pulsing xenia tips please! =)

[byrself]

any helpful tips on keeping pulsing xenias healthy and growing?  i just got a small colony of frags and would like some additional tips on keeping them strong.  i already have some microvert formula i plan to feed them, but has anyone had success with other methods?  thanks in advance...=)

[HuBu]

i got 4 stalks from a fellow reefer. and it has already split a few times within 2 wks. i feed my xenias with a invert food called Roti-Rich. i was advise to get this brand my many reefers. i put in a 1mL every 7 days. 1 mL of this would make the water cloudy for hrs.

[HuBu]

ummm...one problem you might run into is not finding this at your LFS. i had told Nishant about this and he wasnt able to find it at his LFS.

[byrself]

cool, thanks.  i may try to order some online from somewhere.  

[MKramer]

Here's a simple, and probably obvious tip, but one worth mentioning.  Xenia can be ultra-sensitive to nutrient levels in the water.  You'll help yours by not overfeeding the tank, and regular water changes.

 

For most nano-reefers, that is all regular regiment, but it's worth noting.  

 

Matthew

[Nishant3789]

yea and make sure u dont do a sloppy water change..( not mixing salt right before doing the change) and dont keep ure salinity too high i figured that out yesterday when my xenia was almost elting ai checked the salinity and it was at like 1.034 so i did a one gallon water change with fresh water. hth

nishant

p.s xenias actually do BETTER when fragged regularly

[byrself]

i did a 4 gallon water change yesterday, and removed my skilter filter, and so far everything looks great.  i even got a pic of my xenia (finally)

it's been almost 20 hours and i already notice the xenia pulsing a little more than it was.  gonna do some water tests later but i think the water change did wonders for it.  i made sure to properly mix and aerate the water beforehand.  i keep my salinity at 1.024-1.025.  i have been trying to raise my alk, which is between 8-10dkh now, so one of those 2 factors, plus getting a little more settled in the tank, has helped the xenia as it seems.  it was barely pulsing at all before i did all this, so maybe it will get even better from here on.  i already noticed a spot where it's attached to a new piece of rock, but not entirely.  if it does i'm gonna move the frag rock piece.  thanks for the tips everyone

 

(Edited by byrself at 1:54 pm on June 9, 2002)

[byrself]

2 weeks now, and my xenia is doing great!  i've been feeding it some microvert, and it seems to appreciate that.  it's already about to spread to a nearby rock.  i've also done some very small water changes lately, and it's really responded well to that.  i lost a couple fish to some sort of in tank predation, so maybe the reduction in bioload helps also?  here's a pic though, thanks to all for the advice.  

[anthony812]

Pumping Xenia, Cultured

 

Quick Stats

Family: Xeniidae

Origin: Indo-Pacific

Color Form: White, Ivory, Brown, Light Green

Ideal Supplements: Iodine, Trace elements

Reef Compatible: Yes

Tank Conditions: 72-78ºF; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4

Water Flow: Medium to High

Light: Medium to High

Dominance: Peaceful

Placement: Bottom

Care Level: Experts only

 

The Xenia Pumping Corals are also referred to as Pulsing Corals, or Waving Hand Corals. They are colonial animals with multiple individual polyps attached to a piece of solid substrate. They form stalks as they grow, and to reproduce. The eight-tentacled polyps pump, or pulse, and many scientists believe the pumping action of the polyps slowly opening and closing is designed to either dispose of gasses and waste, or collect food from the water column, or both. The amount of pumping will vary with various water parameters.

 

Xenia sp. corals can be very difficult to acclimate; in general, cultured specimens are hardier than wild-caught species. Predatory fish (e.g., Xenia-eating angelfish), crabs, snails, or the stings of other corals may damage the colony quite easily. Therefore, provide adequate space between them and sessile animals, especially other types of soft corals. Some may prefer to be on a vertical surface. They require a medium to high light level combined with a medium to strong water movement within the aquarium. They have difficulty reproducing in an aquarium, however, some experienced aquarists have taken a section from the mother colony and attached it to a hard substrate with epoxy, and had some success. For continued good health, they will require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water.

 

They contain the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae from which they receive the majority of their nutritional requirements. Additional weekly feedings of micro-plankton or foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates are also needed.

[Dave ESPI]

Anthony nice post thanx....

 

Add some DT's Phyto it helps a bunch too also BLACK POWDER by mark weis seems to get results. It stinks like poop, but its ok.

 

The more light the better. I have it growing like mad in my 37, under 250 w MH, Soon Im going to pit it in my 40 Long under vho.... t should grow like crazy. I also have it growing on the glass in my tanks. it looks really nice.

Ill post a pic later.

[byrself]

yeah, i got some pics of mine already spreading...

 

 

this is the original colony relocated.  this stuff is growing like weeds..=)

[Sahin]

How do you manage to relocate them?

Do you move the whole rocks or do you somehow detach them and attacjh somewhere else?

[byrself]

nope, they just spread on their own...  i started with 3 stalks, now i have 5 and a half =)  i think once it gets crowded it likes to move, and also it should be placed low so it will move up closer to the lights.  sometimes they stretch out so far in my tank, they almost touch the top of the water.. i got them sitting in the sand on the bottom now..

[Guest LudavicoTechnique]

Someones been looking at liveaquaria.com!