xenia ?'s

[FNG44601]

I Picked up 2 pulsating Xenia frags about a month ago- Guess what?!?!?! THEY STOPPED PULSATING!!! lol But thing is they are growing at a break neck speed (2 frag stems are now 6 or more) I've tried turning the powerheads off- nothing, the ph is 8.2, feeding live phytoplankton, sg is 1.024, ro/di water- phosphates <0.
---Clueless why this is happening, but after some research I see that this is pretty normal-

They do still extend and retract during different stages in the photoperiod- so im guessing that's a good sign?

 

[Altohombre]

everyone I hear about these things say how fast they grow. It's almost like a weed. I am gonna stay away from these things. I don't want them taking over.

 

[hibye]

some people like me cant even keep em for som reason. I have other corlas that thrive

 

[reeffreak]

It's not a sign of bad health if they stop pulsating.I suppose it's one of those unexplained mysteries why some stop.They are obviously multiplying so that has to be a good sign,depending on how you look at it.

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree with Freak, I have a large colony that started from one piece, and some pulsate while others don't. But they all are healthy and spread.

 

[fatman]

Good, good, nutrient exporters. IF they would only keep their chemicals to them selves.

 

[Reefgyrl]

Xenia's are very peculiar. No one really knows why they do the wierd things they do.

 

[FNG44601]

I just read Fatman's reply..... Are there any corals that SHOULDN'T be kept with Xenia?

 

[Bifferwine]

People that have a lot of SPS generally don't like to keep any softies with them, because softies like leathers, xenia, mushrooms, kenya trees, etc. put out a lot more toxins than other corals, and the SPS don't grow as well when they share a tank with softies. I have several pieces of SPS in my tank (which is a mixed reef), but I have tried to position all my SPS so that none of them are down-current of any softies.

 

[reeffreak]

In a mix reef,it's important to run carbon sometimes.Carbon will remove the chemicals soft corals produce.

 

[FNG44601]

How often would you run Carbon- I run carbon about a week a month

 

[Reefgyrl]

Very interesting Reefreak, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info..

 

[reeffreak]

FNG,I also run carbon one week a month.

 

[NewbReefer]

In a mix reef,it's important to run carbon sometimes.Carbon will remove the chemicals soft corals produce.

thanks for that tip Reef im gonna be starting some SPS soon and have some mushrooms so i'll also be running some carbon then.

 

[newbeemike]

I had a small Xenia which turned in to a quarter of my tank within about 5 or 6 months. Had to frag out most of it. some pulsed and some didn't but they continued to grow. Good luck. You might want to frag it out to maintain control. It will take over your tank. That is why the price for them is so cheap, they grow superrrrrr fast.

I Picked up 2 pulsating Xenia frags about a month ago- Guess what?!?!?! THEY STOPPED PULSATING!!! lol But thing is they are growing at a break neck speed (2 frag stems are now 6 or more) I've tried turning the powerheads off- nothing, the ph is 8.2, feeding live phytoplankton, sg is 1.024, ro/di water- phosphates <0.
---Clueless why this is happening, but after some research I see that this is pretty normal-

They do still extend and retract during different stages in the photoperiod- so im guessing that's a good sign?

 

[fatman]

Carbon is best run for just a few days at a time, a week is about the longest you would want to run it. Carbon will leach if over full and and will also become bio active after a few day use. A good time period of use is about three days a every week if you are keeping corals with fish. It is amazing the light you loose without good clarity (the best reason to use carbon). Of course with out fish the carbon is typically needed less but is often run the same way anyways as carbon is cheaper than electricity when using lots of intense lighting such as halides for SPS. I consider anything else the carbon might do as just a bonus. There are better ways to do most things people use carbon for.