I can keep my gf happy but not Xenia

[mzlskink]

They were happy, once up on a time when I first started tank

In past few months they all turned grey and shrinked. I have tried and bought different colonies, all end up the same so it must… be me

Tank parameters
Salinity 1.025
Alk 7-8
PH 8-8.3
Mag 1100
Calcium 440-460
Temperature 79-80F

The other softies like nephthea and leathers are doing well. I also have a cespitularia (it’s a Xenia relative right? see photo) which is growing fast and happy. Lighting I’ve tried from 20 par to 150 par none seem to make them happy

 

[west co reefer]

Nitrates? How's the flow?

 

[mzlskink]

Nitrates? How's the flow?

20ppm, used to be lower I think. At one point I moved the Xenia rock to corner to reduce flow, but did not work. I am honestly out of ideas.

 

[KrisReef]

Maybe we could work out a trade?

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I can grow millepora, anacros, whatever, nems, and clams.

I can't grow xenia. It used to vex and perturb me. 20 years into the hobby and I'm just fine letting xenia be xenia in other people's tanks.

Put short, if your parameters are good and your xenia is struggling while everything else is doing well, don't chase happy xenia.

 

[Lavey29]

Magnesium is low

 

[Roatan Reef]

I can grow millepora, anacros, whatever, nems, and clams.

I can't grow xenia. It used to vex and perturb me. 20 years into the hobby and I'm just fine letting xenia be xenia in other people's tanks.

Put short, if your parameters are good and your xenia is struggling while everything else is doing well, don't chase happy xenia.

Shiiiiiidddd...I can grow pretty much anything now, but GSP, Xenia...Nope!

I'm ok with it though!
You should be too OP!!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Well I have some zenia you can try... if it doesn’t work out "There's more where that came from"
In my tank that the Zenia's are out of control, I have high Po4, Like .5 ppm. I am not saying to go that high but maybe look at that. They say you can grow Zenia in a toilet....

 

[KrisReef]

Well I have some zenia you can try... if it doesn’t work out "There's more where that came from"
In my tank that the Zenia's are out of control, I have high Po4, Like .5 ppm. I am not saying to go that high but maybe look at that. They say you can grow Zenia in a toilet....

That's were all mine went but I don't know if it is still growing down there in the dark or not?

 

[west co reefer]

I have read in the past that xenia do better in "dirtier water"

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

That's were all mine went but I don't know if it is still growing down there in the dark or not?

If you have to flush twice in the mornings, than more than likely

 

[Dan_P]

They were happy, once up on a time when I first started tank

In past few months they all turned grey and shrinked. I have tried and bought different colonies, all end up the same so it must… be me

Tank parameters
Salinity 1.025
Alk 7-8
PH 8-8.3
Mag 1100
Calcium 440-460
Temperature 79-80F

The other softies like nephthea and leathers are doing well. I also have a cespitularia (it’s a Xenia relative right? see photo) which is growing fast and happy. Lighting I’ve tried from 20 par to 150 par none seem to make them happy

In my system, flow seems to be extremely important (PO4 0.4 ppm, NO3 10 ppm). I have two powerheads on opposite sides of a 75 gallon aquarium set to randomly high flow. Periodically, the flow can briefly be strong enough to blow them sideways. The aquarium surfaces are completely cover in Xenia.

Recently, I had cleaned the powerheads and didn’t notice one was not plugged in. The Xenia started to die on that side of the aquarium within only 5 days. When I fially noticed what I had done, I plugged in the powerhead and the Xenia stopped dying and the remaining stumps regrew the pulsing tentacles. All is well again and the Xenia now spreading on the glass.

 

[littlefoxx]

I dont think thats xenia. I had one of those I thought was xenia too but actually was anthelia (close relative of xenia from my understanding). Mine always looked like yours when it was happy. It shrunk when it wasnt, so if thats the same coral I had it isnt pulsing xenia. Someone correct me if Im wrong…

 

[mzlskink]

Maybe we could work out a trade?

What do you have in mind? Haha

 

[mzlskink]

I can grow millepora, anacros, whatever, nems, and clams.

I can't grow xenia. It used to vex and perturb me. 20 years into the hobby and I'm just fine letting xenia be xenia in other people's tanks.

Put short, if your parameters are good and your xenia is struggling while everything else is doing well, don't chase happy xenia.

I know, the more I make my tank better in parameter, the less Xenia seem to do well ‍

 

[mzlskink]

Shiiiiiidddd...I can grow pretty much anything now, but GSP, Xenia...Nope!

I'm ok with it though!
You should be too OP!!

My gsp is doing okay, not wildfire but happier than Xenia!

 

[mzlskink]

Well I have some zenia you can try... if it doesn’t work out "There's more where that came from"
In my tank that the Zenia's are out of control, I have high Po4, Like .5 ppm. I am not saying to go that high but maybe look at that. They say you can grow Zenia in a toilet....

I think my phosphate has dropped a lot recently but they been doing bad before that, I am feeding fish more to hop phosphate to up a bit from 0.02

 

[mzlskink]

In my system, flow seems to be extremely important (PO4 0.4 ppm, NO3 10 ppm). I have two powerheads on opposite sides of a 75 gallon aquarium set to randomly high flow. Periodically, the flow can briefly be strong enough to blow them sideways. The aquarium surfaces are completely cover in Xenia.

Recently, I had cleaned the powerheads and didn’t notice one was not plugged in. The Xenia started to die on that side of the aquarium within only 5 days. When I fially noticed what I had done, I plugged in the powerhead and the Xenia stopped dying and the remaining stumps regrew the pulsing tentacles. All is well again and the Xenia now spreading on the glass.

This is new, I do only have one Powerhead (and a broken mechanical filter that creates flow nonstop) in my 40 gal, maybe I do need another power head to try out!

 

[mzlskink]

I dont think thats xenia. I had one of those I thought was xenia too but actually was anthelia (close relative of xenia from my understanding). Mine always looked like yours when it was happy. It shrunk when it wasnt, so if thats the same coral I had it isnt pulsing xenia. Someone correct me if Im wrong…

They were pulsing in store, haha I think it was Pom Pom Xenia cuz its side

 

[littlefoxx]

They were pulsing in store, haha I think it was Pom Pom Xenia cuz its side

Ah lol. It just looks exactly like mine that never pulsed. It was happy until a butterfly decided it looked really good and ate it!