Help with Xenia ! ? (please)

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rica5tully

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Feb 15, 2003
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A friend gave me a really nice, big, pulsing xenia. It acclimated in about a week and then for about 3 weeks it was as happy as can be...pulsing away.

Then a couple of weeks ago it leaned all the way over, turned gray, and didn't pulse as much. Now it has little buds growing out of the stalk and it HAS SPLIT OPEN WHERE IT IS BENDING OVER!!!!

Is this normal? Maybe this is just how they propograte...but it looks terrible. Everything else in the tank is doing great and my water parameters are the same as always:

SG = 1.025
Temp = 78
Alk = 3-4 (it varies)
Calc = 420-440 (it varies)
Ph = 8.0
Nitrates = undetectable
Nitrites & Ammonia = 0


Any ideas? Do your xenias do this?
 
Xenia often reproduce by Aesexual cloning, as in they stretch out, and then break off from the main part and then re-attach themself to a new location, and the part it broke off from starts to grow, essentially Xenia reproduce by fragmenting.
 
pH is a bit low for Xenia. They like it above 8.1 at least. I wonder why it's so low when your alkalinity looks good.

They propagate by splitting, but mine usually looked good during the process.
 
I wondered about my Ph too. I tried aerating some tank water in a tub outside to see if my CO2 levels were really high indoors, but that didn't help at all.

Now the xenia has almost completely split in two (or, I should say "ripped"), except for a few main strands. The place where it split has sealed over and, although the main stalk is hanging DOWNWARD, it's definitely still alive. It's pulsing and moving and going through its daily routine of changes. What will happen when the split is complete? Will it grab on somewhere quick? Or fall all the way down to my sandbed? (Weird)

When yours split, do they all remain upright?
 
When mine split, part of the colony was moving along the rock, and the connection between the two parts pulled apart. If I understand your description, it sounds like one of your stalks is falling off of the main colony. Is that right?

Part of my problem is that I am working from memory. My colony melted down last summer.
 
Yes, the main stalk leaned over, developed tiny polyps toward the bottom of its stalk, and then started ripping/splitting above those new polyps. This leaves the bottom of the stalk alone, with its news little polyps (which are already starting to pulse). The "old" main stalk, however, is still hanging down toward the sand. When it finishes splitting all the way, I'm not sure what's going to happen.

The wierd thing: it looks normal except it's upside down and ripping away! Still pulsing, etc. but it's a little gray instead of being a nice pink.
 
Just found this in Sprung and Delbeek, vol 2: "Xenia and Anthelia species, which grow quickly and spread over substrates via vegetative budding of polyps and daughter colonies, also employ two special forms of fragmentation to help spread colonies over longer distances. They spontaneously fragment individual polyps that are carried away by the currents. About midway down the column of each individual polyp a flattened swelling sometimes forms indicating the site of imminent fission. The separated polyps readily attach to substrates downstream and form new colonies. Other Xenia spp. employ fragmentation of the colony stalk or encrusting tissue. This technique resembles transverse fission in anemones. As soon as the polyp-bearing capitulum is severed it is apparent that the nubbly stalk left behind already has some polyps (Matt Rigberg, pers. comm)."

I guess you can relax a little, although the color and pH still worry me a bit.
 
Well, thanks. I must admit...it is weird.

Of course, mine can't go "down current" very far. I may have to put it somewhere.

As far as PH...I'll work on that. I've been using Kalk which I think will drive down CO2 levels and help a bit.

Thanks
 
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