My xenias are dying

Discussion in 'Soft Corals' started by Anldyxp, Mar 11, 2011.

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  1. Anldyxp

    Anldyxp Skunk Shrimp

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    Hi guys. So for about 2 weeks my xenias have been clenched and shriveled. I thought nothing of it because they do that sometimes. But recently, a cluster of them started browing and losing their fingers. This morning they were completely gone. Only some brown mush was left. Water params are all good, and the only thing i've done recently was a 50% water change. Could this have killed them?

    I heard that Xenias like the nitrates. For a long time my tank had a nitrate problem, and I could never get it below 20-40ppm. But the 50% water change brought it down to 5ppm. Its been a week since the change and I noticed the remaining cluster of Xenia has loosened up a bit, and looks a little better. Could it be from the increased nitrates since the last water change?

    Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

    btw: tank specs are: 20gal, w/octopus bh-100 w/carbon. aquaclear 30 with sponge and chaetomorpha. I also heard that xenias don't do well in heavily skimmed tanks. Would this be considered heavily skimmed? Thanks!
     
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  3. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Xenia is just an odd coral. It is one of those corals that does not really follow the rules or generalizations regarding it's care. You can check at night and see if you have a nudibranch munching on them. I agree somewhat that they do better in tanks that do not aggressively polish the water. In my experience they also do better in systems that maintain a pH around 8.0 and higher, which really makes no sense since less polished systems should have lower pH's. I have had it thrive in one tank and die back in another with the same lighting and same water parameters.
     
  4. Anldyxp

    Anldyxp Skunk Shrimp

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    Thanks for the input. I have heard this as well. that xenias are hit or miss corals. I hope the remaining stocks are able to recover and spread.
     
  5. Zoanthids21

    Zoanthids21 McKoscker’s Flasher Wrasse

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    They may, may not..My xenia thrives well in my tank..All 3 of them that ive had.
     
  6. m2434

    m2434 Giant Squid

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    They seem to be quite variable, so they may vary based on where they are from and exactly which strain. However, IME, often they like high nutrient environments and therefore may not like the reduced nitrate.
     
  7. nc208082

    nc208082 Zoanthid

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    mine like high calcium levels, also if they are doing put a powerhead blowing on them, this made mine come back to life when it was dying.
     
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  9. Zoanthids21

    Zoanthids21 McKoscker’s Flasher Wrasse

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    I keep my nitrates at 15-20ppm..All softies and LPS corals do fine and actually grow very fast..
     
  10. smoyer

    smoyer Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    xenias usually doesnt do well in very clean tanks like those maintained in sps tanks
     
  11. Skylark

    Skylark Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

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    Same happened to me when I started using RO water and did a 40% water change I lost about 90% of them and only a few small pieces remained, it took about 2 months for them to actually start to extend and pulse again. The upside for me though is I'm slowly getting my bubble algae under control.
     
  12. Anldyxp

    Anldyxp Skunk Shrimp

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    Yeah it seems like it. I was afraid that I was going to loose something eventually due to my high nitrates, so I did a big water change. I will try to keep the nitrates around 20ppm or less and see if they can recover. Is this bad for my fish, and Zoas?

    They actually were pretty close to my power head, but i redirected the power head. It looked like a clump of the xenias were flapping around barely attached to the rock.

    Same here, when I first started seeing bubble algae I didnt know what it was. But when I researched that they can release spores and infest the tank, I started buying the RO water.


    Thank you all for your input! It helped alot.