Pulsing Xenia not looking so good.

[sicklidkid]

I have a pulsing Xenia that was doing great! It was pulsing and fully extended and everything. The other day i did a top off. After that top off the xenia started to look bad. Everything is shriveled up. The polyps look very stiff and small. If you look close you can tell they are trying to pulse but arent able to. Also the basewhich is usually full fat looking seems like it has gotten lighter in color and muchskinnier and stiffer. All this happend i believe within a half an hour after the top off. THe only thing i can think of, is if i accidentally poored the fresh water directly above the xenia, temporarily immersing it in freshwater. I hope someone can tell me if it will be ok.
THANKS

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

Happened to me too and I got all freaky and thought it was a disease and I cut the stalk to prevent it from spreading. Afterwards I asked in a forum and was told that I shouldn't have cut it and that they do that from time to time. They are also heat sensitive I was told. Now I just leave them alone and they go back to normal in a short time.

 

[sicklidkid]

So i should just leave it? Did yours do exactly what i described that mine did?

 

[SpeckledGrouper]

I am by no means an expert, but yes the polyps balled up and looked as if they would die, not all of them, others looked good.
I started out with one stalk and now I have 7 or 8 stalks, so I must be doing something right....

 

[sicklidkid]

Well i have seen my polyps balled up before but this is different. Right now some of the polyps are open, but they are very small, maby half their normail size.

 

[phases99]

Check your PH and ALK. Xenia's can be very sensitive to changes.

 

[MarineFlake]

Absolutely, my xenia is my first guage on something going chemically awry in the tank. Check also for ammonia nitrites if the params Phase99 gave you are ok. You did top off with RODI or at the very least filtered tap right?

 

[sicklidkid]

I dont think anything could be wrong with my water because it happened right when i did the top off. And no i am not using RO water.

 

[bound_for_obx]

Are the Xenia looking any better today?

 

[WarOrks15]

well i was just talking to some one about this same thing. he said that there is a bacteria that only affects the xenia. a good coral can just die fast due to this bacteria. and you can't treat it. but if it gets to one it will get to all. just an idea that might be it.

 

[diverdown69]

What bacteria might that be? Did your friend give you a name/species or maybe even just a group like Enterobacteriaceae or the like?

 

[WarOrks15]

well my friend/coworker could not remeber the name of it. i work at a lfs and 2 times a year he gose to this really big convention and every year he gose there and ask this guy questions. and one of the years he asked him why the xenia dose not do well in the stores tanks but it can not be killed in others. and he told him that it could be the bacteria or it could be becasue the gh is too low. but as far as a the name of the bacteria i dont know. all i know is what this guy said and he gets his info from a very good place. so i trust his word. but you might want to do a google on xenia and bacteria or some thing like that and see if you can find a name for it. i have not had time becasue i just heard this from my friend last night at work

 

[sicklidkid]

Ok guys, thanks for all the posts....i gues ill just keep you updated when isse some changes (hopefully positive).

Thanks

 

[ScubaDean]

My Xenia appears to have the same issue, I had to move my tank and after setup the Xenia which had been doing great and previously split 3 to 4 times just closed and has not opened back up, it just continued to shrink, it has been about a month now. everything else in my tank is looking good. I noticed yesterday it looks like in MAY be beginning to come back. Oh yes I only use RO. So I think Xenia is just very sensitive to sudden changes in water conditions. Good luck.

 

[ScubaDean]

My Xenia appears to have the same issue, I had to move my tank and after setup the Xenia which had been doing great and previously split 3 to 4 times just closed and has not opened back up, it just continued to shrink, it has been about a month now. everything else in my tank is looking good. I noticed yesterday it looks like in MAY be beginning to come back. Oh yes I only use RO. So I think Xenia is just very sensitive to sudden changes in water conditions. Good luck.

 

[sicklidkid]

I think its going to make it! I has gotten back a lot of its mass and the polyps are getting bigger, you can even see it pilsing a little bit!!

 

[revhtree]

Great News!!!! Happy to Hear!