pulsing zenia

[kjswift]

what would cause them to stop pulsing?

[Reef69]

well, ive read that they are very sensitive to the changes of the water chemestry, thats how i know if my water is going bad..lol..i check my xenia..another way they can close up is if they come in contact with a coral..some of my xenia touched a bubble coral that i have and it died..i thought that was weird because i didnt know that could happen...but..i was wrong..

[eleyan]

mine stoped pulsing when I had a bad power head that was leaking current in the tank.

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, xenia is very sensitive to changes in pH

[don-n-sa]

I have a lot of xenia in my tank, several groups of elongata, and some pom-pom. Some pulse and some do not ...after reading a ton of info about several different theories from RC and others, IMO there are several factors involved and not all of them mean that there is anything wrong. In fact one theory that I read and I repeat THEORY, is that they feed on nutrients in the water collum, and in some of our tanks there are not enough nutrients to thrive. In other words some tanks are too clean.

When I first added xenia to my tank it pulsed like crazy for several months. After a while they started slowing down and then finally stopped. They still are alive though and seem to be healthy ( believe me it is easy to tell when they are dead)

I got some pom-pom from captexas about 2 months ago and they have been pulsing the whole time.

So your question is still being debated.

Here is a few notes:

I have seen xenia thriving in tanks with halides, pc's, t-5's vho's
I have also seen xenia dying with the same set ups
I read on rc that some xenia in the wild thrive in areas where sewage runoff comes into contact with the ocean

I have pc's and a skimmer and the xenia seem to be doing OK not great...hopes this helps, sorry so long

[Tim Marvin]

Mine stopped pulsing once when I scrubbed them with a tooth brush. Funny thing is they were pulsing again within a month and twice as many. Count your blessing if they aren't getting out of control. If you really want to see if they are OK add 2 tablespoons of pure applejuice per 50 gallons of tank water. The sugar will cause them to go nuts for a few hours. They do like the water on the slightly dirty side, but will die if it is too polluted. How much water do you change per month? If you keep your water too clean it can also be a problem. A good regime of 25-30% per month is a good rule of thumb for water replacement. I have gone both ways just to see. If you don't change enough water it will eventually crash. I have heard people say they haven't change water for a year with no problems. Well, volcano's sit for years with no problems, then they blow and kill lots of people on the other hands ones that are constantly releasing in Hawaii rarely kill anyone other than maybe Darwin awards. So to make this long storyy short, if you don't do regular water changes start now. If you do try the applejuice and possible cut back on water changes. You have to factor in water displacements, IE... rock, sand, and so on. Only do 30% on actual water in the tank and filters.

[GaryP]

Xenia are a natural indicator of pH. The lower the pH the slower they pulse. I would check your pH first. If its below 8.0, that could be the problem. Chances are that if your pH is low, so is your alkalinity. Low pH can be increased by using a buffer solution or kalkawasser. Kalk can be a bit tricky for a new hobbyist and can cause as many problems as it solves.

Gary

[kjswift]

thanks guys. that was great info. tim, i am going to try the apple juice first. i have not been doing water changes as often as i should. i just did one and will do the 25% each month. what about salt brands for reef tanks? i use instant ocean, someone suggested i use oceanic instead. i do have a good amount of fish in the tank. thanks

[Tim Marvin]

I used instant ocean for years, and still do some times. Oceanic has a little more calcium in it.

[GaryP]

I've had good luck feeding Xenia with Kent Coral Accel. Its a mixture of amino acids and vitamins. Shut off your skimmer when you are feeding. Another thing Xenia need is iodine. I don't add it very often because I really don't want to encourage any additional growth of Xenia. I'll use a few drops of Lugol's every once in a while.

Gary

[Tim Marvin]

I do the same thing GaryP is suggesting.

[kjswift]

how about current? i heard they dont care for alot of movement.

[Tim Marvin]

Mine are in some ripping current. I also have some in a mild current and both are doing fine. How are yours doing now?

[kjswift]

about the same. they dont look bad, just not pulsing. i tried the apple juice and i didnt notice any real pulsing action.

[Tim Marvin]

Hmmm, funny, they usually go nuts and then look like they have a hang over the next day.LOL.. Well, if they are opened up I wouldn't worry.