beheaded xenia?

[danmhippo]

I have a couple patches of xenia and are recently found their crown/polyps are chopped off. I couldn't think of any fish that would nip on xenia heads?!

Anyone has experiences like that? Do you think its the act of fish or is it the indication of water quality? The symptom are the crown missing leaving the "stalk" intact. Eventually, the stalk wilt away. This only happen to about the size of half dollar patch, one patch at a time.

I have various seahorses, pipefish, cardinals, golden neon goby, chevron tang, 1/4" yellow spotted box fish (I kinda doubt its the box fish. Its mouth is smaller than the tentacle of the polyps). 4 cleaner shrimps.

No hermits, No crabs, Critical nutrient level all low: NO3 20ppm, PO4-0. This is the old tank that I used to keep reefs, recently converted to seahorse tank. There are no new rocks or sand added, Due to reduced livestock, I have removed most LR leaving about 60# left. Thanks to the DSB and culerpa prolifera in both the main tank and the sump, there are no cycle after conversion.

Anyone got any clues? I am down to the last quarter sized patch of xenia...

(Some actually tell me this is a good thing...)

 

[Anonymous]

I've heard of tangs nipping at xenia, but it sounds like yours is being eaten.

Maybe you've got a previous unnoticed nocturnal dude that was eating something else before you converted your tank. Can you move the xenia and sneak a peak or two at night?

 

[klesyk]

I had the same thing happen - overnight two patches of xenia practically disappered - I always blamed some unidentified hairy crabs (which I finally caught after much frustration)

but your post got me wondering since I had a peppermint shrimp at the same time - what kind of cleaner shrimp do you have? And to all the reefers with more experience - is this even possible? I have heard of them munching on yellow polyps, would xenia be a treat as well?

 

[davelin315]

Either the tang or the boxfish, more likely the boxfish in my opinion. Despite how small it's mouth is, the more it picks, the more it will eat away the polyp.

 

[MIKE NY1]

It does sound like something is eating it. Usually with Xenia if there is a problem the whole stalk wilts. Awhile back I had an Emerald crab that did that. It would just leave the stalk.

Mike

 

[fishfarmer]

I had what I thought was a cyanobacteria pinching off heads of my xenia a year ago. It would form as a brown ring around the polyp head. It only affected a few of my heads at a time.

It could also be a cowrie. I brought a xenia into a LFS which had a cowrie that ate all the heads off during the night.

 

[Anonymous]

A while back I added some buffer to the tank and it "burned off" all of the crowns, as well as a few of the smaller stalks. I did figure out why, but it all grew back just fine.

 

[davelin315]

Your shrimp (especially the peps) are also likely predators of xenia. Don't worry, though, if your xenia is doing well in your tank, it'll recover very quickly, if it's not, then it probably would have dissolved eventually anyway.

 

[fishfarmer]

I have yet to see my peppermints eat my xenia, but they do like pulling food out of the mouths of button polyps.

 

[Bucktronix]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by fishfarmer:
<strong>I have yet to see my peppermints eat my xenia, but they do like pulling food out of the mouths of button polyps.</strong><hr></blockquote>

yeah i agree, i would put my money on a bored chevron tang. my angel used to eat them like they were candy

[ February 11, 2002: Message edited by: Bucktronix ]</p>

 

[danmhippo]

Hmmm.....Basically, you guys are suggesting me that everyone is guilty in my tanks?!

 

[danmhippo]

4 skunk cleaners and 2 peppermint shrimp.

I will try to keep an eye on the boxfish, also at night.

 

[SPC]

Dan, NO XENIA FOR YOU!

Steve

 

[davelin315]

Everyone is guilty. In my tank, I think everyone has nibbled on a xenia at one time or another (flame angel, coral beauty, damsels, yellow tangs, pacific blue tangs, cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, hermit crabs, urchins.... the list goes on and on). The key is, if your set up is right for xenia, they'll reproduce faster than they're eaten.

 

[Bucktronix]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by danmhippo:
<strong>Hmmm.....Basically, you guys are suggesting me that everyone is guilty in my tanks?!

</strong><hr></blockquote>

have you ever seen murder on the orient express

 

[danmhippo]

LOL!

 

[Anonymous]

hi.
In this hobby, everybody is guilt until proven otherwise... put it other way, it is better be safe than sorry.

So give all your fishes away, and keep Xenia in a bare, empty tank. Then add freshwater, after three days, add salt, after three days, add sand, etc., until the Xenia dies, then you found the culpit!