FAQs about Xeniid Disease/Health/Pests
4
FAQs on Xeniid Disease:
Xeniid Disease 1,
Xeniid Health
2, Xeniid
Health 3, Xeniid Hlth./Pests 5,
Xeniid Hlth./Pests
6, Xeniid Hlth./Pests FAQs on Xeniid Disease by
Category: Diagnosis,
Environment,
Nutritional, Pathogenic (Infectious,
parasitic), Predator/Pests,
Trauma, Genetic,
Treatments
Related Articles: Pulsing
Soft Corals, Family Xeniidae,
Related FAQs: Xeniid FAQs 1, Xeniid FAQs 2, Xeniid FAQs 3, Xeniid FAQs 4, Xeniid ID, Xeniid Behavior, Xeniid Selection, Xeniid Compatibility, Xeniid Systems, Xeniid Feeding, Xeniid Reproduction, Soft Coral
Propagation, Soft Coral
Health, Alcyoniids,
Nephtheids,
Dendronephthya,
Paralcyoniids,
Nidaliids,
|
|
Cespitularia and Heteroxenia... hlth.,
comp. 8/3/09
Hello WWM,
<Mike>
Long time reader, first time writer!
I currently have a 24 Aquapod, with the first chamber a Fuge and second
chamber I have a penguin 220 filter. I have LR, LS and have been
cycling for over 8 weeks. After wards I added snails, ( no hermits,
hate crabs) and waited another 1 month before adding anything else. (
This isn't my first system ) So I added a Blue Cespitularia, and a
frag of Heteroxenia.. The Blue Cespitularia when I bought it was under
actinic lighting so I couldn't tell if the polyps were whitish when
I bought it, anyway the specimen look pretty good, considering the move
but is releasing black substance from its polyps?
<Mmmm, perhaps "nothing" to be concerned re...
but...>
The Heteroxenia however doesn't look good, the hands have turned
black and sort of fell off. The stem and branches are still there it just
looks bald now. Any suggestions, they both came from 250w MH set-ups
and I currently have a 150w 14k bulb. Both are placed on bottom
now.
Parameters as follow
PH-8.3
Amm-0
Nitrate-0
<Needs some... and HPO4...>
Alk- low to normal range
SG-1.026
Also I would say the tank has medium flow ( stock pump and Koralia Nano
Powerhead), and the xenia isn't in it's direct way. And my
livestock is a Sixline wrasse.
Thanks in advance
Michaelangelo!
<Often, systems, particularly small volumes, will only support one
species of Xeniid... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/xeniidcompfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Completely stumped - soft coral problems,
allelopathy, Ozone option 06/02/09
Hello,
<Hi there Ken>
I need some help as I'm completely stumped, I have been running a
90 G tank for over 10 years now. Some good years some bad.
Currently I have for the last year been able to keep the system running
with 0 Nitrate's as I had major nitrate problems.
I had been running with CC substrate and trickle filter with a small
skimmer (old school! ) with 275W of PC lighting So I had changed up the
system over a year ago upgraded to a Euro Reef RS135 running in a 30G
sump with a 15G fug. and CaribSea reef floor sand. Also upgraded to
8x54W T5's
So currently I have 140 Lbs of rock (been in use 10 years)
<Mmm, I'd be adding a bit new to this. Please see here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/substrepl2.htm>
with a total of 125g of water in the system.
I do a 20G water change every 2-3 weeks (just timing issue) and dose
BRS two part daily.
Current parameters - that I test
1.025 Salinity - Refractometer (checked and tested at LFS)
80 F Temp - digital
8.4 (night) - 8.5 PH (day) - using Vital Sign handheld calibrated last
week
8 DKH- using API
430 Cal - using Seachem
1300 Mag - using Seachem
0 Ammonia - using API
0 Nitrite - using API
0 Nitrate - using API
0.01 Phos- Using Elos
0.06 Iodine - using Seachem
Here is my problem all of my pulsing Xenia for the last few weeks have
all stopped pulsing, their white body's have gone from white to
dark brown/pink (best I can come up with LOL) I had a frag in the
tank 6 months ago that got stung by my Ritteri anemone ( I know small
tank for a Ritteri but love them so much) so I moved it and it started
to grow back and kind of stopped growing. I got a another frag and it
grew to three times it's size and picked up another frag for my
small tank that was cycling and it to grew to three times it's size
quickly. then the first frag has started to shrink and turn dark and
now the second frag
is tuning dark and not coming out fully. At the same time (about 6
months ago) I had picked up a green orange clove polyp frag and it too
started off strong went from 5 polyps to 25 and now it too has stopped
growing. Some of the polyps will not open fully and they look burned
(the edges are white)
My mushrooms are not expanding fully but look OK, my Leather is OK, my
Zoo's are OK, All my LSP and one SPS are doing good (still growing)
even my Acans are fine, so what gives?? What I'm I missing??
<Mmm... perhaps... some general aspect of water quality that would
"save" your "losing" Cnidarians from apparent
allelopathy... A bunch to speculate here... But let's start by
having you review:
http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files of this ppt. condensation, and then a bit re
RedOx...
which, better than "stooping" to more expensive chemical
filtrant use...
I'd look into... Ozone use... perhaps with a desiccator:
http://wetwebmedia.com/redox.htm
and http://wetwebmedia.com/SystemPIX/RedOx/RedoxPPTpres1.htm
and the linked files...>
Thanks' for any help or direction you can offer.
If I left out any needed info please let me know.
Ken
<Again, Ken, there are a few avenues you might consider, go here...
For me, a cursory reading/understanding of the negative interactions of
the life you list and a short/sure method of "curing" these
processes is likely to be satisfying. Bob Fenner>
Re: Completely stumped - soft coral
problems 6/2/09
Hello Bob,
Thanks for the insight, It is not the first time I have thought or have
it been suggested to replace some rock. I had almost at one point the
intention adding some new rock and cooking the rest on a rotation
bases. My still end up going that way, but after I managed to get the
nitrates under control did not think it was necessary.
<Does really help>
As for the latter ORP, this also came up in the past when fighting
nitrates I tried vodka dosing for organic carbon to help consume the
nitrates but found no positive effect, when dosing my star polyps
stopped coming out and my leather did not seam to like it either, as
well the nitrates held steady. It was suggest to check ORP at that
time, but I played with my fug slowing down the flow from ~300g/hr to
~100g/hr and this helped knock the nitrates down. This seamed to me to
prove I have a lot of oxygen and by slowing down the flow helped the
6" deep sand bed and Chaeto do its thing.
But I'm just a hobbyist taking my best guess from over information
and not enough understanding.
<We share this trait>
I believe my next best hope is to check ORP and see if the problem is
there.
<Do see my bits on WWM re... you really want high, consistent
readings (375-400 micro Siemens/cm)>
The one thing I have learned in this hobby is when you think you know
what your doing and your reef is doing great, it just pure dumb ass
luck!
<Mmm, not entirely in my experience>
and the next adventure is just around the corner.
Again thanks' for the input.
Ken
<Glad to share. BobF>
Stowaway Nudibranch, Xeniid pred.
04/20/09
Hi crew :D
I recently bought a lovely colony of red sea xenia which was home
to a Phyllodesmium hyalinum - the little Nudibranch fell off the
colony when it was knocked off the rock work. While this may
sound a bit sad I know, the little guy is rather lovely and
although I have no wish for it to snaffle my xenia I'd like
to know if I can help it to survive, short of putting it back on
the xenia colony...
<If it is indeed a Xenia eating Nudibranch, chances are that
it needs to eat Xenia in order to survive. However, you might be
able to feed it any kind of Xenia. Thus, you might be able to set
up a little biotope for it and just feed it xenia frags (if you
can find such for cheap). The other option, you could ask your
fellow reef aquarists if they have excess Xenia (many reef
keepers do-- some even consider the coral a pest at some
point).>
after all, I did purchase the animal albeit accidentally!
<I do sympathize, appreciate your sentiment here. I recall a
friend of mine who fell so much in love with two beautiful
Nudibranchs that hitchhiked on his sun corals, that he forgot
about the sun coral and did everything he could to keep the slugs
alive by buying dying sun corals from LFSs, just to feed them. Of
course, I don't recommend this per se, but I do sympathize
with any such love for Nudibranchs. I've also had them as
hitch-hikers and always wished I could keep them. However, do
know that these animals don't usually live that long (even in
the wild).>
Will the Nudibranch ultimately cause the death of the xenia, or
will its feeding habits do little more than limit the size of the
colony?
<Well, firstly, please do send in a pic so that we can confirm
that this is a Xenia eating Nudibranch. Secondly, *one*
Nudibranch on a large, fast-growing Xenia colony, might not
destroy the colony, but as you say, just keep it
"mowed" a bit. The trouble is that the Nudibranch could
likely reproduce. Within a short time, you might not just be
dealing with one Nudibranch, but many many Nudibranchs... who
would likely destroy the colony eventually.>
Many thanks,
Carolyn
<De nada,
Sara M.>
Re: stowaway Nudibranch 04/21/09
Hi Sara,
Many thanks for the reply - have attached a picture of the little
guy.
<Wow, great pic! May I ask, what camera did you use? The slug
does look like a Phyllodesmium hyalinum. Please see here:
http://www.seaslugforum.net/display.cfm?id=13207
You might even want to write in to this site with your
story/pics, since it is noted to be very difficult to find/see in
the wild. Thus, maybe Bill Rudman would get a kick out of seeing
yours (or at least confirm the ID).>
Carolyn
<Cheers,
Sara M.>
|
|
Xenia (pest?) and worm (ID, comp.)
2/20/09 Hi. I'd like to thank you for all your help.
Today I noticed that one xenia colony has brown/black specks
crawling all over it. <Mmmm> Just a few days ago a crab
reproduced, so I wonder if it could be crabs eating away at the
xenias. I say eating because some of the branches look like tiny
parts are missing. If it is not tiny crabs, what else could they
be? <Small crustaceans... or Nudibranchs... or... Need a much
higher resolved image or two to tell. There are treatments for
all... see here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/LR,LS/HH%20PPT%20Pitch%20Cells/HHProsConsart.htm>
Is there anything I need to worry about? We have two xenia
colonies and only one shows the spots. I have attached a few
pictures. <If it is convenient, easy to do, I would move the
one showing these moving zots to another system... carefully lift
it and place it in a container underwater... so that if this is a
pest, predator it doesn't fall off...> When I was checking
on the xenias, this yellow worm was stuck to the glass. I did
some research and it looks like it could be a spaghetti or medusa
worm. Can you confirm which one it is. Is it harmless in my tank?
<Should be... it is almost assuredly a species of Errantiate
Polychaete, see the Net re... Perhaps a member of the family
Cirratulidae> I have removed it from the tank temporarily
until I learn more about it. Thanks for all your wonderful help.
Cindy salinity 1.025 nitrite 0 ammonia < .25 nitrate 2.5
ph 8.4
Alk 1.7 - 2.8
<Bob Fenner>
|
|
Pulsing xenia, beh., hlth. 12/29/08 <Hello
James, Minh at your service.> I've read of some of the problems
people seem to be having with pulsing xenia, here's mine. I've
hand my 55 gal tank up and running for about three months now. About
two months ago I brought home a pulsing xenia frag from a LFS. It took
about a week for it to come to life, but once it did, it seemed quite
happy, even had an offspring! I had fish in the tank, and unfortunately
a catastrophic outbreak of Ich. As a result, I got out of the habit of
feeding the inverts, and the xenia began to wither and shrivel to about
a tenth of it's healthiest size. I've been given the advice of
feeding with invert food and dosing with trace minerals containing
iodine. <The practice of iodine dosing for Xeniid health is
supported by a body of anecdotal evidence in the reefing community.
However, I must warn you that the danger of overdosing is easily a
possibility. As with dosing of any other major, minor or trace
elements, one should only do so carefully and with the aid of test kits
to prevent overdosing.> The LFS told me it's not uncommon for
xenia to just die for no apparent reason. <The opposite is true for
Xeniids and many other corals, it's uncommon for them to perish for
no reason. Although Xeniids do appear to behave unpredictably, it is
their sensitivity to changes in basic water parameters that's to
blame. For this reason, many seasoned reefers use Xeniids as a visual
barometer for system stability.> Reading your posts seems to suggest
that they are extremely hardy, bordering on being a nuisance. I'd
love to get a colony going. It's been about a week and a half and
I'm not seeing any real improvement. The other tankmates seem
happy. Over the last couple of days I've tried target feeding with
a syringe (turning all flow off and bathing the xenia with a mixture of
invert food and trace minerals). The ph got down to about 7.5, I've
got it up to 8.0 now. <This could the cause for the decline of your
Xeniids. I suspect if you are able to maintain stable pH and Alkalinity
readings, your Xeniids will improve over time. Here is an excellent
article on correcting pH issues:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-05/rhf/index.php .> Any
suggestions, recommendations would be greatly appreciated
<Furthermore, here is an excellent article on Xeniids as good food
for thought:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-02/ac/feature/index.php. Good
luck, Minh Huynh.>
Re: pulsing xenia 1/4/09 I want
to thank you for responding so quickly and completely to my questions.
The answers you provided and the links you supplied are much
appreciated. <You're welcome, James.> I have a little more
history information that I forgot to mention; and a couple of
questions, if you don't mind. <No problem, that's why
we're here.> What was the main body of xenia seems to have
melted away. The offspring is still alive, but maybe a tenth of
it's original size. I did mention my tank experienced a
catastrophic Ich outbreak. The part I forgot to mention was that I
received a copper free medication for the Ich and instructions for
dosing as well as raising the temperature to 85 deg. The temperature
was reset to 80 deg., the medication was dosed for one week, and a 25%
water change was done at the end of the week. All of this effort was to
no avail, none of the fish survived the Ich. The Xenia have been going
down hill ever since. <I'm sorry to hear about your fish loss. I
suspect along with the pH drop, the prolonged elevated temperature
caused the initial demise of your Xeniids. If the Xeniids continue to
decline even after stabilizing pH and temperature, you may need to add
iodine. As I mentioned before, it is quite possible to overdose with
iodine without proper administration. However, with a proper iodine
test kit and careful dosing, some aquarists including myself have had
success in reviving unhealthy Xeniids. In my case, I started out with 2
drops of Kent Tech-I iodine mixed in a 10ml container of saltwater.
This solution is then slowly fed to the Xeniids as if spot feeding a
coral. The dosage amount can be increased slightly over time.
Noticeable improvement should happen relatively quickly.> The
question I have is this. Will the Ich perish without a host fish, or
will the eggs in the gravel exist indefinitely, as my LFS states. I was
planning on waiting at least eight weeks before attempting to
re-introduce any fish. <If the system is allowed to go fallow or
fish-less for a period of time (4 or more weeks), then the Cryptocaryon
irritans protozoan is allowed to go through its life cycle and perish
without a host. Of course, the longer you can wait before adding fish,
the better. More information can be found here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ichartmar.htm. Good luck, Minh
Huynh.>
Xenia crash?? 11/25/08 Hi crew, I have
an urgent problem with my xenia. I have two species that have grown
extraordinarily well over the past 6 moths ( from a 1" patch to
over 2feet high and wide, with more large colonies all over my tank).
Today I accidently knocked a 12v live connector into the tank and
didn't notice it for a few minutes. 15 min.s later all my xenia
turned yellow at the head, and shriveled up. I done a quick water
change - one bucket as that's all I had mixed at the time ( not
much for a 6ft tank), and things perked up a bit but have now gotten
worse again. <Not an atypical event> Other sessile inverts
shriveled for about 1 hour but are fine again now. Inhabitants are 2
10" colt corals, two toadstools, two leathers, Condylactis
anemone, colony of star polyps (these are still hiding), two
Nudibranchs ( one is a sea hair 8", <... what species is this
"hare?"> the other "appeared" last week and I
have no idea what it is - its 1.5" bright orange with white edges
and very frilly all over and comes out at night. <Perhaps
predaceous, a factor here> Live stock 6 Anthias, scooter blenny,
mandarin, yellow tang, 1 mono, 3ft snowflake eel, Radiata lion fish,
powder blue tang and two Firefish, various snails. parameters nitrite
0.05< nitrate 0.2< KH 9 temp 26deg the water was maybe a little
bit misty but smells strongly of what I can only describe as a soft
coral or anemone out of water. <Yikes... a good clue... and
dangerous> I have added some activated carbon, and my skimmer seems
to be working overtime like I've never seen. All livestock is
accounted for. What do you think the problem is?? Do you think
something may of released some poisonous eggs or something? <A
definite high likelihood...> any help would be much appreciated
regards Lex <Lex, there are a few approaches you might consider (and
soon!) as to how to proceed... Whatever has been added in recent times
might be a "trigger" to the allelopathy you're
witnessing. Massive water changes, the use of activated carbon,
Polyfilter might forestall problems here, raising your RedOx definitely
would... You can read re these on WWM... I'd start here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and the linked files above... to
where you lead yourself. Bob Fenner>
Re: Unhappy xenia 8-26-08 I have already read all
the FAQs about Xeniids posted on this site. I could not find any answer
to the problem I have with my pulsing xenia. Any other suggestions?
Thanks <Need water param.s, and husbandry information. Are you
dosing Iodide? M. Maddox>
Pulsing Xenia, hlth./beh. 07/24/2008 Crew,
<<Good afternoon, Andrew today>> I recently added(4 days
ago) my first Acropora coral in my 14 week old reef. It seems to be
extremely happy under 432 watts of T5. My questions is about my pulsing
Xenia...this was the first coral I purchased (about 7-8 weeks ago).
It's been doing incredible, pulsing aggressively day and night.
Yesterday I came home and found it looking pretty awful. Not opening
(most of it). I immediately tested all parameters.. Ammonia, Nitrite,
Nitrate all at zero and PH is 8.3. By the way, I've been battling
nitrate of 20-25 since the tank finished it's cycle (all the while
the xenia was doing great). I've been doing 10%-15% water changes
every 5 days to reduce the nitrate (last night was the first test at
0). My question is about chemical warfare...Is it possible the Acropora
has released a chemical that's really irritating the Xenia? There
is plenty of space between them...Should I be dosing Iodine? I figured
that the frequency of my water changes would be good enough...
<<Yes, they are a stinger, but, contact would have to be made for
this to occur...could it be the xenia is swaying onto the Acropora? as
you mention there is already distance between them. Can only be general
here as you don't mention the specific Acropora you have. Do not
dose iodine unless your testing for iodine and this test is showing a
deficiency. You water changes should normally replenish this element.
Any other corals near to the xenia? Thank you!!!!!!!! <<Hope this
helps, A Nixon>>
Xenia Trouble...? - 05/31/08 Hello Crew,
<Michael> I have a question about my (Regular) Pulsing Xenia. I
have had my tank up and running for about 2 1/2 months and I have had
my Xenia in there pretty much since my take was established. The Xenia
has been doing great, I have propagated it several times with
successful results. The other week, I moved the rock because it was too
close to the glass. Since then one of the stalks was rubbing against
another piece of live rock (I thought nothing of it). Now, that same
stalk looks like it is dying all the polyp types have turned white,
many have disintegrated and it seems like it is spreading to the other
stalks that are near-by. Any ideas what has caused this? <Mmm,
yes...> Have you folks heard of this situation before? <Quite
often> Will the rest of my live stock be harmed? <Only if the
water becomes polluted. Likely only the Xenia will perish> I have
about $3,000 in other coral specimens in my tank, including Blue Xenia.
<!? In 2.5 mo.s!?> The blue Xenia doesn't really pulse very
much, but I have the smaller white color Xenia and it is still pulsing
like crazy, as are the other specimens of (regular xenia). I just
completed a 10g water change, have not checked the levels yet, I know
that Xenia is pretty finicky when it comes to the water conditions. But
all my other corals are thriving, so I am not sure why the (regular)
Xenia is going downhill, but it seems like every other coral is doing
well. That would lead me to believe that the water may not be the
problem? <Sometimes pulsing corals do "crash" population
wise... can be triggered by part of a colony's distress, dying...
There's not much to do to stop this... other than moving parts of
the colonies elsewhere> Please Let me know if you have any ideas or
what actions I should take.. A little about my tank, it is a Custom
built 75 gallon (L36"xH24"xW20") <With 3k in
livestock?> fully built reef system with built in refugium, I have 4
blue/green Chromis, 6-line wrasse, Dragon Goby, Coral Beauty, Hermit
Crabs/snails, Yellow Stripe maroon Clown, Rose BTA, <... trouble
with other Cnidarians in such a new system of small volume> Lighting
is provided by a Current Orbit Series (150w MH, 2x 96w Actinic, 4 LEDs)
Best Regards, Mike, So-Cali <... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm Bob Fenner>
Xenia Identification, reading 4/23/08 Dear Crew,
<Jas...> I got this xenia at my LFS and they said it was a
Pom Pom however I have been suspicious of that since I purchased
it. Can you please try to identify the type for me. <Type?
Well, is a Xeniid... likely an Anthelia species... not in great
shape evidently. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm and the linked files above.
Bob Fenner> Best regards, Jason <<Where is the graphic
Sara? Lost... RMF>>
Re: Xenia Identification... hlth.
4/24/08 Dear Bob, <Jas> I saw you said the xenia did
not look in great shape. What seems to look wrong with it? It has
looked that way since I got it and has actually started growing
more polyps out of the side. <... the color, the
physiognomy... thin, listless... see the site (again) re what
healthy colonies look, act like. BobF> Thanks
Jason
|
G'day, Sudden Xenia crash... Cnid.
incomp. 2/8/08 Good morning to all at WWM, I
have had several Salt tanks for a few years now. All of them have
always had pulsing Xenia in them. The tank in question is a 72g BF
with a 30 gallon sump, 2x250 MH, 4x54 T5 actinic, Mainly Softies
and LPS. <Mmmm> This tank has been setup for a little over 2
years and has had pulsing Xenia in it from the start of adding
corals. I haven't added anything new in quite some time I
don't even remember when it was but it's been a while. I do
however frag/trim stuff fairly often to keep from overgrowing. Tank
Parameters SG 1.025-26 Temp 79.8 - 81.1 Nitrate 20 Ammonia 0Nitrite
0Ca 350Mg 13202% - 5% water change every couple of days (I'm a
stay at home dad so I like to work on the tank). Okay all that said
I woke up yesterday morning, looked at the tank and saw that the
pulsing Xenia Had shriveled up drastically more than I'd ever
seen it. The tops were turning a light white/green color, also if
you moved them at all they let off a dark brown stuff into the
water and They smell really bad. I have always kept them isolated
to one rock in the tank and trim them down when it gets to big. I
usually keep what I trim off in the sump or give them away. The odd
thing is that all the Xenia in the sump are doing the same thing!
<Mmm, not strange> But no other corals seem to be effected by
this. I have attached some pictures of the Xenia in question,
<Good ones too> as well as some shots I took just two days
ago. I guess my questions are, Is there any hope for them still or
are they gone? <Gone> Is it bad to leave them in the tank to
see if they make it? <Likely no trouble... are being dissolved,
filtered out...> What could do this to them so suddenly, could
it have been some kind of chemical warfare, <Yes> the only
thing near the rock is a Torch coral, GSP, Toadstool leather?
Thanks again, Never could have made it this far into the hobby
without everyone's help at this site! Lucas <There was some
sort of "cascade effect" by one, two of the above
Cnidarians... Likely the Euphyllia... and...? The Xeniid lost. Bob
Fenner> |
|
Xenia shriveling 1/16/08 Hi crew!
It's been awhile since I've had any problems but now my
xenias are dying. They've been in the tank for 5 months and
were doing great. They were spreading and still are. I had 3
large stalks. The first one shriveled but is not completely dead.
Then the 2nd within 2 days went from straight up and strong to
shrinking, twisting and falling over but it is still trying to
pulse. <A good sign> The 3rd one is going strong. I moved
the powerhead so they are not getting as much current as they
were. I scoured the website and checked the ph and alkalinity as
advised. <Yes> Both were low (ph 8.2 and 8 dKH). <This
is not low...> I corrected that and now the ph is 8.3 and the
alkalinity is 10. However that has not changed their status. I
thought I had read that other corals could affect them as well.
<Yes> I also have green Zoanthids and green Ricordea
mushrooms. <Have these been "upset" or challenged
recently... they/either could malaffect pulsing soft corals>
Where in relation to the xenia should those be placed?
<Away... and more... chemically... and...> I originally had
both lower than the xenia in the tank but moved the Zoanthids for
lighting purposes. Could this be the problem? <Ah, yes>
What else could be affecting the xenia? <A myriad of
possibilities... Do you dose with an iodine/ate compound?> I
have a 55 gal with 130 watts of lighting. Thank you for your
help! Jennifer <Please peruse here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm and here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/xeniiddisfaq3.htm and the linked files
above. Bob Fenner>
Re: Xenia shriveling 1/17/08 Hi Mr. Fenner!
I just started adding iodine at 1/2 strength until the testing
kit comes in. Also, I moved the Zoanthids farther away and lower.
Thank you for your response, also I'll look at the referred
links. Thanks again Bob! Jennifer <Welcome Jen! BobF>
Re: Xenia shriveling, and FOWLR stkg.
1/17/08 Bob, xenias seem to be doing better since I moved the
Zoanthids. I do have another question. I've been researching
obtaining another fish and want to make the best choice for my
current inhabitants, whom I very fond of, and for the fish I
purchase. Currently in my 55 gal I have a tank raised clown
(he's the boss-2 years old), 1 Firefish, 1 coral beauty, 1
royal Gramma, 1 Chromis, 1 sleeper goby, 1 coral banded shrimp
(4"), 1 Echinaster spinosa (sp?) starfish, 5 hermit crabs, 3
limpets and 2 conchs. I researched on WWM Butterflyfish, which
seem to be the most compatible, Hawkfish (could be problem with
shrimp) and a yellow tang. Some of the research on yellow tangs
said 55 gal is too small and some says it's ok. What is your
opinion? <It's borderline...> I do not want an unhappy
fish. Or do you think I've hit the bioload for this tank?
Thank you again, Mr. Fenner! Jennifer <Jen... I do think you
are "about there" re psychological limit with the fish
species you list. Bob Fenner>
|
Pulsing Xenia, beh., hlth. -11/16/07
Hello, thanks again for your great resource. I've looked
through all the xenia pages but can't find anything to set my
mind at ease, so I thought I'd ask directly. We have a
pulsing xenia that came with the live rock in our tank about 6
months ago. It has been steadily growing and sprouting more
'hands,' and all has seemed well. Then, two days ago, it
shrank drastically-- down to half its height and width all of a
sudden, and its skin seems quite wrinkly. Its hands are still
waving during the day, but it just doesn't look well. Its
stalk gives the appearance of splitting in half, and our LFS
suggested it might just be reproducing. But I cannot find any
photos of reproducing xenias with the strange shrunken appearance
that ours now has. Any ideas? Our water quality has not changed
and all the other fish and invertebrates in our system look
normal (including a Discosoma and SPS coral.) <Unfortunately,
Xenia are notorious for becoming suddenly ill and/or dying for
apparently no obvious reason (or, at least no reason we known
of). Interestingly though, unlike a lot of stony corals, Xenia
are not "immoral." And actually, they're thought to
be relatively short-lived (with a life span of maybe 5 to 10
years). In my personal opinion, I think some of these mysterious
Xenia deaths could just be the corals dying of "old
age" (especially since we have no idea how old the corals
might have been when they're collected). In your case, if
nothing much has changed since this xenia started to decline,
unfortunately there's not much more I can tell you unless you
can think of something in the tank that might be attacking it (or
some change in water chemistry or lighting--do you change your
bulbs every 6 months?). In any case, do run some activated carbon
(dying xenia can be toxin). As for reproduction, have you seen
this yet? http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidreprofaqs.htm>
Thanks for your help, Laura and Dave <De nada, Sara M.>
Xenia crashing II -11/18/07 Thank you for
your email yesterday. We wrote you that our pulsing xenia, which
had been wonderfully healthy for close to six months (having
survived being shipped on our live rock) all of a sudden withered
and is now lying on its side as if it has no strength any more.
It had been growing (sprouting new hands, reaching for the
lights, etc) and now looks like it's dying. None of our other
fish or invertebrates look ill. All of our basic tests come out
normal (nitrates=0, nitrites=0, ammonia=0, ph=8.3,
phosphates
very low, alkalinity=3 mEq/L). The reason I'm writing a
follow-up message is that I just tested our calcium and it is off
the charts (825+, usual target is [I think] 450). (1) Could this
be the reason our xenia is dying? (2) What could cause this?
<That's an unbelievable (literally) calcium level. Please
try a different test kit.> The only change we made shortly
before the crash are (1) we vacuumed our sand (which has
lots of diatoms in it) for the first time with our weekly water
change last week at the suggestion of our LFS. We have only
1-3" of fine sand in our tank. [We are just now learning
that this is not a good choice.] We had never vacuumed the sand
before and pulled out about 0.25" of the sand off.
<Hmmm... probably not good.> (2) we added a new heater on
the other side (away from the xenia) because the main heater
(near the xenia) wasn't able to hold the temperature up
(target = 78 deg, was going down to 75 deg when we added the new
heater). Current temp very steady at 77. <Temp. of 80 to 83
would be better.> Thanks for any thoughts on this <Your
calcium reading (if accurate--which I doubt it is) would be
alarming. However, I'm not aware of any reason to think that
high calcium (in the absence of low alkalinity) would be such a
problem for soft corals. Vacuuming your sand bed could have
stirred up all kinds of things that may or may not be effecting
your xenia. However, it's impossible to say for sure. My only
suggestion is to do more frequent water changes for awhile and
run some new activated carbon.> Dave and Laura <Good luck,
Sara M.>
|
Xenia Tube-Pest 9/26/07 Hey All, <Hi Ted>
I have an unidentified pest eating my xenia elongata and occasionally
my pom-pom xenia. It seems to live inside the rock on which the xenia
have attached. I have not seen the pest itself but it forms almost
translucent fibrous tube with bits of sand leading to where it has
eaten. If I destroy the tube or block up the hole, it will return
within a day to a few weeks. It has appeared only on one other rock but
quickly disappeared without xenia nearby to munch on. I have not tried
to chemically treat the holes (similar to Aiptasia treatments) because
I don't know with what I am dealing and do not want any collateral
damage to the xenia. <Very strange... any chance you can get a
picture?> Thanks for All of Your Help Ted <Best, Sara M.>
Inking xenia 5/19/07 I purchased a pulsing xenia
at the LFS today. And after an hour or two I noticed it nice and puffed
up looking full of life but slumping to one side, <Typical... takes
a while, days to acclimate...> so I tried to help it stand straight,
<No!> but when I did it deflated! And a purple looking fluid was
released and now its slumped with no sign of life! Anyone ever heard of
this? Is it dangerous for my clean up crew? Did I kill it? Please help
that you Joe <... Please... read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm The linked
files above. RMF>
Xenia with small black specs
5/8/07 Hi WWM Crew, I'm writing today about some black
specs I observed on my Xenia this morning. I have never seen them
before. I searched all the FAQs on Xeniid health but only found one
post about black dots on Xenia. The person gave you no other
details so there wasn't much info you could provide them. I set
up my tank about a year ago and have solved every problem I have
ever encountered with a little research and reading from your site
without ever having to contact you, until now. I have included a
couple pictures they're not great but I had to take like twenty
before I got one that captured what the heck I'm talking about
(Xenia moves and pulses and refuses to hold still for photo ops).
Anyway my system is Monaco style 55 gal with about 85 lbs live
rock. I use an Aqua C Remora Pro skimmer with good results.
Parameters are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, Phosphate 0.03,
Calcium 440, Carbonate Hardness 10 dKH, pH 8.3, Temp. 78.6. I am
religious about my maintenance chores 10% water change every Sunday
and I dose mid-week with Kent Iodine, Calcium, Essential Elements,
and Strontium 5 mL each. One thing to note is that I recently had a
phosphate problem due to the leaching of a cheap grade of carbon
which I removed about 6 weeks ago. It took some research to find
the root of the problem. Since then I have ceased the use of carbon
in my system after reading much material advising against its use
with Xeniids. <Worth trying> I have been using Kent Phosphate
Sponge in a canister filter to help remove the phosphates. <I
would remove this next...> Levels have come down from 0.1 to
0.03 in the last few weeks. <Both are fine> The only previous
problem I've had with my Xenia was the very tips of the polyps
looking slightly burned. I believe this was related to the carbon
use. <Maybe...> They never ceased pulsing and after the
removal of the carbon they returned to their healthy state. Whether
the stress was caused by the carbon or the phosphates <Or their
sudden diminishment> it was leaching I'm not sure. Now the
black specs are linear and appear to be on the inside of the center
the polyp's "fingers" between mid-way and the end of
the "fingers" only (see pic). The stalk and branches do
not have any black specs on/in them. The specs themselves are
approximately 1 mm in length and do not appear to have any
appendages and I have not seen them move. I am not too alarmed at
this point all colonies are pulsing normally and appear to be in
good health, but if you would care to speculate on what these black
specs are, I am all ears. Thanks for your help you guys are always
my "go to" whenever I have a problem. Sincerely, Phil,
Boulder CO <Mmm, don't know what these spots are... but do
agree with your experimenting, changing the filter media. Bob
Fenner> |
Re: Xenia with small black specs -- 05/08/07 Hi
Bob, Thanks for your quick response. Last night after I sent you
email I cut off one of the affected polyps and put it under my
3-D microscope. <Great> Last night I was not able to
observe anything, the polyp was closed up tight, but this morning
it had opened up a bit and was still pulsing! <Ah, yes> I
was able to observe the black specs at 2X magnification and they
are in fact located within the polyps tissue. I observed these
specs breaking up and diffusing up and down the length of one of
the "fingers". It was kind of like what blood looks
like moving through an artery under a microscope but not as fast.
Anyway I think maybe this is just some kind of waste removal
process and the specs are concentrated accumulations.
<Possibly> This morning there were not as many of these
specs on the colonies in my display. Just thought I would share
my observations. Thanks again, Phil
<Thank you for this follow-up Phil. BobF>
|
|
Xeniid Help RESEND 4/12/07 Hi
all! I am sending this again via webmail to see if it
makes it this time. No response first time around (Those
web gods!!) <Thank you for this. Your first go "kind
of" made it... but "trayless"... the short expl.:
we'd have to re-send it through our system to respond...> I
am an avid reader of your site and have been known to spend hours
upon hours researching for the answers to many of my questions,
most of the time with success; however, this one has me
stumped. First the tank specs: TANK SPECS:
29 Gal BC with additional "baby powerhead" and external
skimmer Salinity 1.26 pH Stable at 8.4 (taken
consistently at 4:30 AM with pH monitor) Temp 79.4 day /
78.6 night Salifert test kit results:
Calcium 460 Alk 13 dKH Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0
Nitrate > 5 Phosphate 0 I am currently using a PolyFilter and
Chemi-Pure in case of chemical warfare <Okay... though these are
more useful for inorganics...> RESIDENTS: 2 cleaner shrimp 1
fire shrimp One 1.5 inch maroon clown and one 2 inch
yellow tang <Mmm...> (until they are big enough not to be
eaten by V lion in the 240 gal) Presumed mantis shrimp
due to skinned/diced Mandarin <Also mis-placed in such a small
volume> (which was trained to eat frozen as well as flake food
and was FAT), another story entirely¦ CORAL: Open brain
Candy cane Torch Leather toadstool Finger leather Mushrooms Xenia
which are at the top of the tank by water return and far away from
any of my LPS and softies (which are still thriving) <A clue
here> PROBLEM: My Xenia had been thriving for about four months
now growing from three stalks to approximately 20 in this same time
period; that is until five days ago, at which point they have been
only bulbs which are now slowly deteriorating. I
have been doing consistent 5 gal water changes every other day upon
discovering this until two days ago when I upped it to 5 gal every
day. I have even taken an 8 oz glass with tank water and added 1
drop Lugol's and gently poured it on the Xenia with no success
(only once). I am wondering if there is some macroalgae
growing within the Xenia stalks which may be the culprit. <Mmm,
likely "after the fact"... but... are you sure this is an
algae? Might be a Hydroid pictured here...> I have enclosed a
picture which I hope you get. If not let me attempt to describe
these things. They are long rigid stalks with a feather
tip only, dark green in color and approximately 1 to 2 inches in
length) They are very stubborn as I tried to tweeze one
out thinking it was a human hair entangled within the Xenia and it
did not break or budge!?!?!?!? <Bingo> I have no idea what
these things are but if this is in fact macroalgae then do I just
tweeze these pieces, or cut them with scissors? <May take more
drastic action here... the cleaving of the Xeniid colony, scrubbing
around the bases of the salvaged polyps...> Once again I have no
idea what I am seeing or dealing with or if it is even a problem
and the real problem lies elsewhere. Any insight would
be greatly appreciated <Is something other than algae... a look
through a microscope would help here... I'd remove the colony,
clean out these pests, try to restore the pulsing corals health in
isolation. Bob Fenner> |
|
|
|