaster · 09/22/2015, 01:10 PM

This was taken a few minutes ago

protossdisaster · 09/22/2015, 07:31 PM

Whole tank video

protossdisaster · 09/24/2015, 02:00 PM

New heads?
I lowered the current and moved again.
Starting to pulse again

protossdisaster · 09/28/2015, 07:37 PM

protossdisaster · 10/06/2015, 06:28 AM

Xenia's Doing alot better!
Had to secure the piece from falling and remove both power heads.
I only have a hob penguin and a coral life 65g.
My Aquamana burnt out on the 70 watts of white i think the driver went.
So i only have 70 watts of blue and 20 watts of white diy LEDS i built my self and mounted on some old cpu heat sinks with out fans.

Webmanny · 10/06/2015, 11:58 AM

hold on buddy. You may want to put those power heads back into the tank. You need that flow for other corals and to reduce algae formation due to detritus. I get that you like Xenias, but there are other corals that need the flow and light.

Don't worry too much about this coral. It is pretty hard to kill it.

protossdisaster · 10/07/2015, 12:04 PM

I still have flow in the tank, i just lowered it a bit.
I dont have too many other corals, a LTA anemone, and a purple mushroom,
One big reason i had alot of flow was i didnt have a actual vacuum and was using hoses and siphoning.
The mushrooms have split, and the xenia seems happy, the anemone has been good, same with the fish.
Levels are all at 0,
Salinity 1.024
Temp 78 degrees
wet skimming
and a poly filter in the penguin HOB and some black bio stars that i clean often.

Dkuhlmann · 10/07/2015, 12:23 PM

Bump up your sg to 1.026, corals like it and fish adjust to it. That is the sg of natural sea water.

protossdisaster · 10/07/2015, 01:08 PM

k will do ty.

Webmanny · 10/08/2015, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by protossdisaster

I still have flow in the tank, i just lowered it a bit.
I dont have too many other corals, a LTA anemone, and a purple mushroom,
One big reason i had alot of flow was i didnt have a actual vacuum and was using hoses and siphoning.
The mushrooms have split, and the xenia seems happy, the anemone has been good, same with the fish.
Levels are all at 0,
Salinity 1.024
Temp 78 degrees
wet skimming
and a poly filter in the penguin HOB and some black bio stars that i clean often.

Cool. Glad to hear. Sorry, but I though I read that you removed some of the power heads and I freaked out a bit. Good luck with everything and like the other post said, bring salinity up a bit and you will be fine.

protossdisaster · 10/09/2015, 03:53 PM

Naaah i know very well about dead spots and everything, this is just my first real experiances with coral although ive done quite a bunch of research i like hearing peoples personal experiences and tips.

I kept alot of flow to make maintenance easier.

Now that i have a vacuum i removed some. I put the Xenia in a spot where there wasn't to much flow to get it to pulse!

I notice it pulses more near water changes so im wondering if i should get a iodine tester and supplement.

Ive brought the salinity up i did it slowly, tyty for the tips!

nuvuku · 10/17/2015, 09:57 AM

I have been trying to get rid of xenia and found this. Also good for fragging

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otFTlHJ74z0

09/17/2015, 11:16 AM	#1
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	New Pulsing Xenia! Bought these labeled as leather polyps they were mis labeled at my LFS and the staff member didnt know. Any tips for taking care of them? Tanks a 46 bow front aquamana 160w dimmable LED coralife 65 protein skimmer hob penguin with poly and a couple black stars for organic filtration 30 lbs of live rock 2 clowns 1 arrow crab 3 snails, 10 hermits 1 anemone

09/17/2015, 12:49 PM	#3
Webmanny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: 33612 Posts: 2,461	I'll summarize it for you and save you some pain in the future. Place them on their own rock in the sand bed. Keep them away from other rocks (They jump or extend and travel). They like dirty water(Think of them as filters for Nitrates and Phosphates). They are almost impossible to kill. (You will find out soon) :-) If they look sad and shrivel down a bit, your tank is clean (I use them as an early warning system) If they have too much flow, they will not pulsate. (They pulsate to generate a void around them and bring in nutrients) Direct flow eliminates that need. __________________ 32 gallon Biocube, DIY LEDs and Triton Method. My N=1 study of me, validated by me, and supported by completely anecdotal evidence, states that my advice is 100% correct, most of the time.

10/06/2015, 11:58 AM	#16
Webmanny Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: 33612 Posts: 2,461	hold on buddy. You may want to put those power heads back into the tank. You need that flow for other corals and to reduce algae formation due to detritus. I get that you like Xenias, but there are other corals that need the flow and light. Don't worry too much about this coral. It is pretty hard to kill it. __________________ 32 gallon Biocube, DIY LEDs and Triton Method. My N=1 study of me, validated by me, and supported by completely anecdotal evidence, states that my advice is 100% correct, most of the time.

10/07/2015, 12:23 PM	#18
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	Bump up your sg to 1.026, corals like it and fish adjust to it. That is the sg of natural sea water. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

10/17/2015, 09:57 AM	#22
nuvuku Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: in MA near RI Posts: 75	I have been trying to get rid of xenia and found this. Also good for fragging https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otFTlHJ74z0 __________________ Looking to trade: 30 Gallon Deep Blue Cube/15 gallon sump/MH light for a smaller frag tank of sorts Current Tank Info: Aquaculture system in the works

09/17/2015, 11:18 AM	#2
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	Check this out. http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php HTH.

09/17/2015, 02:30 PM	#5
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	I'm not exactly sure I agree with the "they like dirty water" statement. This might hold true in some cases, but I've seen plenty of tanks where the Xenia was thriving up top right next to the acroporas. Also, if they appear to shrivel up so to say, check your alkalinity and make sure it's not bouncing around. A lot of people consider them to be a very easy coral to keep, but IME they can be kind of tricky sometimes. Definitely isolate them though. If conditions are favorable they can spread like wildfire. GL.

09/17/2015, 05:55 PM	#6
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	Ive been moving them around a little bit, some of the smaller ones are wilting and a couple heads fell off a small shoot of them. Im running the LED's about 25% power, should i increase or keep the same? I have a 2-3 time a day feeding regimen with my clowns. So the water isnt clean but i try to skim wet hold a steady salinity, and regular water changes. On top of cleaning the HOB polisher ever day or so.

09/17/2015, 09:51 PM	#7
Milez803 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 75	Xenia are not light intensive coral, but they do love dirty water like zoas. Maybe your light is too strong and burning the coral. Whenever buying new corals, you should start them on the sandbed. Move them up every 4 or 5 days to the desired high. Good luck

09/22/2015, 12:22 PM	#10
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	They are doing alright not much pulsing but i have pretty decent current. They open with the light and close at night. I moved to a couple pieces of rubble live rock away from the big LR, so if it spreads i have seperate pieces. First picture wasnt doing so well, 2nd i moved directly under the LEDS and away from LR as my arrow crab likes to hove above it and knock it over. 2nd pic i moved it away

09/22/2015, 01:10 PM	#11
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	This was taken a few minutes ago

09/22/2015, 07:31 PM	#12
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	Whole tank video

09/24/2015, 02:00 PM	#13
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	New heads? I lowered the current and moved again. Starting to pulse again

09/28/2015, 07:37 PM	#14
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95

10/06/2015, 06:28 AM	#15
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	Xenia's Doing alot better! Had to secure the piece from falling and remove both power heads. I only have a hob penguin and a coral life 65g. My Aquamana burnt out on the 70 watts of white i think the driver went. So i only have 70 watts of blue and 20 watts of white diy LEDS i built my self and mounted on some old cpu heat sinks with out fans.

10/07/2015, 12:04 PM	#17
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	I still have flow in the tank, i just lowered it a bit. I dont have too many other corals, a LTA anemone, and a purple mushroom, One big reason i had alot of flow was i didnt have a actual vacuum and was using hoses and siphoning. The mushrooms have split, and the xenia seems happy, the anemone has been good, same with the fish. Levels are all at 0, Salinity 1.024 Temp 78 degrees wet skimming and a poly filter in the penguin HOB and some black bio stars that i clean often.

10/07/2015, 01:08 PM	#19
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	k will do ty.

10/09/2015, 03:53 PM	#21
protossdisaster Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Albany NY Posts: 95	Naaah i know very well about dead spots and everything, this is just my first real experiances with coral although ive done quite a bunch of research i like hearing peoples personal experiences and tips. I kept alot of flow to make maintenance easier. Now that i have a vacuum i removed some. I put the Xenia in a spot where there wasn't to much flow to get it to pulse! I notice it pulses more near water changes so im wondering if i should get a iodine tester and supplement. Ive brought the salinity up i did it slowly, tyty for the tips!