What are these white lumps on the stalk of my XENIA??

[jasno999]

HEre are some pictures - they are not the best quality but you can see what I am talkign about.

http://community.webshots.com/album/219386694oThSEx/4

or

 

[Fluff]

Looks like new growth. I wouldn't worry about it. It will also get those spots if it had been attached and let go.

 

[Gatorfreak]

As Fluff said, looks like the marks they get when they attach to something and let go. Sometimes mine will "lie down" to spread and then end up letting go, leaving marks just like that. It will go away.

 

[jasno999]

Ok I will try not to worry about it but this small colony has been in the same place since I put it in the tank a month or more ago. It is in an area where it does nto touch other objects or rocks. So I don't knwo what the shite spots would be from.

Unless this spots are where a new main branch is goign to form or maybe it is lookign for a rock to grab onto so it can split. As long as the coral is not in need of help then I will jsut watch and wait to see what happens.

To let you know recently my skimmer crapped out on me. Nto a big deal in terms of skimming cause it was a seaclone and did nto remove much from the water at all. However it did provide oxygen rich water to the tank and its output flow was right over the top of the xenia. SO now that the skimmer is gone the flow pattern has changed and it has been reduced by a large amount. I can add anotehr small pump but I don't want to put the xenia directly in the flow path. I jsut wonder if this lack of flow and lack of oxygenated water has somethign to do wit hthe growth on the xenia.

 

[jasno999]

Is it possiable that my xenia might actually be severing the bottom of its own stalk/foot so that it can try to float to a new location??? I am concearned cause this whie lumppy mass is on both sides of the stalk and I am nto sure what to do.

I added a 2nd small PH to the tank last night but I hat to put it on the other side of the tank and it does little if nothing for the side with the xenia. The 1st PH sends flow right past the xenia and does get it movign a little. The 2nd is now providing some flow over the leather coral in the tanl and then it pushes soem water to the from of the tank nearthe bubble coral. The mushrooms get little to no flow but they seem to be ok with that. I would like more in their area but I find it difficult to get the 2nd power head in that area withought makign the xenia blow around liek crazy.

 

[Fluff]

Jason, your xenya looks fine. Your gonna have to trust us on that. I've never known xenya to just let go and float but it will "walk" to different areas. Xenya can attach and detach in a matter of hours so it could be drooping at night and attaching/releasing then, I don't know but it doesn't look sick to me. Just the opposite.

 

[jasno999]

Yeah - Trust me I beleive you I do. Jsut somehting new to me. I jsut want to make sure the zenia survives and thrives.

So liek I said I will wait to see what happens. I am interested to see the outcome.

So you think otherwise it looks healthy?

 

[Fluff]

So you think otherwise it looks healthy?

Yes. The pics you have posted, it looks like normal healthy xenya.

 

[jasno999]

Well - My worst nightmare came true. I got home today and this is what the zenia looked like:

http://community.webshots.com/album/219386694oThSEx/4

Look at the bottom 3 photos on that page if my pics do not appear

So it looks like the xenia is dead or in the final stages of death. I am going to do a 20% water change as a last ditch effort but I think it is a done deal.

I have no idea what happend as the zenia looked fine last night besides the white growth I had been talkign about. It could be due to the fact that I was behind on my last water change or it could be due to the loss of the protien skimmer in terms of flow and aration - the skmmer really did not pull crap out of the water.

All I knwo is that after all this time it is strange for this guy to jsut die that wuick. I know that is what happens but I want to knwo the reason so I can fix it.

 

[AMANIQU77]

You might want to test your parameters. Can you give us readings?

Also, what kind of light do you use?

Furthermore, you can add iodine as a suppliment (Kent sells them). If you don't test for them, use sparingly.

Finally, use Purple Up because they have a balance of magnesium, iodine, and calcium when added. And boy, do they do a good job in my tank. The xenia's been in my tank for 3 months. I've given four stalks of them for credit at a local lfs. And they did pretty well. I just tore them off the rock and rubberbanded them haphazzardly on a frag rock. they thrived.

Water and light is the key. Give some specs. Thanks.

 

[jasno999]

I have not done a water test recently. All I knwo is that I did abotu a 50% water change last night. It may be too late for the Xenia at this point but I want to make sure the mushrooms, polyups, leather and bubble coral are all ok. So the water change will hopefully help. I have to get back on top of my maintanance.

I really do like xenia - even though the one I had did not pulse much I still liked it. So I will probably try this or a similar coral again. But I am goign to wait for a while to make sure the tank parameters are back in line.

When I get a chance to run all the tests I will post the results.

 

[Fluff]

Xenya is a picky coral. When it does well, it does VERY well. If it's not happy, it crashes quick. The change in the pics you posted show this well. I wouldn't give up on it yet though. If you did the water change, it may bounce back. Is it possible something is irritating it? Your bubble coral maybe?

 

[jasno999]

Nope I don't see anyhting that could be irritating it. The damsel might mess with it or something but if he was I never saw it and both have been in the tank for over a month and there was never an issue. So I doubt the damsel.

The oter corals are not close to the xenia. And there is nothngi close that could pass a sweeper tentical over it.

So I am thinkign it has somehting to do with the fact that I had nto done a water change in a while and I dosed som iodine into the tank. DId nto measure Iodine levels but tried to get a little bit in as a supplement but I think too much actualyl entered the system.

So it is either an iodine overdose or more likley the fat that I was long overdue on a water change. IT is strange cause there was definitly something going on in the tank but it is hard to put a finger on it. The xenia is a mess as seen. The leather coral was also closed up and had polyups sucked in. I know the leather occasional does that but it was fien the night before and then all of a sudden at the same time the xenia got ugly the leatehr sucked in. Might be a chemical reaction to the xenia death. Who knows

But the bubble coral appeared fine as did the polyups (zoos) and the mushrooms.

I thought he large water change was the best thing to do. Now I need to test the water parameters to see where I am at. I doubt the zenia is goign to make a comback cause it looked bad. I will keep you updated.

 

[jasno999]

Well after my 50% water change the zenia started to perk up again and come back from the dead. IT is nto out of the woods yet but it is definitly doign better.

SO there was definitly something wrong with my water. I will follow up in another week with a 20% water change and hopefully this guy will be back to full health.

I have still not done a water parameters test. I need to- but in the meantime doing water changes is the best thing anyway no matter what the current water parameters are at.

 

[Gatorfreak]

You mentioned a lack of pulsing. I've read that stronger lighting (or closer to the lighting) will cause them to pulse more. Initially my Xenia never pulsed and I put some high up on the rocks and it started pulsing more. Over several months now, all of the Xenia pulse like crazy, even those lower down. I think it might be a "happiness" or acclimation issue. They seem to pulse more in the late afternoon to early evening (I run my lights from 9:30am - 9:30pm).

I dose with iodine and my Xenia grows at an obnoxious rate. Ironically, that's what I'd hoped for in the beginning. Be very careful about overdosing with iodine. I dose less than what the product label says.

 

[jasno999]

Well I can take the half a glass top that I have on the tank off so that a little more light gets to the xenia. I put it there cause I had originally thought that the light was too much for my mushrooms. I have a 96Watt power quad on a 10 gallon tank.

I also think I need a new bulb cause the one I have is probably past its prime.

I will try opening up more light to the zenia.


However even thought it was not until last week that I saw an issue occur I have not had an abundance of growht in my tank. My bubble has grown some but he was the first coral. My polyups have multiplied but not by a large extent and the xenia has gotten a little bigger but nowhere close to the growth that you and most others talk about.

So I am not sure what I am doign wrong. Maybe it is all the lighting??? Who knows. I jsut think keeping up on my PWC will be the best thign for my tank