Xenia

i recently bought some pulsing xenia it looks happy, but im wondering if it's ever going to start pulsing. i read that it could take a little bit for it to acclimate. any info would be great.

 

No one really knows why Xenia pulsate. As long they are open and look healthy, I'm sure they will start pulsing soon.

 

what is your pH? As i found out with my research on Xenia, when the pH is low they tend not to pulsate. However because these are new xenia they might just be stressed from the move. What lighting do you have over the tank? If you are using MH lighting then they might take a while to acclimate.

 

my ph is steady at 8.3 and i do not have metal halides. i have a 48" coralife strip with 2 10000k and 2 actinic with lunar lights. hopefully they will pulse soon. as i said though they look healthy and thats what matters to me.

 

Hmm, Ok 1) where are they in the tank (high/low) 2) are they exposed to high water movement? 3) how long have you had them? 4) what are the levels of your other supplements (Ca, iodine etc)?

Maybe this will shed some light

 

Not all species of Xenia pulsate. Also do you have Xenia or Anthelia? Anthelia(waving hand)tends to be less likely to pulse than Xenia in captivity. Most species from the Red Sea tend to pulsate more so than from other areas as studies have shown. Xeniidae families require strong water movement and certain species, usually bright-colored, require brighter light due to the fact that they come from shallower depths(Gohar 1940).
A supplementation with Iodine is advantageous and good water parameters goes a long way in successful Xenia keeping.

 

they are high in the tank. moderate water movement. ph 8.3 nitrates 0 nitrites 0 ammonia 0 ca is at 450. i supplement with seachem reef plus twice a week (fri. and sat.)

 

im sure yours are doing good by now, but I just wanted to add, the when I got mine they did not pulse at first, but after I did a water change they went crazy

 

The xenia in my tank grows like a weed and I dont mind because I think it looks awesome. Anyway, the ones closer to the bottom dont pulse, just stay wide open and the rest pulse away, so it seems they need a decent amount of light to pulse.

 

It is said that a higher salinity will make some species of Xenia pulsate.