new Xenia...questions

[waterdog1]

I just purchased a red sea xenia. After a 3 hour drive home i aclimated and put it in the tank. It appears ok, even pulses a bit, but it isnt as healthy looking as in the store.I am hoping it will quickly recover.

 

questions-

 

1.)how long before xenia recover after transplant

 

2.)do they close up at night

 

3.)Any advice?

[nanotrigger]

i just got some. they close up at night . they will probably get to normal in a week or 2. .. better watch out though when they get use to your tank they will grow like a weed!

[vyger]

. Were the parameters of the water close ( temp, salinity) and how quickly did you acclimate it. I would wait a bit since there's really nothing you can do anyway.I 've had xenia look pretty bad and come back ...all you can do is wait and see.

[Cellenzweig]

Xenia is usually pretty tough. I've had some that was stressed to the point of melting! It literally oozed down my rock and glass. I thought it was a goner. A couple weeks later, there were tiny polyps growing out of the ooze. Eventually, it became a Xenia forest and I pulled it all out of the tank to make room for other stuff.

 

It may take a while before yours is happy, but I wouldn't worry too much. Soon you'll be cutting it back to prevent it from taking over your tank.

 

All the xenia I've had in my tank closes at night. After getting used to my photoperiod, mine would open a half hour before the lights were on and close about an hour before they went off.

 

Advice... isolate the rock with the xenia, so it's easy to control the growth if you have to. Same goes for Green Star Polyps...

 

hope that helps...

[waterdog1]

wow great to hear those replys. The LFS gal said xenia dont do well in some tanks. I always thought they were some of the hardyest. Thats what prompted my questions. I gathered they spread well as the bit I purchased is on a large shell. I set the bag in the tank for 30 min, then added some tank water, waited 10 min, then popped em in. Not the most careful way to acclimate, but hey... People always say it grows like a weed, but the red sea xenia is so pretty I wouldnt mind in 25% of the tank was xenia...well....maybe not 25%. Thanks for the advice, if anyone has ay more bits of info. comments ,let me know

[audiocontrol]

xenia is one of the hardiest corals, once it establishes itself within your tank which is basically a 50-50 shot of life or death. Beyond that they are difficult to kill. I had 3 colonies, the two bigger ones self-destructed, but the smallest colony (3 pulsating polyps) is now a good size specimen. I already see it branching an I am now a bit worried, lol. One of the other colnies that exploded, I now see little xenia colonies on one of my rocks and even a colony growing in the sand. Mine are also the red sea "pom-pom" species. They are one of the better looking variations of xeniids in my opinion.

[waterdog1]

Thanks! So your saying that they can be difficult to acclimate but once settled they are hardy. What would cause a colony to "explode".

[BKtomodachi]

Well, I'd say xenia is the most mysterious of all corals... they will for no reason do the following

 

-die completely

-"melt", but still live

-self destruct

-only some of it in a certain tank will self destruct

-grow like a week until it "reaches critical mass" then stop growing, and sometimes self-destruct again.

 

You never know, really.