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Hungry Shag Rug Nudibranch, Xeniid
pred. 2/8/10 Completely stumped - soft coral problems,
allelopathy, Ozone option 06/02/09
Xenia Trouble...? - 05/31/08 Hello Crew, <Michael> I have a question about my (Regular) Pulsing Xenia. I have had my tank up and running for about 2 1/2 months and I have had my Xenia in there pretty much since my take was established. The Xenia has been doing great, I have propagated it several times with successful results. The other week, I moved the rock because it was too close to the glass. Since then one of the stalks was rubbing against another piece of live rock (I thought nothing of it). Now, that same stalk looks like it is dying all the polyp types have turned white, many have disintegrated and it seems like it is spreading to the other stalks that are near-by. Any ideas what has caused this? <Mmm, yes...> Have you folks heard of this situation before? <Quite often> Will the rest of my live stock be harmed? <Only if the water becomes polluted. Likely only the Xenia will perish> I have about $3,000 in other coral specimens in my tank, including Blue Xenia. <!? In 2.5 mo.s!?> The blue Xenia doesn't really pulse very much, but I have the smaller white color Xenia and it is still pulsing like crazy, as are the other specimens of (regular xenia). I just completed a 10g water change, have not checked the levels yet, I know that Xenia is pretty finicky when it comes to the water conditions. But all my other corals are thriving, so I am not sure why the (regular) Xenia is going downhill, but it seems like every other coral is doing well. That would lead me to believe that the water may not be the problem? <Sometimes pulsing corals do "crash" population wise... can be triggered by part of a colony's distress, dying... There's not much to do to stop this... other than moving parts of the colonies elsewhere> Please Let me know if you have any ideas or what actions I should take.. A little about my tank, it is a Custom built 75 gallon (L36"xH24"xW20") <With 3k in livestock?> fully built reef system with built in refugium, I have 4 blue/green Chromis, 6-line wrasse, Dragon Goby, Coral Beauty, Hermit Crabs/snails, Yellow Stripe maroon Clown, Rose BTA, <... trouble with other Cnidarians in such a new system of small volume> Lighting is provided by a Current Orbit Series (150w MH, 2x 96w Actinic, 4 LEDs) Best Regards, Mike, So-Cali <... read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm Bob Fenner>
Xenia Tube-Pest 9/26/07 Hey All, <Hi Ted> I have an unidentified pest eating my xenia elongata and occasionally my pom-pom xenia. It seems to live inside the rock on which the xenia have attached. I have not seen the pest itself but it forms almost translucent fibrous tube with bits of sand leading to where it has eaten. If I destroy the tube or block up the hole, it will return within a day to a few weeks. It has appeared only on one other rock but quickly disappeared without xenia nearby to munch on. I have not tried to chemically treat the holes (similar to Aiptasia treatments) because I don't know with what I am dealing and do not want any collateral damage to the xenia. <Very strange... any chance you can get a picture?> Thanks for All of Your Help Ted <Best, Sara M.>
Why Can't I Grow Xenia? -- 02/21/07 Greetings, <<Hello>> I am having a problem with pulsing xenia. <<Not uncommon...some folks can't grow it...some folks have trouble getting rid of it...and sooner or later it all seems to just 'crash'>> Located in 30-gal tall octagonal tank attached to a 75 gal reef tank. The octagonal tank has only a mated pair of mandarins, macroalgae and I had a large colt coral. <<Mmm, this last may be part of your problem...very noxious>> The xenia all of a sudden looked awful. It took me a week to find the time to test the water... Tested my pH and it was low for xenia, 8.0. I immediately did a water change and after about 24 hours got the pH back to 8.3. Xenia looked better this morning and I got home from work tonight and it looks awful again. I also decided to move the colt coral to the main tank. <<A good decision...although, with these tanks 'attached' the noxious chemicals exuded by the colt coral are still in the system water reaching the xenia>> Salinity 1.024, <<1.025/26 (closer to NSW) would be better appreciated by your corals and may be another factor re your problems here>> Temp 78-80, the pH is usually 8.3 but I did find it close to 8.0 two days ago before lights went on. <<I wouldn't think this to be much of an issue>> I am not sure why. I drip Kalkwasser most nights (about 1gal) and had not for a few busy nights. Never a problem in the past but concerned me the other day. <<When using this methodology, it is best to use on a 'continuous' basis for reasons of system stability...as you can see>> Ammonia and nitrates 0. No way to test iodine so I started putting in 2m. each morning to help them out. <<2 milliliters? Do be careful here...be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions closely...and get an iodine test kit>> The pulsing xenia look shriveled and almost like a chemical burn might seem to look if that does not sound too crazy. <<Not crazy...and may very well be so (remember that colt coral)>> Can you suggest some test I might perform. <<Not for allelopathy...but make no mistake, it is present in your (everyone's) system>> Why do you think I have such problems with pulsing xenia. <<Aside from the fact that these organisms seem to 'wax and wane' with the best of care, xenia can be particularly sensitive to water chemistry/ chemical poisoning (some aquarists have stated to me they view their xenia as a kind of 'canary in the mine.' Employing some purposeful chemical filtration will always help your system, and may make a difference with the xenia. A dedicated canister filter with carbon 'and' Poly-Filter is highly recommended here>> I have a wonderful 75-gal reef tank with hard and soft corals. All doing fine. <<And all 'fighting the chemical fight'...just likely more resilient mix of organisms than the xenia>> I know you are not supposed to mix but for 3 years I have been lucky I even (was afraid to admit) have a bubble anemone (3 years old) with clowns, Regal tang, Pseudochromis, Sailfin blenny, Ricordea, mushrooms, frogspawn, gorgonian, Zoanthids, dish coral, and star polyps. and Acropora. <<Mmm, indeed...I wish you continued good luck>> The hard corals are at one end and soft at another and it has worked out well so far. Can you suggest any problem with xenia. This is actually my third try. <<Ideally, separate the xenia system from the mixed garden reef system...else employ/add more chemical filtration to mitigate the effects of the chemical aggression. And read here, among the associated links to get more info re others experience/opinions with this organism: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidfaqs2.htm And maybe do a Google search on our site re 'chemical aggression' and 'allelopathy.' Regards, EricR>> Xenia disappearance 8/11/06 Hi Crew, <Tom>
Overnight, it looks like one of the main stems of my month-old Xenia
disappeared, leaving only an attachment stub (that still has two very
small new "sprouts" showing). Although I see no
obvious signs of a struggle, I suspect foul play. <Could be...>
Other tank residents include 2 Gobies, 3 Peppermint Shrimp (who did a
remarkable job eating my Aiptasia, over the 5 weeks I've had them
in there), one Fire shrimp, 3 (supposedly) algae eating Hermit crabs,
and one unidentified hitchhiker crab, dime-sized or smaller. <...
could be any of the crustaceans... or...> For what it's worth,
the tank has also had a Sarcophyton for 9 months, and it has never had
any problems. Thanks for your thoughts, Tom <And there are
situations in which pulsing soft corals do "just fail"...
sometimes quite rapidly. Please read on WWM re the propensity
(Compatibility) for each of the crustaceans listed to get along, and
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm and the linked files
above for insight into captive Xeniid Behavior, Systems... Bob
Fenner> Xenia On The Decline? - 06/20/2006 Hey. <Hiya! Scott F. here today!> I have been having problems with my xenias slowly dying off and not growing much lately. They grew like weeds in my tank for about 2 years and within the last 2 months or so they have not been doing very well. The only major change I made recently was adding metal halide lighting to my tank (yes I acclimated the corals to the lights slowly) and I added several new corals (Fungia plate, Frogspawn, Open Brain, Zoanthids) a few months ago. <Could be a bout of allelopathy ("chemical warfare") going on, particularly from the Frogspawn- a very aggressive coral> After doing a little reading on WWM I've decided to try a Polyfilter to see if there something in the water effecting them. <An excellent chemical filtration media, which can help in removing some of these noxious compounds.> I did a search on PolyFilters on Google and found that there are many Kinds and they vary greatly in price. <I think that you might be mistaken. Polyfilter is a patented, trademarked product manufactured by Poly Bio Marine. There is only one "formula", as far as I know. The pads are available in different sizes and shapes, however. Perhaps you were looking at "polyester filter media"?> I was wondering if you could tell me what type/brand you can recommend and maybe an internet site where I can purchase one. <Again, there is only one Polyfilter. It's available at most e-tailers.> I was also wondering what type of chemicals/water quality issues xenias are more susceptible to than other corals. All my other corals (Zoo's, Mushrooms, Colt Coral, Frogspawn, Fungia, Gorgonia, Green Star Polyps, Open Brain) are doing well. Thank you Jon <Well, John, there are a lot of theories about why Xenia does well for some hobbyists and not others. Theories ranging from pH to toxic metals in the water, lack of iodine, as well as water that is "too clean" (I never bought that one, myself) abound. These corals can be susceptible to the chemicals released by competitive corals (i.e.; terpenes, etc.). Be sure to provide adequate space between your corals, lots of good water flow, regular water changes with quality source water, and use of the aforementioned chemical filtration media (like Polyfilter!). The answer is out there, and I think that allelopathy may be playing a role in the apparent demise of your Xenia. Do some careful observing and a little research, and I'll bet that you'll find your answer! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.> Xenia just vanishes overnight... Cnid. allelopathy - 5/8/2006 I have been reading your forums for months and have really learned a lot from them! One thing I can't seem to find is how Xenia can literally disappear in a matter of hours. <Mmm, can/does happen... not much to "pulsing corals" physically... seem to be able to "phagocytose" rapidly under dire consequences, influences> I have a 75 gallon tank with live rock and live sand. There are some hard corals like the pagoda cup, frogspawn, Alveopora and hammer. Also we have mushrooms, Sinularia, Kenya tree, yellow star polyps, green star polyps, Zoanthids and a large pipe organ. <Uh... this mix will "do it"> All of the corals are flourishing and the polyps and Zoanthids are spreading. All water readings are ideal and temperature is maintained between 79-80 degrees. Water changes done weekly. 0 phosphates. 0 nitrates and no ammonia. I add calcium daily as per instructions and Iodine weekly. Strontium as recommended. Essential elements every two weeks. PH stays consistent at 8.2. I check night time readings also. Now my dilemma. Every time I add Xenia to the tank it does fantastic for the first couple weeks pulsing away. Then it just seems to vanish by stalk overnight. There are no signs of anything getting to it and no debris or melting taking place. <Not uncommon given the circumstances of so much disparate Cnidarian life...> Water flow is good not too strong and the Xenia seems fine with it. I also have 6 fish in the tank. Two clowns, coral beauty, yellow tang, blue hippo tang and a blue damsel. We will relocate the blue hippo tang when he gets bigger. He is just a baby now. Reading the forums I can't seem to find how a Xenia would just vanish within a few hours overnight when all readings are good and does not seem to be any culprits in the tank that are damaging it? These are fairly large stalks that are attached that vanish without any debris being left in the tank in the morning. Would appreciate any help you can give me. <Mmm, please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompfaqs.htm and the linked files above... It may well be that the Xeniid colonies you're getting are impugned to begin with... placing them in with established "polyps", Zoanthids... is likely too much for them to compete chemically... You might have better success quarantining, gradually exposing such to your system through gradual water changes from this garden-mixed system... Bob Fenner> Phyllodesmium Munched Xenia? - 06/18/05 Greetings. <<Hello>> I have a 30 gallon saltwater tank with 10 gallon sump. A protein skimmer (Excalibur) resides in the sump along with the heater. I have about 30 lbs of Tonga live rock, with two cleaner shrimps, 5 hermit crabs, a toadstool leather coral, a green star polyp colony, one (individual) green Ricordea mushroom polyp and (most recent addition) a "Pom Pom" xenia colony. The aquarium is about 2 months old. Water parameters are: Temp=78-80, ammonia/nitrite=0, nitrate<10, dKH=12, ph=8.0. Lighting is by Coralife power compacts (96 watt 10K daylight and 96 watt actinic). <<OK>> My primary question is about the Xenia. It was a beautiful specimen when purchased one week ago at the LFS. Two days ago it started to "shrivel" and exhibit a small amount of "slime". This condition worsened and this morning, before daylight, I observed it with a flashlight. I saw what appeared to be a portion of the colony moving down the live rock below the main colony! When I realized it must be a Nudibranch, I removed it. <<Good move.>> It excreted a clear, gelatinous substance when it realized it was detected. I did a search on the internet and found something called a "Phyllodesmium", a Xenia eating Nudibranch, which matched the appearance. The Xenias shriveled to less than 1/2 its original volume, but most of it is still pulsing. What can I do, if anything, to save this beautiful creature? <<With the removal of the Nudibranch (though do check for more), tis likely the Xenia will recover...though a dose of iodine (follow instructions carefully) may help.>> In the case of its tank mates (other than the Nudibranch!), the LFS was aware of everything in the tank and I basically have followed their recommendations when selecting from among creatures that appeal to me, since they seemed fairly respectable. I now know, after researching your site, that the ph should be > 8.3 for Xenia. <<Yes...and as stable as possible.>> How quickly should I increase the ph from the current 8.0? <<Over the course of a couple days will be fine.>> A secondary question concerns the coloration of the green star polyp colony and Ricordea. Both have turned a lighter, more yellow-green since being in my tank. The Ricordea is near the substrate, while the green star polyp is near the top of the tank. Do you have any suggestions, or is this normal? <<You have them placed as I would suggest. Coral coloration is as much a function of feeding as environment. If you are providing good water flow (minimum 10x tank volume.), try feeding a bit if finely minced meaty foods to the corals. Frozen Cyclop-eeze and Sweetwater Plankton are great foods for this.>> The size of the Ricordea is the same or slightly larger than when purchased, although the green star polyps don't seem to extend quite as far as they first did (perhaps due to crabs crawling on them?) <<More likely inadequate water flow.>> With great appreciation and respect, Lan Carter <<Warm Regards, Eric R.>> Xenia predator Hello, <Hi there> Thank you for your site and help - I researched the FAQ's and noticed several references to my question, but no specifics except one post regarding a possible Nudibranch. I purchased a pulsating Xenia species approx. 4 months ago and fragged it immediately (it was ready). <Mmm, best generally to let cnidarians "rest up"...> My friend got half and his are growing like wildfire. Mine started having it's "fingers" disappear. Eventually, it shrunk up and died after the vast majority of the fingers were apparently eaten. About 2 months later, my friend fragged the 1/2 I had originally given him. We put it in my sump, in a "guppy breeder" for isolation as we tried for a couple of days to catch what we thought was the likely culprit (a very aggressive Domino Damsel... <Heeee! An oxymoron, like "military intelligence"...> ...that we wanted removed anyways). The xenia did well while down there for approx 2 weeks. (sump is lit on an offset cycle). We eventually caught the Domino, and moved the Xenia to the new tank. After a few days in the display, a few fingers were missing from the Xenia. I realize that chemical warfare is possible with some of my livestock - and I have dealt with that. It seems clear to me I have a predator eating the Xenia. Can you examine this list of livestock and offer at least a few maybes of who might be the hungry party? (using common names - sorry) Tank: 55g w/29g sump/refugium Yellow tang Ocellaris (false percula) clown Yellow Pseudochromis Mandarin goby approx 15 hermit crabs: blue legged, scarlet, Mexican red legged approx 25 snails: Turbos, Ceriths, Astreas, Nassarius (2), margaritas (2) Sand sifting star I also have various: mushrooms, Ricordeas, feather dusters, Zoanthids, a flower anemone (very happily ensconced by himself), and tons of live rock (unfortunately, my crocea died while I was on vacation and took out my finger leather and yellow stars with it). Are any of my inhabitants likely to be the predator? Or would you think that it's perhaps a hidden Nudibranch or something? <Possibly> Also - on a side note - how far physically should the mushrooms and Xenia be separated (any distance required for the zoos?). <A hands-width or more> Thank you for your help. Sincerely, Mark <Of the organisms you list, perhaps some of the Hermit Crabs are to blame here... close examination, during the night as well as day, should prove if there is a predator here. Bob Fenner> Phyllodesmium ate xenia Hello. I tried to send an e-mail yesterday by going to your website, but perhaps it did not make it through. I have a pom pom xenia, which was really a beautiful creature when purchased a week ago. Three days ago I noticed it "shriveling up". I inspected it during the night and found what appeared to be part of the colony moving down the rock away from the rest! It turned out to be a Phyllodesmium that had been eating the xenia. <Collected and shipped with it> I removed the phyllo., which secreted a gluey, clear coating as I removed it from its hiding place. Inspecting the xenia afterwards, I could see that the damaged areas were whiter than the rest. I trimmed what I could of the damage away from the rest of the colony. Is there anything else I can do to help save this beautiful creature? <Mmm, not much that I know... perhaps a full-dose of iodine/ide will help. Will ask Anthony Calfo, an old culturist of Xeniids, for his input here> The remaining colonies are still pulsing but are also shriveled, although not discolored. Tank details follow: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump, Excalibur protein skimmer, Coralife 192 watt power compact lights (half 10K daylight, half actinic), ammonia/nitrite=0, nitrate<10, dKH about 12-13, ph 8.0, salinity 1.024. The tank has been running about 2 months. I am slowly raising the ph using SeaChem's marine buffer 8.3 (supposedly reaches 8.3 and holds there). I am adding, daily, about 1/3 the amount of the buffer that the bottle recommends (just trying to be cautious). Tank inhabitants are: 2 cleaner shrimps, toadstool leather, green button polyp colony, 1 Ricordea mushroom polyp, 30 lbs Tonga live rock. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Lan <Keep your eyes open for other Nudibranch predators... Bob Fenner> Re: White Crab Found in Xenia 5/7/05 Anthony, Thank you for the quick response. Regarding my intent to forward a picture of the crab, let me just say that the little guy is really, really hard to spot, and when you do see it, it is for just an instant, so I was unable to get the photo. I stared into the Xenia colony last night for about a half hour, and I did see the crab again, but sightings were very brief. I even lifted the coral by its base rock at one point, because I knew the crab's exact location, but I could not find the little bugger once I got the coral up to the glass. Once again I observed the same kind of behavior. The crab raked in polyps with the inside of his claw by making a wide sweeping motion (just like you or I would do with out forearm), pulling them into his mouth area. The individual polyps appear to respond by closing, but re-open a couple of minutes later and resume normal behavior. Again, I could not detect any damage from the activity that I observed, and it seems amazing to me that the Xenia colony doesn't respond in whole to the crab's activities. Any time that I move the colony, or even blow a direct stream of water from my turkey baster by accident, the whole colony reacts. <There are many complex relationships on the reef... some commensal, some matters of tolerance, etc> I can add that I am certain that this crab is completely white, and its carapace is almost translucent. I will keep watching, and will update the crew if there is any progress in determining if my crab is a friend or foe. Regards, Lou <Ah, good... best of luck! Anthony> Xenia stung by Frogspawn 3/14/05 Hi there! Thanks for the great help you provided me so far! I only have two simple questions. 1- Is there anything I can do to save a pulsing Xenia which was stung by a Frogspawn??? (Only one branch was stung) <strong water flow is key> 2- I'd like to know if the Coralife Aqualight Power Center is a good timer. (I'd really like to know. It's the only timer of this kind available around here and it's 75 $ CAN, so I don't want to get something that wouldn't do...) Thanks a lot!!! Ivan <I don't have personal use with the timer or know of anyone close that has. Better for you, do check the big message board "Reef Central" for a consensus on customer satisfaction. Anthony> Xenia eating snail? Or snail eating xenia?
First off 40 gallon Temp: 78 pH: 8.5 KH: 8dKH Gravity: 1.024 Ammonia: 0
mg/L Nitrite: 0 mg/L Nitrate 5mg/L Phosphate: 0.25 mg/L Cu: 0 mg/L Ca:
400 mg/L My tank is almost 6 months old (Day 186) Thanks for the
calcium help I have effectively reached 400 mg/L CA. I have a question
about xenia. I have several Xenia pulsing away, I have had them for
about 4 months. A couple of days ago I noticed one of the xenia kind of
wilting and looking constricted as it sometimes does. Wondering I
reached in to examine, on the other side of the small piece of LR in
noticed a snail shell, completely covered in coralline algae (White
flesh) that the xenia had attached to holding it fast. I did not
purchase this snail and the xenia has been wilted on and off since I
got it. I twisted the snail free and placed it a foot away from the
xenia. A day past and I noticed that the wilted xenia was recovering
but another stalk was withering. Looking I found that same snail right
beside the withering stalk. My question is, "Are there snails that
eat or attack xenia?" < Not that I knew of. But hey,
maybe you found one. In this case I'd put the snail in a trap or
remove it entirely and see what happens. > The snail's
flesh is white, the shell is covered in coralline so I can't tell
what it is naturally, any help is appreciated. < Well I think
it would be fun to test this out. Keep the snail in separated from the
Xenia for a few weeks, then put him back by the Xenia. See what
happens. But this is really strange to me, as I've never heard of
this happening. > Thank you, Troy < Blundell >
Xenia not pulsing, and hermits eating a leather? Thanks for replying.... Well, after a few 5g water changes both leathers are open, even though one of them got two laser like incisions (I think there is weird shell-less snail) - some sort of Nudibranch that I saw 2 nights ago that might be the culprit. I also see some of my blue hermit crabs climbing on top of them and harassing them at night. Could it be that the hermits are eating my leather now? << Doubtful. They may be eating the dead tissue on them, or accumulating detritus, but I doubt they are eating the coral. >> My alkalinity is still 160mg/L down from 190mg/L so I stopped adding anything - I assume Kalkwasser is out of question too? My Xenia is still not pulsing though - some of the tentacles retract - like a closing feast but they don't pulse like before. My pH is at 8.2 - 8.3. I have been adding only the recommended dose of iodine, but it still won't pulse. << Don't add any more Iodine, unless you test for it and know what levels you have. >> Is it normal for Xenia tentacles/arms to extend to 7-8 inches length? I've seen some in various LFS but none were extending that much like mine. I have them under medium current. << For Xenia to pulse I think you need 1) lots of light, 2) more light, 3) proper alkalinity, 4) low nutrient levels. >> Thanks. Dimitris << When in doubt, just give it time. Blundell >> Mystery crab I had a nice xenia piece growing rather well in my tank and overnight I lost about 2/3 of the coral. I did an exhaustive search and never found a thing other than a stowaway crab that I never purchased. I did some research and found out that it is most likely a Eriphia smithi crab, aka: red eyed reef crab, aka: liar crab. it is about the same size as my emerald crab, but reddish brown with red eyes. I've heard from web users that it is a carnivore and that it has probably been the cause of my missing snail phenomenon as well as my disappearing xenia trick. <May well be> unfortunately no one knows anything about the animal other than "he's bad" and its "carnivorous" all I can find on the web is in Russian. and despite all the vodka I drink, I still cannot decipher the Russian. <Heee! Maybe try Babelfish (the program, not a drink)> if you have any info or links for me to read id very much appreciate the help. I removed the crab and placed him in my fuge just to be safe. <Good move> but id like to know before I buy any more livestock if that was probably the cause of my problem. the only thing else in my tank is: green Brittlestar, percula clown, blue legged hermits, yellow tang, and assorted snails. <None of these likely implicated> any help would be appreciated. Edwin <I also know very little concerning this crab... or speak/read Russian... I do hope that its removal solves your mystery. In the meanwhile, do keep your eyes open, maybe take a peek during the night with a small flashlight to see if there's something else mallurking. Bob Fenner> Xenia troubles Mike, <Anthony is the
ultimate xenia guru in the group, but I thought I would chime is since
this is fairly common.> Having a bit of a weird problem here.
Earlier today my two xenias (actually turning into 4 xenias) looked
fine, pulsing like mad, etc. I did a 1 gallon water change (I do
this every two days, tank size is 40 gallons) with a bucket of water
premixed (been using this water all week). About an hour later,
the xenia started closing. <I am assuming no change in salt brand,
etc. and that you have checked alkalinity. Also consider if you
have changed lots of salt within the same brand (Instant Ocean
doesn't seem to be the same super consistent product it used to
be.)> That didn't bother me, as it sometimes closes when
something annoys it (hermit crab, etc) but then it started
"shriveling" (turning a dark purple and shrinking MUCH
smaller than I've seen it before). However, 10 inches away is
another xenia doing just fine. As I write this I'm pretty
sure one of my xenia bunches is just about dead, and the other is
fine. Any ideas? All other corals fine, too...don't see
anything close enough to sting it. Don't know what's
wrong :( <Sometimes this seems to be cyclical/seasonal, so any
noteworthy event could be co-incidence. I have a variety of
"giant xenia" that melts down at the drop of a hat (when
others continue to thrive). It drops polyps all over the
tank, and in a few weeks tiny colonies are popping up all over the
tank. Overcrowding, changes in temperature, changes in water
chemistry (especially alkalinity) have all been suspected as causes or
triggers. It is always fishy (no pun intended) when some declines
while others thrive. I hate to leave things without explanation,
but this type of event is fact of life with xenia, and it is xenia
after all.... in six months (or less) it will be back to being a
pest. If you want to try and run down the cause, do test your
newly mixed water and compare the pH and alkalinity to the tank.
If you have an ORP meter, do also compare the RedOx of the new water
vs. the tank and the tank pre and post change. Do keep an eye on
it... often it will recover, sometimes growing new colonies from the
tiniest undetectable little scraps of tissue left on the rocks.
Hmmmm... looking back at this reply, it is a lot of non-committal
fluff. I guess the bottom line is that nobody knows. I am a
pretty serious xenia junky and read a lot about xenia on the boards,
chat a lot about xenia with other addicts, etc. and have never heard a
reliable, reasonable explanation. Regards, Adam> ANTHELIA DIE OFF I was hoping you might have some
experience with an anthelia die off. << I actually
do.>> I have a 120 gal tank that has been running for two
years. I have not made much in the way of changes to the
bioload since I set it up and stocked it over the first six
months. Over the last four months I have had a patch of
anthelia just slowly wither away. Also, I lost a lawnmower
blenny that just seemed to waste away after a year of being fat and
happy. A great looking Tubipora grew like crazy, the started
looking raggedy and wasted away (I think my yellow tang may have
decided was tasty) and a Trachyphyllia that used to be inflated beyond
anything I have seen (feeder tentacles were out 24/7) now just looks
like ones I seen in the stores. On the other hand, I've
had Ritteri that is growing and thriving for well over a year (I
don't feed it very often, is that bad?), a Euphyllia that has
tripled its branches, xenia that is growing like weeds (any ideas on
controlling it) a Pavona and two Pectinia that are growing, a
Sarcophyton that I have trimmed drastically twice, and a Pocillopora
that must have reproduced because there are now a dozen small colonies
all over the tank. The mixed bag of results has me worried that I
am missing something. On the other hand, some stuff is going
gangbusters and I reluctant to change my routine, which isn't much
except reef builder for alkalinity and calcium. None of the
shops has much in the way of advice. Am I heading for
disaster? << I don't believe so.>> Are there other
additives I should be using? << I don't believe
Anthelia needs additives.>> Should I try another lawnmower (my
wife's favorite fish). Can you tell my how to I go back
in time and decide pass on the small colony of pulsing
xenia? << Ah yes, the million dollar question.>>
<< Okay here is the first thing I would suspect. Do
you have any Peppermint Shrimp? I didn't think they
would eat Anthelia, until my peppermints ate all my
Aiptasia. Then sure enough, as my friend warned me, I saw
them eating Anthelia at night. If that isn't the case
for you, my second guess it temperature. For some reason
when tanks get warm (I'll say above 80 F) I've seen cases where
the Anthelia declined. If that too isn't the case,
please write back.>> << Adam Blundell>> UFO on Xenia & Lobophyton 5/21/04 Last night I
separated the Xenia from its base rock. It came off in 3 sections,
including one that looks healthy, a tiny bit left from the branch that
had previously had the most necrotic tissue, and a large double
branched stalk, one of which has a weird porthole on its side with a
pregnant bulge just below it. From the bottom, it looks as if one or
more strands of the parasite have wormed their way up into the left,
bulging side of the Xenia. http://www.culturedaquaria.com/xenia/xenia4.jpg
http://www.culturedaquaria.com/xenia/xenia5.jpg
I'm considering splitting that piece in half vertically to isolate
the bulging side from the healthier side. <OK... seems like a
sustainable move> Whether or not I do that, I'm unsure what to
do afterwards. <the frags can be sewn to the next rock rubble with
plastic sewing thread or thin fishing line, or they can be speared and
impaled by a cocktail toothpick (the plastic jobs with the ornate ends
that prevent an olive/coral from sliding back off)> This Xenia was
in my large display tank positioned near 3 other prized Xenias which,
like the one under alien attack, I'd raised from tiny frags. I have
several other brightly lit tanks that contain corals but no Xenia. Do
you think that would be a safe place to put them? <I cannot say,
since the photos do not clearly reveal anything at all that could be
parasitic. The pics simply show some necrotic areas. It could be
stinging hydroids making their way up and through... could be another
predator... or could simply be anomalies on a Xenia that is not being
attacked at all, but rather is suffering from aggression from other
corals in the tank, or low pH (below 8.3 at night)> Should I try to
mount them to rocks now or wait awhile? <mount them immediately
after fragging, and keep them away from other Xenia> My coral tanks
have powerheads and hang-on filters, so they would be at risk of
getting sucked into or up against an intake. (I've grown several
Sinularia frags out of disgusting blobs that I pulled out of filters,
but I doubt the Xenia would be that accommodating.) Thanks, Suzanne
<beat regards, Anthony Calfo> 2 questions... (Small reef system, Xenia) Hi there everyone, First off, I really enjoy the website and have gained much valuable insight from your responses. <thanks kindly> Now to add my own query to the growing pile of information... I have a 25 gallon reef tank which has been up and running for about seven months now. I have a great colony of pulsing Xenia which has been rapidly spreading and dividing. Recently one of the stalks basically fell apart (shed polyps and disintegrated) over a matter of a few days. All the others look great and still appear to be growing/pulsing like mad. My setup and water quality is the following. 25 g tank with custom skimmer (some daily product) and 2x55w pc lights. 35lb live rock with 2 in bed of live sand. Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0-2 ppm pH 8.3 Alk 2.8 ml eq/l Temp 78 SG 1.027 <nothing stands out conspicuously here> I don't add anything to the tank other than RO water, and 1-2g water changes each week. Other than the Xenia, the other inhabitants of the tank are: 2 small Sarcophyton leather corals 2 Ricordea mushrooms 1 feather duster 5 Xmas tree worms 1 (spreading like mad) colony of Pachyclavularia polyps 1 True Percula Clown 4 Turbo Snails ~10 Blue Leg Hermits All the tank inhabitants have never looked better (even the rest of the Xenia). I was wondering if you had any ideas on why the one Xenia stalk would have crashed so suddenly (and why the others still look so good). <depressed pH is a common cause... is 8.3 your daytime reading? If so... test after extended darkness (first thing in the AM)... see if you are much below 8.3... quite stressful for some Xenia. Else... are there mushrooms or Starpolyps nearby? Xenia is quite passive and this colony may have succumbed to coral aggression> My second question concerns the Pachyclavularia polyps. On the corner of the rock on which they reside, there are several small holes (~1 mm diameter) from which periodically throughout the day a very small translucent tentacle whips out and nettles the stolon mat that is close to the holes. <yep... barnacles if iridescent like fiberglass... else a worm of some sort... very cool either way.> Since I've gotten this coral, the polyps near these holes never extend any more and even the stolon mat has receded a bit from this corner of the rock. Any idea what the heck is living in that rock that is nettling the coral? And further, how should I deal with it? The rest of the coral is doing great and spreading in other directions to other rocks. Thanks so much for your time, I look forward to reading your responses. Jeremy <best regards, Anthony> Xenia elongata Help Please!!! Ok I have a 180 reef tank. All kinds of corals, frog spawn, bubbles (brown and white), Fox, clams, etc. Everything is doing GREAT .The problem is I can't keep Xenia. It got real small and died. Tried some more and same thing. Water is in GREAT shape. Cal.450 KH 10, PH 8.2 every thing is good. Give the tank Iodine, DTs. It's on an ecosystem with 40watt.Uv, 440 VHO lights white and blue. (it's up top high) ANY IDEAS on why I can't keep this stuff ???? Thanks so much for your time, Chip <the strong presence of LPS corals is quite aggressive. Placement of the Xenia within 10 inches of many LPS species is a kiss of death for some Xenia (not all... some are quite durable). If the tank also is not skimmed aggressively to dilute the chemical toxins, or is water changes are modest (less than weekly)... then we may have your problem. Try keeping them in a refugium inline instead. A nice feature for the tank. best regards, Anthony> Xenia Lost Their Zip! Hi Guys <Scott F. your guy tonight> I have Pulse Xenia and white star and some metallic green xenia all other corals bubbles, leathers and other polyps are quite happy. But the Xenia never seem to grow and the pulse stays contracted but still pulse? The green xenia looks like it may be dying off. Water quality is fine ,will additional strontium help? <I have not heard of strontium supplementation being beneficial to this species...> or am I missing something else? Thanks, Tim <Well, Tim- there are all sorts of theories as to what makes Xenia pulse. Some hobbyists swear that iodine supplementation is the key, others feel that light and current play a bigger role in this "behaviour". A valid theory is that Xenia tend to pulse at steady, higher pH. Xenia are thought to be autotrophic, meaning that they don't generally require supplemental feeding. What you need to do is to review your tank's parameters once again, checking that pH. Perhaps you are positioning your Xenia near other, more aggressive corals, and they are becoming victims of "allelopathy" (chemical "warfare")? You certainly could experiment with iodine- but do test for anything that you should add. Do pick up a copy of Anthony Calfo's "Book of Coral Propagation" for a thorough review of the care and propagation of Xeniids. Do a little research- you should be successful! Regards, Scott F.> Coral Calamity (RECAP day 3 (HELP!! DYING xenia corals) Ok.. so my pulse corals (both colonies) literally deteriorated.. and I'm assuming that the decay from the dead corals probably caused a spike ammonia.. <Very possible, when you are dealing with a lot of decomposing matter in a tank> Strange thing,.. all the leathers in my tank are expanded, but their polyps aren't extended at all and that one colt coral just doesn't wanna open at all.. another thing about the colt (Sinularia sp.) is that it had black spots (2 or 3 of them) that almost looked like slime algae.. .. I used a turkey baster to try and spray off the spots and it didn't work so I had to use my fingers by gently rubbing the covered branches. <I wonder if this was something other than algae...Hard to say from here. May have been some decomposing mucous or other material that "stuck" to the coral> Underneath the stalk appeared emaciated and colorless.. we also proceeded in doing a 25 gallon water change in which we did 5 gallon water changes every 20 minutes in order to let the water mix as to not change the parameters of the tank too much. <Good idea...Sometimes, environmental lapses can cause a temporary lapse of turgor (i.e.; they become "deflated"). Usually, all that is needed to "perk them up" again is a water change> On a lighter side.. my rose BTA is expanded really nicely :) <well, ya got to feel good about that, huh?> Another question I have is that with Euphylliids and bubbles.. can they be housed with members of the same family? I have an octo bubble and a white bubble that are relatively close together, but they have never touched (but if either decided to grow then we might have a problem.. and as for the Euphyllias.. I have a torch, elegance, frogspawn, and hammer.. can any of these corals be housed next to each other? Or will they sting and kill each other.. and if not then can 2 hammers or 2 frogspawns etc. be housed next to each other? <Well, in all of the examples that you give, these corals are quite capable of stinging each other. Euphyllias pack a real wallop, and can send out really L-O-N-G sweepers...I'd make sure that you keep them quite far (like 10 inches or more) apart in an aquarium...They really do "defend" their territories, so keep this in mind when placing them.> Thanks again, Jonathan <Good luck with your coral community, Jonathan! Regards, Scott F> Declining Xenia 6/7/03 Hello, <cheers> A few weeks ago I purchased two small colonies of pulsing xenia (not sure what specific kind). They were placed in different areas of the tank in a med. to high current and both were doing fine for several weeks. Probably five days ago they began to shrink in size. The pom-poms are still opening during daylight hours but the stalk and each individual arm keeps shrinking. I have a 55 gallon reef tank which includes: 1 Chromis (due to a bout with ick, tank had been fallow for a month. This fish just added a week ago) 1 star polyp (doing fine) 1 metallic green brain (added at same time as xenia, it's doing fine) 1 brittle star 1 banded shrimp 50lbs live rock 15 gallon sump w/refugium Prizm protein skimmer removing dark liquid daily ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0 (or very close to it) dKH 10 ph 8.3 260w compact fluorescent lighting temp 79 salinity 1.25 -1.26 (not as stable as it should be due to daily changes in humidity and evaporation) 5% water changes weekly <nothing stands out as a problem with water chemistry... unless that pH is a day time reading in which case your pH may actually be dropping to well below 8.3 at night (bad for Xenia)> Concerned that iodine might be the problem I began using Kent's Tech-I (used as directed) a couple of days ago but there has been no sign of improvement. <lack of iodine can be a problem, but only here if the iodine is old (over 2 months)> It has been suggested to me by LFS that my tank may be too clean. <I guarantee you that is not the case... in any aquarium!> Not enough nutrients for the xenia to absorb and that I should add more fish. Something obviously needs correcting but I'm not sure what it may be. I really don't want to lose them! <lack of quarantine or acclimation to light is more likely a factor. Aggression from a neighboring coral even more so (Starpolyps or other coral within 10"? Shedding chemicals/allelopathy)> Thanks so much for your help, Bryan <best regards, Anthony>
Red crab is eating my xenia. Hi Bob, <Anthony Calfo in your service> I recently set up a 70 gal reef take to replace my existing 30 gal. I purchased about 50 lbs. of Fiji live rock from a local retailer which of course came with many pleasant surprises. <yes...many such joys with fresh live rock> The tank has been running for about 5 months now. About 2 months ago I placed some green star polyps that are doing fantastic. Based on the success of the star polyps I figured I could start transplanting the rest of my corals into the new tank. I started with a small xenia and a Sarcophyton. This morning when I looked the xenia was gone and the Sarcophyton had a bite taken out of it. I looked with a flash light in the holes in the live rock and saw a red crab munching on the xenia. <Arghhh> The crab is roughly the size and shape of an emerald crab but it' s bright red. Any idea what kind of crab this is and is it a notorious problem in reef systems. <actually, most crabs including emerald crabs can be predatory in reefs. Most all are opportunistic predators. So... if hungry enough <G>> Other suspects are a 6 line and a peppermint shrimp. Any advice is appreciated. <the crab is by far the likely candidate. Do remove and resist even most "safe" crabs if you want great diversity of microorganisms in live rock and sand> Thanks John Allen <best regards, Anthony> The one-armed Xeniid did it!
<Lorenzo again, 'playing Bob'> Pom Pom Xenia Hi Bob, I don't know if you remember, but you sent me few replies about my pom pom xenia and what I thought was a disintegration problem. I increased calc from 485 to about 540 and my PH from 8.3 to 8.4. I also increased my Iodine by about 50% and started adding it on a daily basis instead of once a week. All of this seemed to have helped as the xenia perked up a little and the "dissolved" tissue seemed to have healed up. But he was still not as open and nice looking as he was the first week, so I kept looking for something else. Well last night I found the it! About 3 hours after the lights went off I was looking at the xenia and noticed a piece that I thought was separating off, but it was a Nudibranch. It was actively eating the tissue at the base of the Xenia. It's body blended in perfectly with the xenia and the filter/hairs I forgot what they are called) on its back mimics xenia polyps very well! With its camouflage and the fact that it was living on/in the rock the xenia was attached to it almost seems like this thing is specialized to feed on xenia. I tried taking a picture of it but I don't have a dig camera and my connectix camera doesn't work for up close stuff. I have not heard of a Nudibranch attaching xenia or found any info on it. The bite marks which were quit raw last night healed up at least 50% by this morning and look smooth like the tissue has dissolved away instead of having been chewed on, so I reasonably sure that this has been my problem all along. You mentioned that you had some friend who propagate xenia commercially - do they have a web site or some way to order from them?- have they seen this before? Is it likely that there are more or that this one laid eggs? >> Have heard of Nudibranchs on pulsing corals, and do agree that this one is very likely a specialized feeder. Pretty curious as so much of the Xeniids are (appropriately) cultured at local levels around the planet. Not much chance for wild-predator introduction. May have laid eggs... you'll just have to keep your eyes open. A few propagationist friends do have sites, best for you to search them (and who knows who else) out via your search engines. Bob Fenner |
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