pom pom xenia problem

[my blog]

Hi everyone. First I want to say I think this forum is great. Thanks to all who gives advice, shares pics and makes me laugh. Today I am having trouble with my pom pom xenia. He was next to my hammer and the hammer got him, so I moved him. He hasn't looked good since. Did my hammer sting him? Can I save him? I heard that some dying corals can cause problems. Is this true? Thanks for any info.

[Dancing4raiin]

Im not sure, but someone with more knowledge will let you give you some good advise. hope it makes it.

[Debs]

Wish I could help. He looks terrible.

[Hardhead Cat]

Xenia are pretty hardy. Get a pair of kitchen tongs and pull off as much of the damaged tissue as you can. If your other tank inhabitants can tolerate it, add a teaspoon or two of liquid iodine for marine aquariums (Kent makes one you can get at your LFS) because xenia love the extra iodine. Just a little though!

You can even target feed it some liquid phytoplankton but you'd have to be careful of raising your phosphate levels.

Good luck!

HHC

[DarthOcellaris]

I'd say the hammer irritated him. Xenia sometimes looks like that IME. I'd move the hammer or xenia at the very least. The hammer has sweeper tentacles that can reach pretty far and the xenia can get pretty long so you need to make sure they are a great distance from one another.

Do a small water change to replace the iodine...much cheaper IMO.

Keep a decent but mild flow on them to aid in washing away any funk they're releasing ( xenia's are pretty nasty IMO ) A few days should yield good results for you.

[Debs]

Would running carbon for a week or so help her?

[hng]

How long have you had that xenia? Xenia are notoriously bad shippers and usually don't do well unless received locally. So, if it's a newly shipped xenia, that might be the case. It could also be because the hammer stung him. If so, it will recover over time (if you moved him away quickly enough). It's always a good idea to run carbon in any reef tank. I don't think the xenia is doing poorly because of some unknown chemical in the water, but it can release chemicals that could affect other corals.

[caughtaniner]

i had all the xenia in my tank melt away with no ill effects. now 2 months latter i can see some of it starting to grow back! i wouldn't worry about it

[seasalt dreams]

Your Hammer did sting him, but give him time, he will be back. I have Xenia growing all around my hammer and my torch and trumpets, they sting them constantly to keep the area where they are clear of Xenia, but it always grows back

[DarthOcellaris]

Originally Posted by Debs

Would running carbon for a week or so help her?

it wouldnt help the xenia but the other inmate...er, inhabitants would benefit.

Xenia likes to dirty up the water especially when aggrevated. Take out a stalk and smell it

[Loverotties]

Did you just clean your tank?They don't like clean tanks!

[holyscoly]

also put it in an are with some flow not alot but they do like a little flow.

[my blog]

Thanks for all the help...I've had the xenia for a few months and he's even grown sine I got him so I know he was happy. I moved him away from the hammer the morning after he was stung and I did a wc the same day. I will do another one Friday or Saturday. Darth, does an unhealthy xenia have a distinct odor? If the stalk smells bad should I remove him? I'm afraid of what he might do to my tank if he's really po. I was be po after I saw what the hammer did to him so I know he's po...

[seasalt dreams]

I have several stalks of xenia being stung and PO'd daily in my tank, and some have died, never caused any issues with my water. I just leave them be.

[Hardhead Cat]

Xenia just plain stink when you take them out of the tank - the smell is normal for a Xenia. I usually put on ziploc bags or gloves on my hands when I'm touching or pruning them, phew!

HHC