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>

Xeniid system/health Q's 3/19/07
Thanks so much for the advice.
<I welcome you to our help in Bob's stead. GrahamT here.> <Heeeee! Welcome yourself! RMF>
I will keep watching.
I wonder if I could bother you with one or two more issues.
<Well... I... guess so.>
I cannot keep xenia.
<You aren't alone, my friend. Many have problems with this coral. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidfaqs3.htm >
I know you have heard it before but I am determined.   
<Good.>
I keep trading starpolyps for small pieces and came across some info I questioned.  I understood xenia to be one of the few (if any others) that do not participate in chemical warfare.   
<Well, they participate, just usually on the receiving end. As I understand it, they don't broadcast their chemicals into the water column as most other warring parties do. They can still kill by direct contact, though. There are some good pieces available on the internet that document the war between soft and stony corals. There are very many more and better catalogued pieces at a nice library.>
the piece I saw in Reef.com said they kill off Acropora easily.  Can you clear that up.
<Just did, oops. See above.>
Each time I add xenia it seems fine for the first 24 hours and then condenses to solid white polyps. My non-pulsing anthelia is reproducing and my xenia keeps turning into balls.   
<Mmm, this is a clue, methinks. Anthelia is winning the one-sided war.>
I keep playing with alkalinity and salinity making sure the rest of the reef does no suffer.   
<There are those that swear by Xenia's need for iodine to thrive. I think that your water changes probably maintain high enough levels of iodine so that this is probably not the issue. I would consider adding some fresh carbon to the system and trying a small piece of xenia upstream (as it were) from the anthelia, though not in direct current. Sound do-able?>
Do you have any suggestions for me?
<Umm, yeah. (See above)>
thanks Cathy
<-GrahamT>

Pulsing Xenia died. Sys. comp. research, read! 3/6/07
Hi
<Hello, GrahamT here.>
I have been using your sight <Site.> as a much needed learning curve. I would much appreciate your advice.
<I'm all your's.>
I am a new reefer, 20 gallon tank ±3 months old. I recently purchased pink pulsing xenia. They were doing fine for 1 week and then stopped pulsing, closed up and shrunk. 2 days later they were dead and mucusy - I removed the stump.
<Good plan.>
NO2 ; ph 8.3; sg 1.024; salinity 31.
<Need NO3 numbers, temperature...>
It is a orca nano tank. Living rock (1/4 of tank amount) and crushed shells base. The tank had a protein skimmer. Do I need to improve water flow
<Probably...>
or try your sites Kalkwasser?
<Not without a means to measure the calcium first.>
Lighting is not possible to change in this system. I had been using tapwater  and was fine with other corals i.e. recent purchased colt coral, 2x small toadstool frags, 2x zoanthids and to button polyps,
<All these species are much easier/more tolerant of poor water conditions.>
do I  need to purchase ROD water would this help?
<It won't hurt, and may be the cause, yes. I can't be sure without test results of the source water.>
I do water changes ± 1 weekly, small amounts Maintaining same temp and salinity as tank. I have a cleanup crew :-1 cleaner shrimp, 2 orange hermit crabs, 3 turbo snails.
<Xenia is not the easiest customer to keep in a small system. They do need moderate to heavy flow and near-pristine water conditions, among others. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidfaqs.htm read links in blue.>
When Xenia was placed in tank it started pumping within first few hours. I added 2 ocilarius <Ocellaris.> clown fish and the shrimp became quite territorial.
<How big is this nano? Not big enough perhaps?>
It's home is the same rock as the one the xenia were on. It kept flicking them making them close up.
<Mmm.>
The following morning after this I found the frag had been dislodged so I epoxied <Epoxy?> them on as advised by my LFS. They did not re-pulse.
<I would chalk this one up to inexperience and ill-preparedness. Do your research and decide for yourself what your Xenia need(ed) and how you could make your system more habitable for it. You should plan your system around the species you want to keep, not what the LFS has in stock. Good luck!
-GrahamT>
thanks Louise

Re: Pulsing Xenia died. Sys. comp. research, read! (pt.2) 3/7/07
Hi thank you for your prompt reply, please excuse my spelling as I am preoccupied with the kids; i.e.., a quick email is all I can achieve at times.
<Bless you! I *do* understand. Sorry for my lag in replying!>
The xenia though both our choice was my son's purchase and we both would like to have them in the future, if I can get the tank conditions more suitable.
Do you have a list of books (hopefully available in UK) that may help us to achieve xenia in our tank.
<Oh yes! The "Book of Coral Propagation" by Anthony R. Calfo; "A Practical Guide to Corals for the Reef Aquarium" by Eric Borneman; "The Reef Aquarium: Science, Art, and Technology, Vol. 3" by Julian Sprung and Charles Delbeek. These are all very good reads, and I think any one might be the only one you need.>
Any other options available for research; i.e.., in UK or is the web the best/accurate direction forward?
<Well, the WWW will give you different opinions, which can be very useful, as long as your BS-filter is up to date and efficient. It is also blessed by being current and constantly updated.>
My LFS, though highly recommended, just said to put them in the tank and give them a go, as they have no problems placing them in their main display tank.
<I would bet their main display tank is very established and larger as well. Never trust anyone who says to just "give it a shot" without prompting you to do any research. I agree with what you find here on WWM about Xenia. It can be very low-maintenance, but some people have just the opposite experience. Either it grows like weeds, or turns to poop.>
I am left worried about other future advice that may be needed.
<Everything from retailers should be taken with respect to their position: they make money on the sale of livestock and equipment. That doesn't mean they don't know what they're talking about. To the contrary, they may be giving you the advice that they think you need, and believe to be right. At the end of the day, however, they depend on selling you livestock and equipment. Some stores look deeper than the end of the day, like the end of the year, and protect their investment in you by making sure you stay in the hobby. These are the LFS's to look for.>
(ps I use Marine buffer to maintain my ph at 8.3 and feed LiquiFry marine food for filter feeders; my temp is a constant 78; I will purchase the No3 and get a reading for you (do you have a recommendation of a best/easy to use test kit); no2 is<0.3mg/l)
<I have been using the Sera NO3 kit, but really do hate color comparisons when there is a titration test available. The Sera low-range kit is simple in that, if you have any color develop, you probably need to take action. Salifert and Lamotte are some of the best, IMO.>
Much appreciated Louise
<Welcome!
-GrahamT>

Why Can’t I Grow Xenia? – 02/21/07
Greetings,
<<Hello>>
I am having a problem with pulsing xenia.
<<Not uncommon...some folks can’t grow it...some folks have trouble getting rid of it...and sooner or later it all seems to just “crash”>>
Located in 30-gal tall octagonal tank attached to a 75 gal reef tank.  The octagonal tank has only a mated pair of mandarins, macroalgae and I had a large colt coral.
<<Mmm, this last may be part of your problem...very noxious>>
The xenia all of a sudden looked awful.  It took me a week to find the time to test the water...  Tested my pH and it was low for xenia, 8.0.  I immediately did a water change and after about 24 hours got the pH back to 8.3. Xenia looked better this morning and I got home from work tonight and it looks awful again.  I also decided to move the colt coral to the main tank.
<<A good decision...although, with these tanks “attached” the noxious chemicals exuded by the colt coral are still in the system water reaching the xenia>>
Salinity 1.024,
<<1.025/26 (closer to NSW) would be better appreciated by your corals and may be another factor re your problems here>>
Temp 78-80, the pH is usually 8.3 but I did find it close to 8.0 two days ago before lights went on.
<<I wouldn’t think this to be much of an issue>>
I am not sure why.  I drip Kalkwasser most nights (about 1gal) and had not for a few busy nights.  Never a problem in the past but concerned me the other day.
<<When using this methodology, it is best to use on a “continuous” basis for reasons of system stability...as you can see>>
Ammonia and nitrates 0.  No way to test iodine so I started putting in 2m. each morning to help them out.
<<2 milliliters?  Do be careful here...be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely...and get an iodine test kit>>
The pulsing xenia look shriveled and almost like a chemical burn might seem to look if that does not sound too crazy.
<<Not crazy...and may very well be so (remember that colt coral)>>
Can you suggest some test I might perform.
<<Not for allelopathy...but make no mistake, it is present in your (everyone’s) system>>
Why do you think I have such problems with pulsing xenia.
<<Aside from the fact that these organisms seem to “wax and wane” with the best of care,  xenia can be particularly sensitive to water chemistry/ chemical poisoning (some aquarists have stated to me they view their xenia as a kind of “canary in the mine.”  Employing some purposeful chemical filtration will always help your system, and may make a difference with the xenia.  A dedicated canister filter with carbon “and” Poly-Filter is highly recommended here>>
I have a wonderful 75-gal reef tank with hard and soft corals.  All doing fine.
<<And all “fighting the chemical fight”...just likely more resilient mix of organisms than the xenia>>
I know you are not supposed to mix but for 3 years I have been lucky I even (was afraid to admit) have a bubble anemone (3 years old) with clowns, Regal tang, Pseudochromis, Sailfin blenny, Ricordea, mushrooms, frogspawn, gorgonian, zooanthids, dish coral, and star polyps. and Acropora.
<<Mmm, indeed...I wish you continued good luck>>
The hard corals are at one end and soft at another and it has worked out well so far.  Can you suggest any problem with xenia.  This is actually my third try.
<<Ideally, separate the xenia system from the mixed garden reef system...else employ/add more chemical filtration to mitigate the effects of the chemical aggression.  And read here, among the associated links to get more info re others experience/opinions with this organism: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidfaqs2.htm
And maybe do a Google search on our site re “chemical aggression” and “allelopathy.”  Regards, EricR>>

Who Done It? Xeniid death...   1/19/07
Recently I purchased my first coral ( xenia ) and my big rock that they came on is a coral wasteland now. They never opened all the way either... in fact the guy said if I had problems with them he would replace them on Saturday with a new one( so I'm not worried about replacing them.)
<...>
although I would like to know who knocked them off the rock and to the ground and ate the leaves of them. Here are the only candidates.
Porcupine puffer ( generally unless its REALLY food and being put in with a net which he follows back and forth like a little puppy he doesn't pay attention to it what so ever.  Also while on the ground he doesn't mess with them he only likes living food )
<A definite possibility>
Dwarf puffers ( they eat anything but haven't taken much notice to the coral
)
<Can do so>
Unidentified fish..... I have 2 that were gifted to me I'm told they are blue velvet damsels but they are the size of the average 5 month old Oscar and I haven't seen damsels get to
<too>
large. They change color from a white to navy blue. They bite at the coral corpses on the ground  Hope that helps
<Not likely candidates>
The anemones have taken hold elsewhere in the tank and haven't moved so they are in the clear.
<Mmm, no... can/do affect other life, particularly Cnidarians, distally... chemically>
Clowns liked to play with them as if they were anemones but never eat them that I noticed.
Green chromis... they are cute and harmless  ( I think ) never do anything
wrong
A devil damsel...... generally sticks to himself never really interacts with the tank
Coral banded shrimp hasn't to my knowledge crossed the tank from his usual cave to do anything he usually sits waiting for food in his cave. On the lower left while the coral is in the upper right.
<Stenopids are opportunistic feeders... could be at fault here>
The scallop and snails I don't see doing anything
<Some snails...>
I just want to know since I am getting another one on Saturday which I should relocate to my sons tank as it could use a few more fish anyway.
Just about anything in the tank is expendable to the other tank anyway cept the porcupine puffer the wife loves him... so I can't touch him but the rest I can deal with.
<Likely one of the Puffers... but could be none of the above... Environmental lacking... Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/xeniiddisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... And re the Systems, Compatibility of this mish-mash aggregation... each species. Bob Fenner>

Dead Xenia   1/3/07
I am new to this site and have read much of your excellent info.
<Welcome!  Glad you found us!  Mich with you today.>
  I'm hoping someone can help me out with a minor disaster currently happening in my tank.  
<Minor disaster...jumbo shrimp...oxymoron?>
I have had a pulsing Xenia for about 1 month that was doing very well.  
<OK.>
Overnight, it crashed and never recovered (PH was good during the day, did not test after extended darkness though)  As soon as the Xenia started to go south, both of my shrimp (cleaner and peppermint) died.  
<Likely something else caused the death of all three.>
My fish all seem fine, water levels are fine, and polyps are fine.  
<These organisms may be more tolerant to whatever took out the Xenia and the shrimp.>
I have a 100 gallon with 330 watts of light.  Could the Xenia have emitted something toxic that affected the shrimp?  
<Again, unlikely.  Xenia is a good bioassay organism in that it will warn you of a problem by promptly dying, sort of like a canary in a coal mine.>  
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'd really like to have Xenia again.
<Sounds like a potential contamination event.  Source could have been internal or external to the system.  Is there anything missing from your system other than the Xenia and the shrimp?  Did anyone in the household "help out" by wiping the walls of the tank down with a cleaner such as Windex?  I would review your recent activities around the tank... this may help identify the source of the problem.  I think you should be able to keep Xenia at some point in the future, but I would not add Xenia for a while.>  
minus the melting.
<Yes, not pretty, ...and even worse smelling!>
Thanks!
<Welcome and good luck!  -Mich>

Xenia Rebound?    11/4/06
Hello:
<Hi there! Scott F. with you today!>
I need some advice. I have a 12 gallon Nano tank 1 fish some  hard & soft corals. I got out of my routine and water parameters dropped  (salt, PH Calcium).
<Yikes! I guess that serves as a good example for everyone about the high degree of diligence required when caring for "nano" reefs.>
Through water changes I am getting everything back to where  it should be. I lost a couple of hard corals. My Xenia is withering...does  anybody know if it will bounce back?
<In my experience, Xenia has proven to be remarkably resilient. If it was thriving before, and if you can duplicate the conditions which it was thriving under, you can often expect it to bounce back with renewed vigor. I would keep doing what you're doing, be patient, and hope or the best! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Carpet Cleaned, Xenia Sick 9/13/06
Hello, Crew. <Hi> I am now seven months into my new saltwater tank in my office.  Three weeks ago they came and cleaned the carpets.  I came in on Sunday to check on things and the smell of carpet cleaning solution was strong. <Did this for a short while, chemicals used in commercial setting is pretty nasty stuff.> I opened all the windows and did a 10% water change and changed the carbon. <Good>  Things looked fine for awhile, but now my xenia and Montipora are dying and the first hint of nitrates (5) have appeared since finishing cycling. <Xenia tends to be very sensitive to these types of things, and probably so die-off on the LR fueling the nitrate increase.>   The pH previously cycled between 8.0 and 8.2 daily, now rarely gets above 8.0 (low 7.8 early AM).  I have added Seachem Buffer twice, but the pH drifts back down in a few days. <Something wrong chemically for sure.> I have replaced the carbon twice and done multiple 10% water changes. <Good> Today I removed the Chemipure filter media in case it was leaching toxins back into the tank. <Good idea.>  All other inhabitants look fine (Sinularia, mushrooms, yellow colony polyps, Lobophyllia,  rose anemone, Galaxea, Tridacna crocea, cleaner shrimp, one yellow tang, one damsel, one maroon clown, seven blue-green Chromis and multiple various snails).
The tank is a 65 gal with 94# live rock and DSB.  Two 150W MH 14K lights.  17gal LifeReef sump and skimmer.  Temp 78-80, SG 1.024, Ca++ 340ppm, Alk 3.6meq/L, no phosphates, ammonia, nitrite.
Do you think the fumes are the culprit? <Most likely.> Do I need to replace the DSB as a possible source of continued pollution? <No>
Do I remove the Montipora (color fading, but no obvious necrosis)? <Would give it time, see if it comes back.>  Any other suggestions or just wait it out.  
Thanks  
Hugh
<Keep up the water changes and carbon replacement.  Also try some PolyFilters, very good at removing chemical contaminates.>
<Chris>

-Xenia in trouble?-  - 09/03/06
Bob and wonderful staff,
<Todd, you have Justin tonight.>
Update on my BTA getting caught in the powerhead:  It's been just over a week since I learned the hard way about NOT covering powerhead intakes with
a BTA in the tank.  Well, powerheads are covered and the BTA appears to be doing well.  Thanks for all you help.
<Good to hear, they can get themselves into very interesting situations cant they.  Glad yours is doing better.>
Now with the another hard lesson learned by a new reef daddy.. DO NOT ADD AMQUEL+ to your tank!  I was starting to get a Cyanobacteria bloom due to
increase in my Nitrate readings (0 - 10ppm to 10 - 20ppm).  So what did I do?  Added some Amquel+ to lower the Nitrate level to (in theory) kill off
my Cyanobacteria problem.  Instead, my pulsing xenia within minutes beginning to look like something out of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before
Christmas.  I immediately did a 20% water change and plan on doing another one today (the day after).  Is there any chance the xenia will pull through?
All the other corals look good.
<Tis possible, keep up the water changes and try not to move or overly stress the xenia.  Have a lot of current blowing near the coral, but not directly on.  Xenia is generally incredibly hardy if it "takes" to a tank, and can be considered a weed at times, so yours should bounce back.  Don't ever use any product to remove nitrate or ammonia in an established tank,  why waste money and risk tank health when a bag of salt and a water change will fix it all right up.>
Thanks,
Todd
<Justin>

About Xenia... dis., comp.   8/23/06
I having problems to keep any species of xenia in my reef tank. I would like someone advanced aquarists to help me solve the problem.
  I tried to keep a lots of different species xenia but no one can success. Water quality?
<Possibly>
Lighting?
<Not likely>
Water movement?
<Could be>
Nutrients? PH? I do everything but did not see the result. Still cannot keep xenia in my reef tank.
  My tank size:
  36"x18"x18" with 15gallons sump with feather Caulerpa filter with 24hrs daylight lighting. with Plenum and 4" 2mm sand bed. 20kg live rock in main tank.   
  equipments:
  1 (Eheim) return pump 3396l/hr
  2 (Seio) water movement pumps 2400/hr
  1 (Aquanic) water movement pump 1500/hr
  1 (AquaMedic) Skimmer with pump 2500L/hr
  1 280watts chiller   
  This is my tank water parameter:
  PH         - 8.3
  Ammonia - 0mg/L
  Nitrite      - 0mg/L
  Total Nitrate - 20mg/L
<A bit high... would keep no more than half this>
  Phosphate  - 0mg/L
  dKH         - 11-12dKH
  salinity     - 1.0235
<Better near 1.025>
  Temperature - 26.5C
  Calcium       - 450mg/L
  Magnesium  - 1300mg/L   
  * I use SeaChem Reef Plus twice a week to maintain the iodine and trace element, and Kalkwasser to makeup water.
   <Might be something in how you're administering these last two>
  Lighting:
  1 14k T5
  1 Actinic T5
  1 12k  fluorescent (sera)
  2 actinic fluorescents (Acadia)   
  Fishes:
  1 yellow tang
  1 blue hippo tang
  2 clown fish
  3 green Chromis
  1 sixline wrasse
  1 flasher wrasse   
  others:
  2 cleaner shrimps
  1 blue legged hermit crab   
  corals:
  LPSs: 1 open brain, 1 green galaxy.
  soft coral : yellow polyps, different species buttons and different types of mushrooms.
   <Very likely allelopathy with these other cnidarians>
  Problem:
  - every time i added new xenia into my tank the xenia not open sometime will melted within 2days.
  - sometime the xenia looks unhappy and dry look then slowly die off.
  -then i tried to buy the established xenia from the LFS. the polyps open very nice in the LFS established reef tank with only actinic light.
<Don't need actinic...>
When i put it in my tank 1st day still open but not like at the LFS. 2nd day the polyps open bigger then 1st day. 3rd and 4th day looks good polyps open nicely, but till 5th day it looks unhappy the polyps looks dry again.....:( is no reason every things is ok but only xenia. I really loves this coral but very hard to keep :( why? why? why?
  - others coral in my tank doing very well and spreading very fast like button. Maybe i got no luck with xenia :(   
  Steve xxxxx
<Mmm... I would try adding whatever Xeniid to a separate "go-between" tank, with only partial water from your system, the rest all new... adding some more tank water weekly... Please read on WWM re Pulsing Corals: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm
and the linked files above, as well as searching, reading re the terms mentioned above. Bob Fenner>

Re: About Xenia... dis., comp., using WWM   8/24/06
Dear FAQ Crew,
   <Steve>
  Thanks for your advice.
  Having some more questions.:   
  1. You said my NO3 level 20mg/L a bit high. Have to reduce it more then half of this.
<Yes>
  Current tank system is using 5 ways to reduce the NO3 level. 1. Protein skimmer (Aquamedic Turboflotor), 2. Caulerpa refugium (24hrs lighting), 3. Plenum system at the main tank, 4. ALGONE pouch, and 5. 10% water change every week. Last time my tank NO3 level was more then 100mg/L, now reduced to 20mg/L only. And i using so many way that still can maintain at 20mg/L only, so how to reduce more then half of this?
   <Mmm... add a DSB, other macro-algae... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm
and the linked files above>
  2. You ask me to increase the spg to 1.025. Is that will shock the live stock?
<No... do gradually... with water changes>
Is that have to increase a bit by a bit between few days? My LFS told me spg too high the fish will infected saltwater ich, is that true?
<To some extent, yes>
My clown fishs sometime got white spots, the day after they will gone by itself. Few days later the white spots will come back and infected my clown fishs again. If i increase the spg, the white spots can be come more serious?
   <See WWM re Cryptocaryon... you seem to have a latent infestation... best to deal with this...>
  3. You said must be something i administering Kalkwasser and SeaChem reef plus to course failed my Xeniid.
<?... possibly an influence, yes>
This is the method to i administering this two. I tested my tap water is no nitrate so i did not use RO water. I add dechlorinator to tap water and mixed with Kalkwasser powder let it settle for few hrs. Extract the clear layer of Kalkwasser and drip it to my tank at night. I apply the SeaChem reef plus twice a week.
<To? I would introduce this only through water changes>
when reef plus added to the tank, I'll disconnected the protein skimmer for 1 hr. I using reef plus to maintain the iodine and trace elements for Xeniid as GARF website.
  Is the method have any problem?
   <Yes, possibly>
  4. If the calcium level of my tank is not a problem 450mg/L and the dKH also in the right level 11-12dKH, how can i increase the ph level up to 8.4 an above?
<... there are a few ways... posted on WWM>
Can i using Kalkwasser to push the ph up?
<I would not>
coz last time i using buffer, problem is buffer will push the dKH up as well till the dKH level up to 17dKH.
<Bingo... time to send you again... back to reading... on WWM re Kalk, Alkalinity, pH...>
  5. About Xeniid. At night is the Xeniid polyps will close and not expand? Is that normal?   
  Thanks again   
  Steve XXXXXX
<Please, learn to, use WWM, the indices, search tool... Bob Fenner>

Xenia disappearance   8/11/06
Hi Crew,
<Tom>
Overnight, it looks like one of the main stems of my month-old Xenia disappeared, leaving only an attachment stub (that still has two very small new "sprouts" showing).  Although I see no obvious signs of a struggle, I suspect foul play.
<Could be...>
Other tank residents include 2 Gobies, 3 Peppermint Shrimp (who did a remarkable job eating my Aiptasia, over the 5 weeks I've had them in there), one Fireshrimp, 3 (supposedly) algae eating Hermit crabs, and one unidentified hitchhiker crab, dime-sized or smaller.
<... could be any of the crustaceans... or...>
For what it's worth, the tank has also had a Sarcophyton for 9 months, and it has never had any problems.
Thanks for your thoughts,
Tom
<And there are situations in which pulsing soft corals do "just fail"... sometimes quite rapidly. Please read on WWM re the propensity (Compatibility) for each of the crustaceans listed to get along, and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/xeniidarts.htm
and the linked files above for insight into captive Xeniid Behavior, Systems... Bob Fenner>