Xenia query

[target001]

my xenia when i bought it had stood up very tall and the tips opened up
now they seem to be closed up like lil fists the coral still stands up as it did

they are positioned in a well light spot where there is alot of wter flow as i understand thats what they like

is this unnormal, is it sick, should i even worry?

thnx in advance

[MDeth]

They do it often. Could be feeding...who knows, but nothing to worry about!

[ziggy222]

its not happy about something.xenia can be sensitive to sudden changes in your water,especially salinity.if its going to die,it will probably look like its melting.their super hard to kill but i hear they can die for no reason.i've had mine 2yrs an never lost any,even the ones i cut up into small peices grew right back.if i ripped them from a rock sometimes the stump would die but the stalk still grew into a new colony.i cut a single polyp off an it became a new colony.only thing thats going to kill them is water chemistry changing real fast,or ripping them out an throwing them away.i had some under 2 watts per gallon in a 10 gallon tank,no skimmer,new carbon for the hang on filter and a 10% water change every 3 months or so using tap water and instant ocean salt ,and they lasted a yeer before starting to shrink.then i added more light an did a 3 gallon water change and they sprang right back.i gave some to my lfs and they died in 2 days.i gave some to my neighbor an it dissolved into nothing the next day.i put some in my 55 gallon reef tank and theres now about 80 stalks.it never even stopped pulsing when i ripped it out of one tank and tossed it into the other.its very unpredictable.how long have you had it?it'll probably open back up real soon.good luck.

[coral reefer]

How long ago did you buy them?
they will close up if something is effecting them or harrassing them also. Plus like ziggy222 mentioned, abrupt changes with any of the numerous variables associated with saltwater tanks, can ultimately pose a problem!

[target001]

ive had the xenia for about a 2 weeks i did a water change 3 days after i put it in the tank the 3 days fefore the water change it stood up and looked great

other side notes
the last water change was with rain water <never again ill stick to tap water>
ive had alot of temp trouble so i took the glass lids off and opend up the top of the tank, itreduced the temp by 1 deg C but i lost about 10 litres of water in a week and salinity went up, and the temp still fluctuated from 26 deg C to 28.8 deg C i cant get it under 26 Deg C im sure ive tryed everything.
anyway i put the glass lids on to try and help the water lvl and salinity and the temp sites pretty high ive got my heater set at 22 deg C that used to hold the tank steady at 25 deg C now for some reason it doesnt
lil bit wierd considering were getting mornings with -1 deg c every 1 in our house is freezing and then fish are sweltering

all of chemical lvls are ok exept for salinty which im slowely bring back down
and nitrate is 50 ppm

[amcarrig]

Ditch the glass tops as it can affect lighting and does affect oxygen exchange. You'll have more evaporation but it's something we all have to deal with, unfortunately. Xenia does not like temp or salinity fluctuations so that might be your problem.

[target001]

Originally Posted by amcarrig

Ditch the glass tops as it can affect lighting and does affect oxygen exchange. You'll have more evaporation but it's something we all have to deal with, unfortunately. Xenia does not like temp or salinity fluctuations so that might be your problem.

whats the best way to deal with evaporation on a daily basis keeping in mind the salinity?

[MDeth]

top off every night :/

Or buy an ATO, although they can and will fail resulting in a WAY low SG and a flood

[target001]

i can top it up daily thats no problem the main problm is that i only have a canister filter underneath not a sump so any evaporation what so ever is noticed in the tank its self, of course thats also where my skimmer is, when the water lvl gets low the water falls off the out let into the tank it makes alot of noise like a tape running, which also creates the salt creep and evaproates more water. i would have to put 3-6 litres of water in the tank per day ok i can deal with that but my salinity is out should i be making fresh low salinity water or can i get away with putting fresh unsalted water in slowely?

also are there any sugestions about tank cooling, i mean maybe its something in my tank creating heat
my hardware is: T5 HO twin light unit (1 18k tube 1 actinics globe)
2 powerheads (1 attatched to skimmer) both in main tank
ehiem canister filter
heater(havent seen it turn on in weeks maybe months)
145 litre tank
my tank is not situated near any windows it recieves no day light at all

[amcarrig]

No, I would just add unsalted fresh water to top off. Once you get the hang of how much to add per day, you shouldn't have to worry about salinity fluctuations. As for temperature swings, do you have a fan blowing cross the surface of the tank water or anything?