Urgent Xenia dying?

Well I got a piece of rubble rock at the lfs Tues that had 4-5 stalks xenia on it

it looks great yesterday but now all except one stalk is grayish looking and looks kind of wilted whats wrong?

My tank is newly setup been up for about a month and a half now but all my parameters are great and yes I have a test kit and now what parameters are lol

anyway I have a 65gal hex with 50lbs reef cleaners rock two small pieces of live and 30lbs live sand

lighting is coralife 2x65w pc but only the daylight works right now so I put the xenia up pretty high in the tank

I have:

1 chromis

1 royal gramma

snails

1 sand sifting starfish

please help

oh yeah salinity is 1.025 I think i might move the xenia by a powerhead maybee that will help

 

xenia like low flow.. Mine are touchy.. sometimes they look like they are dying.. Give it time, Im sure its ok

 

as easily as xenia can grow. it sometimes just doesnt do well in some tanks. its almost fickle at times. give it time and hopefully it comes around

 

what are your params? I don't trust 'great' :-/ I want real numbers please. (looking for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and alk readings, this coral doesn't really care about Ca or Mg)

How did you acclimate the xenia (you did acclimate it right?)


Also, what is your tank temp? I used to keep xenia (now I just view it as a pest) but when I did have it, I found it didn't like the tank to be above 80 or below 78.

I also found it hated unstable alk. It didn't seem to care if it was low or high so long as it doesn't change. pH seemed to impact it too, but I feel it is more closely related to the alk (which adjusts pH).

 

PH 8.2

Temp 79

Ammonia 0

Nitrate 0

nitrite 0

salinity 1.025
I dont have a test kit for alk. calcium,phosphate or mg but I use reef crystals so I thought it was already in the salt
I just have the api saltwater master test kit
yea I acclimated it I just soak the bag for 15 mins then added some tank water

 

oh yea im using ro water

 

Mine did the same thing they are very touchy...look great one day, next day all melted looking. I caught mine when it was looking greyish and all limp and dead looking and did a small water change maybe 10% and the next day tons of new polyps comming out and the old ones got their color back. I'd do a water change

 

Xenia thrives in dirty tanks, but at the same time does not die off in healthy ones either. How are your other tank inhabitants doing? Did I read your post right – this was a new addition? Might be an acclimation issue if the rest of the tank is doing well.

BTW - are we discussing Pulsing or non-pulsing Xenia ?

 

other tank mates are doing great

this and the star fish were new additions

I thinks its pulshing xenia

I did A water change and re did my rocks so I would say my tank is pretty dirty right now, my uncle said xenia like alot of flow so I moved a koralia 1 by them

I dont think its an acclimation issue because the starfish is doing fine and the xenia looked fine yesterday

 

your params and stuff look fine... thanks for posting them


I'd say to just wait it out...

I agree these can be finicky in the best and worst tanks. if it doesn't do well, I wouldn't think it reflects on your tank so don't let it get you down too much... but it still sucks.

good luck.