Help, Xenia is looking bad

[hesstondc]

I have not had many problems with my xenia. I left for the Auburn game friday, added top off water and turned on my auto feeder. Today my 4 largest stalks of xenia look awful. They are not plump like normal. I have checked the ph,nitrate, and nitrite and they are fine. No salt spikes or temp changes either! What is going on here? The lights just turned on and I noticed it. Now they normally shrink up during the dark cycle, but they never change color (from pink to dark purple). This stuff was doing so awsome and has trived for more than 6 months in my system. The only different thing that I have done to the tank is feed it live brine. Everthing else has been normal.....This is very strange. I am going to do a 20% water change today and cross my fingers. My torches and mushrooms and polyps are fine. Does xenia just die off and come back? About 3 months ago I had a bad temp spike and the xenia looked as they do now. But they came back to full strength in about a month....Anyone else ever have this problem?

Thanks Guys
Clay

[QuAcKeR]

My Xenia stalk turns white when it is all closed up, usually when the lights are off. When it's pulsing the stalk turns a deep pink. I haven't noticed this until recently, just after one stalk split into two.

[Nishant3789]

maybe try trimming it? they seem to enjoy that.

[GeoJoe]

make sure your iodine content is OK

.. just add a couple capfulls of TechI or a couple drops of Lugols.

but go easy and make sure you follow the instuctions

[Ray1214]

I would try to add Iodine but I have had periods to where it seemed my Xenia would just melt and slowly work its way back. Teh worst of it seemed to be around a new SPS frag that I didn't know I had. Probably had a little chemical warfare or something the xenia didn't like.

Ray

[hesstondc]

Ray

This has happen to me once before but it was a heater problem. But it melted away and then came back strong. I hope it comes back. It is only half of my xenia I have 2 other strains that are fine. The logata is what is dieing off. I just sold some of it to petland last week.....I add iodine once a week.

Thanks for all the help guys

[Ray1214]

I actually saw some it in the thier tanks. I wondered where it came from. did you check your other levels?

[hesstondc]

I am going to take a sample to petland duluth and see if they will check it for me. If you ever want any ray I normally have to cut some out every two weeks.

[ATLe46]

I was always told never to use Iodine, but to add Iodide instead for Xenia. Mine have been fine for almost a year adding Iodide once a week. Should I be adding Iodine along with or instead of the Iodide?

[Ray1214]

I think it is the same ting Atle46.

I used to use Kent's Iodide but I have switched to I-Tech by Kent.

Ray

[ATLe46]

Thanks Ray.

I use Seachem's IodiDe. I went to an LFS a couple years ago to buy some IodiNe, and the salesperson told me I was going to kill everything in my tank and recommended I get IodiDe instead. I questioned him as to why they make Iodine and of course he didn't have an answer for that.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread Clay; I hope your Xenia recover.

[JPerkins]

Hey Clay, if they die off I have some xenia you can get if you come through LA.

[hesstondc]

This is weird guys

It went through a period of about 4 weeks of looking dead. It is now looking awsome! This is the second time that this is happened. So if anyone needs some xenia longata I am fragging it now. Thanks for all the help!

Clay

[Rover]

Xenia rends to be very sensitive to alk/ph swings. That would have been my guess. Iodine/Iodide is pulled out of the water so fast by the skimmer it probably doesn't do much. Iodine and Iodide are essentially the same product one is just in a form that prevents over dosing. ie If you put too much Iodine you'll wipe out the tank, if you put too much Iodide, the corals will only process some of it into Iodine.

[hesstondc]

Rover

Thanks for the advice. I have been dosing a little more iodine since the xenia started its decline. But I left the tank for more than 7 days without dosing anything. This maybe the answer. Stop dosing the iodine and everhting will be ok. I still want to come to your store. I have been to the petland in Athens but that is it for me. My girlfriend went to school there so she can tell me where you are. I will be in town the week of the 15th of November..........

Later
clay