Why xenia not pulsing

One other interesting observation was the pulsing Xenia pump continually only taking a daily half-hour break in the afternoon. This is still one mystery the team was unable to unlock. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Pulsing Xenia mystery solved. Brian Blank. Share This. Apr 30, Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Site Sponsors. And yes Originally Posted by goldmaniac. I guess my comment on Alk was that if Alk wasn't at optimal levels, it could affect the xenia.

I'm not challenging you, just asking if you're sure. I hadn't heard that before. I have had xenia for a couple of years and the ONLY time it stopped pulsing was when we shut the lights off for three days once. It stopped pulsing for about a day after the lights came back on but then hasn't missed a beat since then. Try dosing iodine, I makes xenia grow faster and pulse more. Originally Posted by jnbrex. What type of lighting do you have? Pulsing xenia does best under MH.

I like it! Well a few years ago I had a that was lit by PC's yeah, I know lol and when I switched to de watt metal halides, the xenia exploded in growth. They went from loooooooong stringy stalks trying to reach the light, to thick stalks with tons of hands that split and split and split. So from my personal experience and that of the lfs I bought it from who also had it under mh's and had the biggest colony I've ever seen I'll say that they DO do 'better' under mh's. That's NOT to say that they can't grow under different lighting, T5 etc.

As I said, I had some under pc's And if the pulsing action IS the Xenia feeding, I've never seen it personally, never read that this is what it's doing, and never seen proof of any kind that this is what is going on. I've actually read the opposite Xenia is in no way catching food with it's 'waving hand' and bringing it into it's mouth.

Thanks guys for all the info! I have the xenia under a w HQI, but it does have some flow around it, so I will try moving them to a lower current area. The tank has a high ALK and good water quality, Maybe to clean for them. Some one told me about the iodine idea, but i use lugols and dont think thats the issue. Thanks again. I would guess it is just acclimating to the new tank.

When I frag mine, they stop pulsing for a day or so. Originally Posted by thegrun. Sorry for a newb question but xenia's shrink when the lights are off, correct?

I had my xenia for a couple weeks now and every night they shrivel up. Ok I'm gunna say this much. Let's first address some of the familiar members of this family, and a couple of others that we hope to see become established in the hobby.

Aquarists will recognize the genera Xenia and Anthelia as the two most common or commonly cited imports. The morphology and color of Xenia species and those still unproven specimens that we call by a given species name is variable, but popular "types" include: Xenia elongata the common, brown "Fast-pulse" Xenia , Xenia umbellata white "Pom-pom" Xenia , and an iridescent blue-green species that strongly resembles X.

Hobbyists hold many more varieties in collections, from nappy, yellow, Red Sea clusters to red-hued Indonesian colonies, and numerous other members of the genus found in colors ranging from cream to green and through to dark brown.

With perhaps more than 60 species in this genus, Xenia are widely distributed from the east coast of Africa through to the central Pacific. They are generally found in clear, bright, shallow waters with moderate to strong water flow. Although most Xenia are not common from turbid or dirty waters, they will colonize early upon stressed or damaged reef areas resulting from pollution and natural disaster. A closer look at their physiology reveals that Xenia have weakly developed structures for organismal feeding; nutrient uptake of dissolved matter is conducted in this heavily photosynthetic genus.

Target feeding of Xeniids is not required if it's even practical or possible to cultivate them successfully in aquaria when there is an adequate supply of nutrients available otherwise bio-load of fishes and other invertebrates, etc.

Once acclimatized, most Xeniids are fast growing and may even be considered invasive under certain circumstances. It stands to reason that such successful species are readily consumed by dedicated corallivores and casual browsers of cnidarian tissue. It's a good idea to establish Xeniids separately, as in refugia, up to several weeks in advance for their safety before introducing them to the main display. In fact, Xeniids are sometimes used as "animal filters" much like macroalgae with "vegetable filters" for nutrient export because of their fast growth, salability at harvest, and for their negligible imposition on most other desirable life forms in refugia.

As such, one can usually find or order Anthelia successfully from a local merchant that receives livestock from the Pacific Indonesia or Fiji, for example. Members of this genus are handsome in uniform colors with some variability in morphology. Regrettably, they lack the dramatic pulsatory habits of their kin, and at best will only twist or curl pinnules or tentacles in what may appear to be a sometimes deliberate fashion.

Polyps do not rise from stalks, branches, or summits, but rather grow from an encrusting stoloniferous web or mat something like Briareum "Star polyps". Anthelia polyps are never retractile and are only slightly contractile. The natural distribution of this genus is widespread in the Indo-Pacific and they can occur at greater depth usually below 20 meters than Xenia generally less than 20 meters.

As such, they are quite adaptable to aquarium life including low or moderate lighting schemes. Once established, they are characteristically fast growing and suitable for beginners. Anecdotally, aquarists have noticed occasional or even seasonal bouts of "self-destruction" when colonies boom and then suddenly crash and dissolve. At such times, these colonies usually disburse fragments that often settle and give rise to new colonies elsewhere.

I am not aware of any concise data that has definitively explained this phenomenon aquarium induced or mirroring natural events , and theories range from the crossed threshold of a nutrient-dependant critical mass, or stress-induced, to a deliberate reproductive strategy.

By any measure, though, Anthelia are generally easy to grow and control and can be heartily recommended to aquarists of all skill levels. Data on this genus is presently limited, but some pictures of Sansibia look grossly similar to Xeniid varieties known from the aquarium trade. Sansibia is noted as having high concentrations of zooxanthellae and occurring in turbid waters. Heteroxenia are also observed regularly in the trade, although they are not readily distinguished from Xenia by most aquarists.

They share gross physical traits with Xenia and cannot readily be discerned by most hobbyists from Xeniid kin until colonies mature and form siphonozooids the small secondary polyps between larger polyps. Frankly, since most specimens are collected at immature sizes or traded as young divisions, few specimens are mature enough to be distinguished from Xenia in the aquarium hobby. In their natural habitat, Heteroxenia are found in calmer, back-reef niches and may occur in muddy or turbid waters.

Their distribution is wide in the Pacific with most imports hailing from Fiji and Indonesia for the American trade, and from the Red Sea for Europe. Practical experience in propagating Heteroxenia by imposed measures has led some to believe that this genus is less forgiving than others in the family towards cutting techniques to produce divisions.

For such colonies, it may be better to simply encourage fast growth and wait for natural division to occur. Slower and gentler techniques of propagation e. Heteroxenia colonies are typically white, cream or light brown, but their color cannot be used to distinguish species or identify to genus reliably, of course.

For causal aquarium keeping and conservative farming of the genus pinching, constricting or simply waiting for fission the exact distinctions between Xenia and Heteroxenia are perhaps not too important. For many discriminating reef aquarists, specimens of Cespitularia have been some of the most sought after corals of any kind.

The reasons for their allure are many, and among Xeniids they have some of the best of all desirable attributes in the family re: rarity, color, visage. They have a "look" morphology that is distinguished and unique. In gross form they resemble stalked Xenia with a size and structure inclined to grow rather larger than Xenia. To some they are also reminiscent of the zooxanthellate Nephtheid "Tree corals. Perhaps the most exciting thing about Cespitularia is their remarkable visage.

I dare not even say "color," because their overall look is one of translucent and oft-stunning, iridescent quality - making quite an impression on aquarists! New imports and stressed individuals will lack bright color or any significant opalescent quality, but once established under quality lamps or natural sunlight, they take on a remarkable appearance.

Much of the excitement is due to the tiny calcareous sclerites, which appear to reflect light and make the coral sparkle or glitter. Colors range from subtle tan and peach hues with green tinged polyps to stellar, solid blue and green colonies. Inspecting Cespitularia in the aquarium at night with a flashlight reveals a metallic silver appearance. Alas, photographs capture very little of the ethereal qualities of these corals and aquarists must see them in the flesh to truly appreciate them.

The few fragments that enter the aquarium trade have been cited as hailing from Indonesia or East Africa. The natural range of this genus is very wide, though, throughout the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, with specimens recorded in both clear and turbid waters.

They are further observed to favor shallow and wave-protected environments. Other, much less common Xeniids do appear in the hobby on occasion. Treasures such as Efflatounaria may go unnoticed or mistaken for another coral. Without pulsatory function, some morphs of Efflatounaria bear a gross resemblance to the common "Colt coral," formerly Cladiella and Alcyonium and now assigned to the genus Klyxum. They are unique Xeniids that are generally "furry-fingered" and branching in form.

Colors range with attractive varieties observed in yellow, blue-green and some simply brown hued. Savvy aquarists in aquarium clubs have spotted and actively propagated these gems.

If the aquarist is fortunate enough to come across such special corals, be sure to actively fragment and share divisions.