Xenia stinks!

[Pszemol]

Have you noticed how (healthy) Xenia coral stinks when taken out of water?
Yesterday I was working on a frag for Mort and when doing the final
separation from the mother colony I put my nose too close and I was
reminded how stinky this coral was... I already noticed this odor weeks
ago, but I forgot to ask you guys - does your Xenia stinks too?
Have you tried to take it out of water and check how does it smell?
I would like to emphasize, it is not a decaying odor, coral is healthy,
fully expanded, right color and pulsing, but taken out of water stinks!
I would probably expect this stinky odor is a defence agains predators
or something similar like this...

[Mark Elliott]

Yep.

It stinks.

The stuff is a bloody menace and should be destroyed at every opportunity
even though you wouldn't want to be down wind of it.

Mark

"Pszemol" > wrote in message
...
> Have you noticed how (healthy) Xenia coral stinks when taken out of water?
> Yesterday I was working on a frag for Mort and when doing the final
> separation from the mother colony I put my nose too close and I was
> reminded how stinky this coral was... I already noticed this odor weeks
> ago, but I forgot to ask you guys - does your Xenia stinks too?
> Have you tried to take it out of water and check how does it smell?
> I would like to emphasize, it is not a decaying odor, coral is healthy,
> fully expanded, right color and pulsing, but taken out of water stinks!
> I would probably expect this stinky odor is a defence agains predators
> or something similar like this...

[Pszemol]

"Mark Elliott" > wrote in message .. .
> The stuff is a bloody menace and should be destroyed at every opportunity
> even though you wouldn't want to be down wind of it.

At least this odor is not noticable from the outside
of the tank, and otherwise the coral looks marvelously.
Especially pulsing variety what I am lucky to have.

[Mark Elliott]

I've got a tank full of the stuff and it's a menace.

I can't give it away fast enough. It covers almost every other coral (only
riccordia and rhodactis out compete it).

Perhaps in Poland it grows differently!

Mark

"Pszemol" > wrote in message
...
> "Mark Elliott" > wrote in message
.. .
> > The stuff is a bloody menace and should be destroyed at every
opportunity
> > even though you wouldn't want to be down wind of it.
>
> At least this odor is not noticable from the outside
> of the tank, and otherwise the coral looks marvelously.
> Especially pulsing variety what I am lucky to have.

[Pszemol]

"Mark Elliott" > wrote in message ...
> I've got a tank full of the stuff and it's a menace.
>
> I can't give it away fast enough. It covers almost every
> other coral (only riccordia and rhodactis out compete it).

Dr Shimek recomends this coral as a way for nutrients export
from the water column. He uses Xenia in his DSB tanks...
BTW - has anybody ever seen dr Shimek's tanks?

> Perhaps in Poland it grows differently!

Not sure why it would grow differently in Poland,
and I have no way to check it since I do not live there.

[Richard Reynolds]

> Dr Shimek recomends this coral as a way for nutrients export
> from the water column. He uses Xenia in his DSB tanks...

its a great form of nutrient export, especially because it sells for more than algae :D

more so in socal where all the lfs's are scared to sell algae for fear of selling the
wrong kinds (some are illegal here)


--
Richard Reynolds

[Marx]

Mark Elliott wrote:
> I've got a tank full of the stuff and it's a menace.
>
> I can't give it away fast enough. It covers almost every other coral (only
> riccordia and rhodactis out compete it).
>
> Perhaps in Poland it grows differently!
>

In Poland it grows, but never "like the weed". And it's used as
indicator of water (seems to be very sensitive)
Marx

[Pszemol]

"Marx" > wrote in message ...
> In Poland it grows, but never "like the weed". And it's used as
> indicator of water (seems to be very sensitive)

Looks like you have different kind of Xenia... there are many
Xeniidae out there and they all are very similar to each other.
It is hardly to believe Xenia detects country borders ;-)

[Marx]

Pszemol wrote:

> "Marx" > wrote in message ...
>
>>In Poland it grows, but never "like the weed". And it's used as
>>indicator of water (seems to be very sensitive)
>
>
> Looks like you have different kind of Xenia... there are many
> Xeniidae out there and they all are very similar to each other.
> It is hardly to believe Xenia detects country borders ;-)
Of course, but polish aquaristics is far behind the best, and xenia feel
it :)
Marx

[Pszemol]

"Marx" > wrote in message ...
> > Looks like you have different kind of Xenia... there are many
> > Xeniidae out there and they all are very similar to each other.
> > It is hardly to believe Xenia detects country borders ;-)
> Of course, but polish aquaristics is far behind the best,
> and xenia feel it :)

I have seen amazing fish tanks in Poland, and I would not say they
are far behind of anybody... but - everybody has his own opinion...

Going back to Xenia subject. I noticed having Xenia feels like
having to take care of a very fast growing plant/algae... The dynamics
of fast growing plants are important to the success since the more
plant grows the more nutrients in the water it needs - maybe
Xenia not growing well indicates WATER TOO CLEAN? Maybe
over-skimmed? It sounds like lack of nutrients. I read about Xenia
and it looks like this animal does not eat in the "normal" fashion
by digesting food particles collected to the mouth - it rather soaks
its tissues with organic nutriens dissolved in the water column,
so if the water lacks these organic chemicals - Xenia starves
or at least does not grow fast. Anyway, it thrives in my dirty tank! :-)
So my advice: keep it dirty and you will have success with Xenia ;-)

[Marx]

Pszemol wrote:

> I have seen amazing fish tanks in Poland, and I would not say they
> are far behind of anybody... but - everybody has his own opinion...
How many amazing reef tank did you see in Poland? 10? 20?

> Xenia not growing well indicates WATER TOO CLEAN? Maybe
> over-skimmed? It sounds like lack of nutrients. I read about Xenia
> and it looks like this animal does not eat in the "normal" fashion
> by digesting food particles collected to the mouth - it rather soaks
> its tissues with organic nutriens dissolved in the water column,
> so if the water lacks these organic chemicals - Xenia starves
> or at least does not grow fast. Anyway, it thrives in my dirty tank! :-)
I've just wrote it: generally polish marine tanks doesn't use the newest
knowledge, so maybe xenia starves, maybe other parameters are not good
for xenia and it doesn't grow quickly

Marx

[Uncle Salty]

Hi I'm a newbie here.
i have a 29 gallon reef tank with some of the most impressive coralline
growth i have ever seen.
My Xenias are growing like weeds but my mushrooms are shrinking
quickly.
I do not have an iodine test kit but i suspect this may be the cause.
All other parameters are in the acceptable range.
Any thoughts? :confused:


--
Uncle Salty

Uncle Salty
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