bald xenia

Discussion in 'Coral Health' started by Mkizla, Sep 7, 2009.

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  1. Mkizla

    Mkizla Eyelash Blennie

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    Well the xenia frag i got from lfs 3 days ago, are now bald
    *lost all the branch, and just the middle piece is standing*
    I assume it melted?..anyway so what happens now? What can i do?
    All the branch are gone, so since branches are gone the pulsers are gone too. Now it just looks like a small cactus.
     
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  3. bama

    bama Humpback Whale

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    its possibly retracted.. when Im cleaning my tank my xenia retract and you cant see any of the heads, it also looks puffy when this happens.. Give it the night and maybe they will come back out..

    what are your params..
     
  4. oceanparadise1

    oceanparadise1 Fire Squid

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    Honestly, xenia is tricker then people think. Some peoples tank it does great others not so much. I cant keep it alive in my 180 to save my life, my 180 has all the good toys, but in my 55 frag tank with NO sump, NO skimmer and 3t5hos at the moment it grows like a weed, its funny stuff my friends
     
  5. mattheuw1

    mattheuw1 Montipora Capricornis

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    xenia likes nitrates, if your system has no nutrients its going to be hard to grow. I have 2 nice bushes, never pulsed at all though, died after 9 months. Slowly melted. One was even grown all on the wall. Too bad my kenya trees won't melt!
     
  6. Mkizla

    Mkizla Eyelash Blennie

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    my water params read as...

    Alk: 14.4
    Ca: 400
    Ph: 8.1
    Nitrate: 0
    Nitrite: 0
    Amonia: 0
    Sah: 1.025
    And my tanks temp hangs out in: 79-82, 83 in extremly hot days.
     
  7. mattheuw1

    mattheuw1 Montipora Capricornis

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    Mine did the best at about 20-30ppm nitrates. As soon as I brought it down to 0ppm, it withered away. Never had any other coral die.
     
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  9. Aqualung

    Aqualung Stylophora

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    Xenia loves nutrients and FLOW. Thrives in my tank.. had to get rid of it altogether.. got sick of fragging it.
     
  10. Mkizla

    Mkizla Eyelash Blennie

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    well what could be causing my xenia to die? The branch didnt retrack or anything. By day to day, the branch and the pulsers got smaller and smaller, and eventually it became bald.
     
  11. pgreef

    pgreef Fire Goby

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    My nitrates range between undetectable and 0.5 ppm and my Red Sea Xenia is thriving. I don't think anyone really knows why it is hit or miss. My first attempt at Xenia failed. I had added it when my tank was only a few months old and it slowly melted back. It took months to die and not days. Some say you need to dose iodine. I had tried that with my first Xenia and it didn't save it. I don't recommend dosing anything if you can't or don't test for it.

    I added the white/pink Red Sea Pom Pom after about 9 months. The heads started to retract and then all of a sudden it turned around. It would take over my tank if I let it.

    Do you have a picture?
     
  12. Mkizla

    Mkizla Eyelash Blennie

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    No i dont have a picture, I will take it soon though. Is there any other coral besides xenia that its a hit or a miss? I dont want to risk my money on something 50/50
    Anything that its really successful at most times, but also good beginner coral you guys can recommand?