Xenia dying! Zoos,mushrooms prospering.

vlad17 · 01/20/2011, 12:20 PM

Hey there guys been in the hobby for about 4 months now, started with a 29 gal and upgraded to a 75 gal about a month ago, i have a overflow, wet/dry, and odyssea cansiter filter running, no skimmer yet, i have fish, and a decent amount of liverock, salinity is at 0.26, I have not yet tested the rest of the parameters because i do not know which ones to test, i do a 10 gal change every week with RO water, since i got the xenia it has not been doing well but for the past few days i see it beginning to die, and somewhat a small amount of green,brown algae building up, I have already passed the brown crap phase. What am I doing wrong? What can i do to make my tank prosper more? Thanks for the advice!

jdthomas24 · 01/20/2011, 12:27 PM

what makes you think it is dieing? i it thin? if so then it needs more current flow. Xenia have a tendency to look very thin when they do not have enough current and do not come out to full extension when lights are changed to high wattage.

vlad17 · 01/20/2011, 12:29 PM

Well no they seem to be enclosed and some turned brown and they got real tiny in size

Drix · 01/21/2011, 08:01 AM

Ive heard that xenia have a tendency to experience periodic dieoff seemingly randomly- I've also heard they have an affinity for less than optimal water conditions (some spicies thrive near sewage outlets in some bay areas that allow that sort of thing.) i'd take this question over to the soft coral forum where you may get some more spexific advice. Sorry I cant help that much other than that.

Jarred1 · 01/21/2011, 09:44 AM

you are lucky that it is dieing, this stuff will take over your tank in no time. i had to scrape it off of the rocks i have because it was growing on top of other corals i have!

PattersM · 01/21/2011, 12:16 PM

I've also had the same problem. Xenia started off well and then died off.

Guys at my local club told me that it is very succeptable to pH swings. To prevent this make sure that you have the correct alkalinity level. This value drops with time unless you keep it up with additions or regular water changes.

I keep mine up with carbonate additions and my Xenia seem to be doing better, but agree with the earlier comment, move it around the tank until you get a flow that it likes, but keep it away from the glass or touching other rocks as it does like to take over given a chance.

Frogmanx82 · 01/21/2011, 04:53 PM

My tank is the perfect environment for xenia, it doubles every month and I've had it a year and a half. Obviously I take a lot of it out of the tank. Its high in the tank, low flow, nitrates and phosphates are non detect, alk has been too low at 6. I don't think we know what it is that causes xenia melt or why some tanks just don't seem friendly for xenia.

On the other hand I have kenya tree that are also supposed to be very invasive and it doesn't grow at all. There must be factors involved that we aren't measuring.

vlad17 · 01/21/2011, 10:52 PM

Thanks for the advice........my scopas and coral beauty have ich....i dont know what caused this....any ideas on curing it?

stewartms · 01/22/2011, 09:34 AM

I think you may be going a little too fast. It doesnt sound to me like the 75 is ready for all that you seem to have. The 29 wasnt a mature tank when you upgraded to the 75 and with the addition of that much more tank, it is possible to experience another cycle. This could be causing the stress on your inhabitants. You will have tp place the fish in a QT tank and medicate or just wait it out. Some frequent water changes may help, but may just add mre stress to the fish unless you put them in a QT tank for treatment.

kclewis · 01/22/2011, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stewartms

I think you may be going a little too fast. It doesnt sound to me like the 75 is ready for all that you seem to have. The 29 wasnt a mature tank when you upgraded to the 75 and with the addition of that much more tank, it is possible to experience another cycle. This could be causing the stress on your inhabitants. You will have tp place the fish in a QT tank and medicate or just wait it out. Some frequent water changes may help, but may just add mre stress to the fish unless you put them in a QT tank for treatment.

I second this. Sounds like youre jumping the gun and have a large bio load for a tank that is only a month old. Im not trying to blast you but it is my opinion.
At the same time I had a 40 gallon breeder tank that I could never keep xenia alive in. I had a nano that it grows like weeds in. I would try and try but with no success.
Invest in a good test kit and get an idea of parameters. Saying your tank cycled because youve already been through the brown phase means nothing. Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, ph, posphates all need to be monitered. this is the true way to determine if your tank has cycled.

SushiGirl · 01/22/2011, 10:57 AM

A tank's not truly cycled for 6+ months. The major spikes, etc. may be over, but there are still months worth of parameter swings, etc. until it really becomes established.

I've never added anything except a CuC into a month-old tank. I usually wait 3 months before adding fish or coral. Keeps the losses more manageable. Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.

vlad17 · 01/23/2011, 08:39 AM

Thanks for the tips guys, what test kits should I get?

01/20/2011, 12:20 PM	#1
vlad17 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 423	Xenia dying! Zoos,mushrooms prospering. Hey there guys been in the hobby for about 4 months now, started with a 29 gal and upgraded to a 75 gal about a month ago, i have a overflow, wet/dry, and odyssea cansiter filter running, no skimmer yet, i have fish, and a decent amount of liverock, salinity is at 0.26, I have not yet tested the rest of the parameters because i do not know which ones to test, i do a 10 gal change every week with RO water, since i got the xenia it has not been doing well but for the past few days i see it beginning to die, and somewhat a small amount of green,brown algae building up, I have already passed the brown crap phase. What am I doing wrong? What can i do to make my tank prosper more? Thanks for the advice!

01/21/2011, 09:44 AM	#5
Jarred1 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: West Palm Beach, FL Posts: 1,262	you are lucky that it is dieing, this stuff will take over your tank in no time. i had to scrape it off of the rocks i have because it was growing on top of other corals i have! __________________ "It happens, and as long as the clowns out there keep paying top dollar, they will stay top dollar. Just a way of life, imagine how much cheaper a Tahoe or Yukon would cost if the word "bling" was never invented..."

01/21/2011, 04:53 PM	#7
Frogmanx82 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 1,515	My tank is the perfect environment for xenia, it doubles every month and I've had it a year and a half. Obviously I take a lot of it out of the tank. Its high in the tank, low flow, nitrates and phosphates are non detect, alk has been too low at 6. I don't think we know what it is that causes xenia melt or why some tanks just don't seem friendly for xenia. On the other hand I have kenya tree that are also supposed to be very invasive and it doesn't grow at all. There must be factors involved that we aren't measuring. __________________ Exodus 8:2 Check my homepage for tank pics and details. Current Tank Info: 90 gallon, 2x maxspect R420R LED, 4 Ocellaris Clowns, Yellow Eye Kole Tang, Flame Angel, Foxface Rabbitfish, Banggai Cardinals, Azure Damsel, rock flower anemone, cleaner shrimp, serpent star

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01/20/2011, 12:27 PM	#2
jdthomas24 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rockwall, Texas Posts: 852	what makes you think it is dieing? i it thin? if so then it needs more current flow. Xenia have a tendency to look very thin when they do not have enough current and do not come out to full extension when lights are changed to high wattage.

01/20/2011, 12:29 PM	#3
vlad17 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 423	Well no they seem to be enclosed and some turned brown and they got real tiny in size

01/21/2011, 08:01 AM	#4
Drix Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 590	Ive heard that xenia have a tendency to experience periodic dieoff seemingly randomly- I've also heard they have an affinity for less than optimal water conditions (some spicies thrive near sewage outlets in some bay areas that allow that sort of thing.) i'd take this question over to the soft coral forum where you may get some more spexific advice. Sorry I cant help that much other than that.

01/21/2011, 12:16 PM	#6
PattersM Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mattawan, Michigan Posts: 117	I've also had the same problem. Xenia started off well and then died off. Guys at my local club told me that it is very succeptable to pH swings. To prevent this make sure that you have the correct alkalinity level. This value drops with time unless you keep it up with additions or regular water changes. I keep mine up with carbonate additions and my Xenia seem to be doing better, but agree with the earlier comment, move it around the tank until you get a flow that it likes, but keep it away from the glass or touching other rocks as it does like to take over given a chance.

01/21/2011, 10:52 PM	#8
vlad17 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 423	Thanks for the advice........my scopas and coral beauty have ich....i dont know what caused this....any ideas on curing it?

01/22/2011, 09:34 AM	#9
stewartms Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Jacksonville Florida / Bay Area California Posts: 110	I think you may be going a little too fast. It doesnt sound to me like the 75 is ready for all that you seem to have. The 29 wasnt a mature tank when you upgraded to the 75 and with the addition of that much more tank, it is possible to experience another cycle. This could be causing the stress on your inhabitants. You will have tp place the fish in a QT tank and medicate or just wait it out. Some frequent water changes may help, but may just add mre stress to the fish unless you put them in a QT tank for treatment.

01/22/2011, 10:57 AM	#11
SushiGirl Premium Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Fort Worth, TX USA Posts: 8,267	A tank's not truly cycled for 6+ months. The major spikes, etc. may be over, but there are still months worth of parameter swings, etc. until it really becomes established. I've never added anything except a CuC into a month-old tank. I usually wait 3 months before adding fish or coral. Keeps the losses more manageable. Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.

01/23/2011, 08:39 AM	#12
vlad17 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Tempe, Arizona Posts: 423	Thanks for the tips guys, what test kits should I get?