Xenia dying...

purple_jeep · Jul 24, 2023

Hi all,

So I have a 120g tank that has been up for almost a year. Have some pulsing Xenia in there for about 3-4 months that now has been fully closed up for about a week... Other corals in the tank don't seem affected.

I have measured my parameters and have the following:
Salinity 1.024
pH 7.9
Temp 78
Phosphate 0.0
Nitrate 0
calcium 410
Alkalinity 9.3

I know I am a little clean so I might feed the tank a little more and turn off the skimmer for a bit or reduce my refugium light period.

Any other ideas? Is there anything that eats Xenia? I have some Urchins.

purple_jeep · Jul 24, 2023

purple_jeep said:
Hi all,

So I have a 120g tank that has been up for almost a year. Have some pulsing Xenia in there for about 3-4 months that now has been fully closed up for about a week... Other corals in the tank don't seem affected.

I have measured my parameters and have the following:
Salinity 1.024
pH 7.9
Temp 78
Phosphate 0.0
Nitrate 0
calcium 410
Alkalinity 9.3

I know I am a little clean so I might feed the tank a little more and turn off the skimmer for a bit or reduce my refugium light period.

Any other ideas? Is there anything that eats Xenia? I have some Urchins.

It almost completely covers that rock when it was happy

Mr. Mojo Rising · Jul 24, 2023

zero nitrate and zero phosphate would be a good place to start. It needs nutrients.

Might also be low light and/or low flow, but those are just possibilities to check off.

purple_jeep · Jul 24, 2023

Flow and light are the same, running two Gyres (one at each end) and one Octopulse 2 in the middle back of the tank.

Lights are two Hydra 32s.

Should I dose neoPhos or neoNitro?

Mr. Mojo Rising · Jul 24, 2023

purple_jeep said:
Should I dose neoPhos or neoNitro?

Possibly, you definately need to get the nutrients up somehow, or might have other trouble later. But I have no experience with that stuff so I can't say. Sorry, someone else hopefully can chime in. Good luck

exnisstech · Jul 24, 2023

Agreed with others, double zeros are not good for xenia. My xenia and blue cespinularia just rotted away when my N and P bottomed out.
If you choose to dose to raise them I would recomend using a DIY versus commercial products like neophos etc. Much more cost effective and work as well if not better (I've only used DIY) RHF has recipes and there are calculators as well just look around as I don't have them saved.