Xenia
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: SPS
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions SPS corals.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28638
Printed Date: February 16 2025 at 6:38am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Xenia
Posted By: mermaidcamille
Subject: Xenia
Date Posted: October 13 2008 at 5:29pm
|
I have Xenia in my 130g and it does okay. Pulsing isn't what it once was and it doesn't spread. I read all the time that some people get xenia to go like weeds. Would those people please enlighten me on what I might do to also be one of those people that complain about my xenia being out of control?
Thanks!
Camille ------------- 135g...D.E.A.D Welcome bright and shiny 120! |
Replies:
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 13 2008 at 5:51pm
| You might try Seachem's Reef Trace. Also stop using carbon and phosban. |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: October 13 2008 at 5:55pm
|
xenia likes "DIRTY" tanks... ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
Posted By: BobC63
Date Posted: October 13 2008 at 7:28pm
I would respectfully disagree a bit here 
I agree that the commonly expressed wisdom is that Xenia (and most other soft corals) like "dirty" tanks but IME how "clean" the water is doesn't seem to be a factor...
This is my Silver Tip Colony
 FYI the rock it is on is almost a foot in length and 6 - 8 inches wide
 This colony started as a single "stalk" with maybe 12 - 15 polyps on it that I got for $5 probably 1.5 years ago... it has also been "thinned out" at least threefold - so what remains in the pictures is probably just 1/3 of the colony I have grown.
As far as the conditions it is in:
Fairly "low nutrient" water. Not as low as an all SPS setup, but I run fairly agressive skimming, a macroalgae refugium for nutrient export, all "zeroes" for nO3 and pO4, and I run carbon and pO4 remover as well. Skimming, carbon, pO4 filtration 24/7/365 with regular changes of the media. I do not have an issues with cyano or hair / nuisance algaes.
Lighting - 250w MH 14K
Flow - medium; definitely to the point where the colony will "sway in the current" if that is helpful. I have noticed that whenever I shut off my pumps for more than just a few minutes the Xenia "pumping" lessens considerably.
Feeding - no "target feeding" of any corals
Supplementation - no trace elements or other water supplements used
Personally , I believe Xenia "likes" more lighting than most people believe (my colony is slowly working its way 'upward' in the tank - not 'downward', even under the halides); I also believe it likes a good amount of flow, semi-direct; as far as my "success" I have noticed better growth overall when I went to more frequent WCs (smaller volume) than in the past when I would do larger volume changes less frequently... I attribute that to the Xenia needing / liking some item out of the water (Iodine, Boron, Strontium, who knows?) that it gets from additions of newly mixed SW
I also have a good sized Pom Pom Xenia colony that I have already fragged several times and it still grows quit well - though not as fast as the Silver Tip does...
------------- - My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) - * Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 * |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: October 13 2008 at 9:44pm
|
My PomPom Xenia always climbed the rocks to be directly under the 10,000K 250 watt MH and directly infront of a powerhead.
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: October 14 2008 at 1:35am
| I don't suggest that you want po4 and no3 reading on a test, but that you do want some in the water. I also think they use bright light. They can be good nutrient export with regular trimming. I have tossed a lot of xenia. |
Posted By: pa_reptileman_4
Date Posted: October 14 2008 at 5:09am
bob i have to disagree with you on this, i have 2 tanks currently, a 40 and a 30,
my 40 has a 20k 250w mh, a korilla 2 and a rio 3100 return, a 10gal refugium, seaclone 150 skimmer, dsb and extra lr, and a lot of macro. fish include 1 clown, 1 hippo, and 1 damsel, 1 cleaner shrimp
and the 30 has 2x40w t-12's, and a hob refugium, a maxi 12 and a powerhead(200gph), lots of rock and an ok SB. small amount of macro. fish 1 korean angel, 3 chromis, 1 lawnmower blenny, starfish.
i have/had silvertip and pom pom in both. i would def consider the 40 to be a clean tank and the 30 to be a dirty tank.
tell me which tank the xenia likes more? ------------- pitiful guppy tank. shane |
carlso63 wrote:Posted By: dduts
Date Posted: October 14 2008 at 4:44pm
|
I personally don't agree with the 'dirty tank' deal. I just don't think it's that particular. I run PO4 remover, carbon changed bi-weekly, weekly 10% changes (religously), a modded g-2, DSB, ozone and a refugium. I'm not claiming to have the cleanest tank, but I do have sps growing happily as well. Since the sps require much cleaner water to thrive, that would suggest quite the opposite. I have much better filtration than my previous tank and don't notice any slow down for the xenia. One constant, I noticed is better pulsing with higher alk, higher light and flow. Hard to say, I guess. ------------- 90g mixed reef GOT CRABS? Sometimes I wonder "why is that frisbee getting bigger?"....and then it hits me |
Posted By: idahreefer
Date Posted: October 22 2008 at 7:32am
|
be grateful it's not spreading fast, when it gets out of control it's hard to get out, most reefers I know just flush it.
------------- martin |