non pulsing xenia died

Had a friend of mine give me some non pulsing xenia about a week ago, I noticed they werent doing well so i put it up high closer to the light, well today I wanted to change position because they still didnt look healthy, and when i moved the rock, they just fell off the rock. Do these require hallides? They were in a high flow area, could that be the cause?

 

Wish I could help

I know mine like low flow but I am also a newbie so can't really say much except I am sorry for your loss.

 

Yeah it sucks but im getting some watermelon zooanthids and a tri color ricordia tomorrow in the mail so that will make me feel better.;D

 

Was the xenia sick when you got it, or are your parameters off. Hate for the new corals you're getting to get sick as well...

So sorry for your loss!

 

Xenia do not require Halides, in fact they do well under pretty much any kind of light. They prefer water that is a little bit dirtier than most people keep their tanks but will also do well in a clean tank. They also like a little bit of flow but don't like to be slammed or buffeted around to much this will cause them to "clamp" up also.

Xenia usually melt when they die, is this what happened or did they just "clamp up"? because they do also require a few days to adjust to their surroundings and might perk up if given a few days.

If they did melt then I would have to agree with ssgheislerswife either they were sick or there is something off in your water.

 

Xenia like lots of light, but don't need MH - they do well under most lights. Just the more the better.
I have always found that they like little flow, but never the less some.

It may have been moving on its own tho and you have disturbed it, so it has fallen

 

Sorry man.

 

sulli,

You know what? There are TONS AND TONS AND TONS of speculations on the xenia coral and NONE have proven valid. The truth? No one truly knows or understands xenia. I myself have spent well over $100+ on xenia alone: pulsing, pom-pom, pink, the mysterious redsea blue xenia (the one that looks like someone put glitter on) and even anthelias. ALL AND I DO MEAN ALL have died within a span of less than 2 months in my tank(s). What am I doing wrong? Not sure. But, I have SPS, LPS and zoas growing and doing well in my tank(s).

People have said, xenias like dirty water with tons of nutrients. Others have said, you need to keep pristine water. And still others have told me to find a happy medium: Use low to high to medium and somewhere in between flows. Someone even told me to use a wavemaker. Bad idea...I not only lost a huge colony of xenia but I blew out a couple koralias in the act. Then there are those that tell me they can grow xenia in an alcove and others report success under metal halides. What gives?

Here's a theory I came up with and it has NOTHING to do with anything anyone here ever mentioned: a lot of xenia in nature is found in a tropical lagoon where water tends to be intermixed with both pristine and dirty water. All corals will emit some sort of chemical warfare to the surrounding area and at the same time they are also succeptible to attack as well. What does all this mean? Well, probably nothing but some corals don't mix together well. That's why keeping leathers with SPS is a bad thing or keeping LPS with anemones could open a can of worms. Something to think about.

 

Just to agree.. Xenia do not require MH... Sorry for your loss.. I've never had any that didn't pulse...

 

Just read this when i was going to buy some xenia at an online store.
it states

"Xenia secretes a mucus coating when threatened. This coating must be rinsed off in saltwater prior to introduction into the home aquarium to prevent the coral from perishing. During shipment, this coating may become quite thick, potentially causing suffocation if not properly removed."

Just an interesting bit of info from pet solutions.
not sure on its accuracy but its food for thought.

they also say marine snow and some other source of spot feeding may help but mostly photosynthetic

let me know if this is wrong but i dont see how it can hurt either.