Is this a good xenia for beginner?

I am hopeing to get a frag of this white/pink xenia, is it easy to take care of?

Thanks!
GKW

 

Xenia is generally pretty easy to care for, as long as you meet its lighting requirements. I have 288 watts over my 46, and have found so far that my xenia is doing the best closer to the top of the tank, and right next to my revloving power head, giving it a really strong flow. It was doing alright in the middle of the tank, with a little flow, but has improved drastically since its location change.

 

Yup, Xenia are very easy to keep. Although they can be placed anywhere in the tank, i have found that they look their best near the top I like it when they have low-medium flow so you can see them pulse alot Good Luck, im sure you will love them, i know i do.

 

Sorry to be negative but be careful with your water parameters. Once you see a xenia go down, it's almost impossible to reverse the process. They are very sensitive to changes and like iodine.

 

What type of changes? I will be picking it on Monday. Do I need to do any special acclimation process? I usually put the bag in the water for 20 - 30 mins and add 1 cup of water from the tank every 15 minutes for 4 times. Should I use the "drip" method on this coral?

I get nervous easily when my pets can be in trouble.

Thanks!
GKW

 

I believe he is refering to changes in the overall characteristics of your tank...if the pH changes alot, if salinity drops due to over evaporation, if you put too much iodine in at one time.

 

Bruce has it exactly right. Some use them as indicators of changes in chemistry in the water. If they 'curl up' their 'fingers' of 'writhe their hands' they are not happy, and you must find and fix the problem, otherwise they will hang-on for a time, but they eventually 'melt'. I decided, after having this happen twice, that my 10 gallon is too unstable to keep them, and, although I love them, I won't be having any (which is ironic, since I have many other 'more difficult' corals which are thriving and reproducing!).

Sorry I sounded so negative. Xenias are great and you should get yours. I just wanted to let you know thet they are delicate. Good luck!

 

Alot of time they will cup up their polyps at night time but isn't in any way indicative of them being unhappy. You just have to experiment with your colony. I have my colony of Xenia at the bottom of my tank attached to a piece of live rock in my dsb. Strong water movement and mh/pc light fixture. Supplementation with iodine is a must as mentioned above. Also, Xenia love good water quality. I basically do a water change once a week of just 5gallons in my 35gal hex and my 75 gal. Just to get vitamins/trace minerals in the water, because thru time they become depleated thru filtration and reef inhabitants. After a small water change, it is unbelievable how awesome my corals look.