Advice on Lighting Setup for True Blue Xenia

[Chaim]

Hi everyone,

I recently purchased a True Blue Xenia that looked like a beautiful blue in the photos online. I’m running an AI Prime light, with settings that typically make my other corals look vibrant, but the Xenia appears more grayish-purple under these settings. Here’s a breakdown of my current lighting:


• Royal Blue: 90%


• Blue: 70%


• Cool White: 75%

I reached out to the store, and they mentioned the Xenia shows its best blue color under whiter light. It’s a bit frustrating that they didn’t mention this requirement upfront, as my tank is more blue-heavy for my other corals, which pop under these settings.

Does anyone have experience with the True Blue Xenia or suggestions on adjusting my blues and whites to bring out its color without washing out the other corals? How high can I go on the whites (or how low on the blues) while still maintaining a good balance? Any advice or similar experiences would be super helpful—thanks!

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I would not let something like that frustrate you, as no vendor is required to mention anything about lighting, water parameters, etc, and as a hobbyist one should always prepare for pictures to look differently in every different lighting system they may be under. Some post that info willingly, some not at all, some will share if you reach out. That said, lighting is a very personal thing and looks better/worse for everyone. Really the best advice here would be to play around with the blues and whites until you find a balance you’re happy with, and do so with a PAR meter so you know you’re not under/over lighting your tank when you find what’s most appealing. I know it’s a very, “it depends” type of answer, but you’re the one who’s looking at it and it needs to make you happy. I run 2 of the Hydra64HD’s with an Orphek Blue Plus for supplemental lighting, and my blue staghorn as well as my Oregon tort both show nicely. It’s not overly blue. My UV,V, blue and royal blue are all at 108% and white is at 35%. Keep in mind I have that led bar for blue and UV supplement, so you may have success trying something like 100% and 25% as a starting point.

 

[Andy Sager]

Just to pile on to Flaxon's message , it's up to the buyer to ASK what the needs are, in particular what kind of lighting, food, placement, flow rate, etc. this particular coral needs. Blue Xenia will appear more blue in whiter light but if your other corals will not do well under the whiter light, you've created a problem in your tank and something is going to suffer. Best advice is to ask before buying instead of waiting to see how it does in your tank. THAT will save you some money and save some corals. Luckily, xenia is rather forgiving about the light spectrum to live but may not look " perfect" under every lighting. That doesn't mean your other corals are the same way.