xenia problems

[Kelsey Cummings]

I've got a 3 month old 30g reef tank setup with 15g refugium and added
my first coral a couple of weeks ago- a pulsing xenia. It's seemed very
happy and perfectly healthy until a few days ago when a few of the
'fingertips' look like they have calcified - just the very tips turned
white and rigid. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse or spreading
to other areas. Is this a cause for concern? If it is a problem what
the most likely cause and what steps should I take to resolve it?

Sorry I don't have good water parameters handy - I had my LFS test the
water when I bought the Xenia and they thought it looked perfect.

As a newb, can someone recommend what I should be testing for on a
regular basis and what kits I should purchase?

-K

[IceManDug]

I would recommend checking the pH. When the pH is low, the xenia will stop
their pulsing. You should also check the specific gravity, temperature, and
alkalinity.

--

Doug Branham
"Kelsey Cummings" > wrote in message
...
> I've got a 3 month old 30g reef tank setup with 15g refugium and added my
> first coral a couple of weeks ago- a pulsing xenia. It's seemed very
> happy and perfectly healthy until a few days ago when a few of the
> 'fingertips' look like they have calcified - just the very tips turned
> white and rigid. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse or spreading to
> other areas. Is this a cause for concern? If it is a problem what the
> most likely cause and what steps should I take to resolve it?
>
> Sorry I don't have good water parameters handy - I had my LFS test the
> water when I bought the Xenia and they thought it looked perfect.
>
> As a newb, can someone recommend what I should be testing for on a regular
> basis and what kits I should purchase?
>
> -K

[Kelsey Cummings]

IceManDug wrote:
> I would recommend checking the pH. When the pH is low, the xenia will stop
> their pulsing. You should also check the specific gravity, temperature, and
> alkalinity.

Whatever is affecting them hasn't affected their activity. They are
pulsing like mad and contracting into a ball on a regular basis.

SG is 1.024
Temp is 78

I don't trust my pH/Alkalinity tests but they show

ph 8.0 - 8.4
Alkalinity somewhere between 150-300

They are lit with 65w 10k and 65w actinic PC lights.

-K

[Pszemol]

"Kelsey Cummings" > wrote in message ...
> I've got a 3 month old 30g reef tank setup with 15g refugium and added
> my first coral a couple of weeks ago- a pulsing xenia. It's seemed very
> happy and perfectly healthy until a few days ago when a few of the
> 'fingertips' look like they have calcified - just the very tips turned
> white and rigid. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse or spreading
> to other areas. Is this a cause for concern? If it is a problem what
> the most likely cause and what steps should I take to resolve it?

What else do you have in the tank ?
I have found my fish developed taste for a pompom Xenia
I got in my main setup and it was biting off tips one by one...
To determine the reason (before I actually see the fish doing
this and confirmed my previous findings) I moved some of
the Xenia bushes to my lighted refugium (same water system
with the main tank) and they fully recovered. I moved them back
to the main setup and they become white the next day...

Also, check if Xenia does not have any chance to touch any
other corals - when they sting each other the tips become white.
I had my fully expanded Xenia touch green button polyps and
become white like you have described.

Also, some sources claim Xenia is not "eating" in a regular
fashion - instead it ingests nutrients from the water column,
like water plants do. So smal amount of nitrates/phosphates
in the water is beneficial for corals like Xenia...
Maybe your water is lacking nutrients and Xenia is not feeling good?

[Kelsey Cummings]

Pszemol wrote:
> "Kelsey Cummings" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> I've got a 3 month old 30g reef tank setup with 15g refugium and added
>> my first coral a couple of weeks ago- a pulsing xenia. It's seemed
>> very happy and perfectly healthy until a few days ago when a few of
>> the 'fingertips' look like they have calcified - just the very tips
>> turned white and rigid. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse or
>> spreading to other areas. Is this a cause for concern? If it is a
>> problem what the most likely cause and what steps should I take to
>> resolve it?
>
>
> What else do you have in the tank ?

1 Yellow tail damsel (if I'd known before I bought it...)
Snails, Hermit Crabs, Pepermint Shrimp, worms

The pepermint shrimp were introduced after the symptoms developed.

I haven't seen anything bothering the xenia and it's nowhere near any
other coral or polyps, etc.

-K

[Pszemol]

"Kelsey Cummings" > wrote in message ...
> 1 Yellow tail damsel (if I'd known before I bought it...)
> Snails, Hermit Crabs, Pepermint Shrimp, worms
>
> The pepermint shrimp were introduced after the symptoms developed.
>
> I haven't seen anything bothering the xenia and it's nowhere near any
> other coral or polyps, etc.

I would suspect your fish. But I have never had a damsel so I am not sure.

[Jonathan Kenyon]

Don't sweat it with the xenia. I doubt anything you have in your tank is
picking on it. They are very touchy. Some people can't stop the stuff from
growing and others can't keep it alive. Just keep an eye on it. If it's
only occurring on a few of the hands you can cut those off to prevent it
spreading if its some type of bacterial infection. Otherwise just watch and
wait. If you lose the coral, try an even easier coral such as mushrooms or
zoanthids.

"Kelsey Cummings" > wrote in message
...
> I've got a 3 month old 30g reef tank setup with 15g refugium and added
> my first coral a couple of weeks ago- a pulsing xenia. It's seemed very
> happy and perfectly healthy until a few days ago when a few of the
> 'fingertips' look like they have calcified - just the very tips turned
> white and rigid. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse or spreading
> to other areas. Is this a cause for concern? If it is a problem what
> the most likely cause and what steps should I take to resolve it?
>
> Sorry I don't have good water parameters handy - I had my LFS test the
> water when I bought the Xenia and they thought it looked perfect.
>
> As a newb, can someone recommend what I should be testing for on a
> regular basis and what kits I should purchase?
>
> -K