Whats wrong with my Xenias?

Cooper32803 · Jul 11, 2012

OK thanks... I will head out to a couple of places tomorrow and try and find a decent amino supplement... I have to do a water change anyways so hopefully that will correct the Alk to a little closer to normal...

Lazys Coral House · Jul 11, 2012

Most Xenia can't take heat very well, On the reef mid summer when it looks like Xenia are about to completely take over, they die off from temps. Check your temps.

MBG75 · Jul 11, 2012

Like others have said its most likely low iodine. Low iodine will cause Xenia and anthelia to wither and melt away.

Pick up an iodine test kit.

Cooper32803 · Jul 11, 2012

Will look for an iodine test kit when I am looking for amino supplements... should I bee looking for a mag test as well? only test kits I have are the API saltwater master kit and reef master kit...

Cooper32803 · Jul 14, 2012

OK think I may have found the problem with all of your help. I started dosing Reef Plus and found out my salinity was low. So I fixed that today and I think they are a little happier now. Hopefully that will also help with my fruit loops zoas that are being very shy and dont fully open... But I will post that question in the proper forum

GrouperStupor · Jul 14, 2012

Hopefully it is fixed, but if you still have problems with the xenias...

They may not like something you're dosing. Try a normal water change and then don't dose anything for a while. Only fish food. See if they recover. Then you will know if it's one of your additives (or a rapid change due to an additive).

ritter6788 · Jul 14, 2012

You said your alk is high. Why is it high? What are you dosing in the tank? Alk IMO is the most important parameter to keep in range and very stable for coral health, (besides the basic salinity, ammonia, nitrites). The other parameters (calcium/magnesium) are important but if alkalinity is out of whack or changes quickly it can stress or kill a coral quick.

Cooper32803 · Jul 15, 2012

I was dosing Reef Code A and B like a LFS had told me to... bad advice when I started testing parameters... I did a WC last week... might do another tomorrow just to help get the parameters back in order....

ritter6788 · Jul 15, 2012

Cooper32803 said:
I was dosing Reef Code A and B like a LFS had told me to... bad advice when I started testing parameters... I did a WC last week... might do another tomorrow just to help get the parameters back in order....

Ah. More bad LFS advice! Sounds like you're on the right track now. Good luck!

Cooper32803 · Jul 15, 2012

Yeah.. Stupid lfs's lol but hopefully my alk will drop after a ten gallon wc tomorrow... That's like a third of the tank and that's twice in one week.. So here is to hoping!

Cooper32803 · Aug 11, 2012

Well for anyone following this thread, my xenias are back to their normal selves... They are even growing! I did a water change to lower my alk and started using reef plus and dosed a drop of iodine... They are loving life now! Thanks for everyones help! Me and my xenia appreciate it!

Pkunk35 · Aug 16, 2012

Sweet! Love that feeling of seeing a coral come back...

Nemoose · Aug 26, 2012

From what I understand xenia is supposed to be a symbiotic photosynthetic feeder and shouldn't need any other feeding if you light is good. I feed my reef, xenia, GSP, finger leathers, feather duster, once in a while just as a supplement but I don't think it is really needed. My tank is well established and there is plents of micro food even for the feather duster without additional feeding.