Here we go again....

[Reefguide]

Again I bought a new Xenia frag and again, they are getting a haircut. I cant seem to catch the them in the act... Also my stick polyps are dying off, and now I'm certain its a fish. If any of you remember I thought it was huge hermits I had but now I'm sure its either my Blue or Yellow Tang... Both quite big about 3 1/2" to 4". Who's the most likely candidate? Gonna try a quariontine tank but who first... I want to loose as few more as possible... I'm reeeeaaaaly starting to get pissed off here :evil: ... HELP !! Thanks...

PS It sucks, I've been sitting in the dark for at least 2 hours and nobody dares to start snacking...

 

[danmhippo]

Since xenia are fairly inexpensive, setup 2 Q tanks if you can, and place xenia frag in both. Test both tang and see which one is the culprit. I am betting on the blue tang.

Why xenia though? I'd prefer tangs over xenia in my tank.

 

[Reefguide]

Man, great idea... Why didn't I think of that ! Nah man, I love Xenias... I'm willing to part with both my tangs, my Flame Angel (dont think he's the troublemaker, I had this prob before him also.) I'm even starting to look at my Blood and Cleaner shrimps cross eyed... Everything is soo damn big in my tank, that I suspect almost everyone... Damn, Perc's I bet they ate behing this! :wink:

 

[danmhippo]

I think you can use a fishless tank! :wink:

Then, you will start suspecting your neighbors sneaking in you house chopping the heads away......... :lol:

 

[Lynn]

Xenia over tangs???? You need help :lol:

 

[Reefguide]

I dont deny it 8O !!

Update: Blood shrimp is hanging around the Xenias... He's never there either... too dark to tell what he's doing... any chance?

 

[tazdevil]

Suspect #1- Flame angel. They have a propensity for loving the taste of many types of corals. His only defense-your prior history of him not eating the xenia. He may not have been eating it before, but suddenly decided it looked as good as a Ribeye steak!

Suspects #2&3- The tangs. I lump em together as I'm not sure which would more likely do this. In their defense its doubtfull though, as tangs tend to be vegetarians. That doesn't mean its not possible.

The rest- Most likely innocent.

Council for the Xenia now rests.

 

[Reefguide]

Well not that the Flame never ate Xenias, but rather that I had this problem prior to having the Flame Angel. Thanks

 

[danmhippo]

I can vision Reefguide's post a year from now:
WTB: Atlantic Blue tang, or any fish that will eat xenia.......Help, Xenia taking over my tank!

:lol: (Not that's impossible)

 

[Anonymous]

i once had a peppermint shrimp that ate xenia. i don't know how closely related they are to "blood shrimp" as i don't know what they look like i couldn't guess either.what else do they call blood shrimp?

 

[Reefguide]

danmhippo... LMAO, I could probably see it too... Willing to risk it... I love em ! And I have seen my neighbors eyeing my tank too

Podman.... FIRE/BLOOD, Lysmata debelius.

 

[Anonymous]

ahhh, fireshrimp. thanks reef guide.

 

[dizzy]

C.G.

Don't totally rule out the possibility of the xenia self-destructing. Some species are more delicate than others, and this self-cropping behavior is sort of a characteristic IME.

 

[Reefguide]

But seems to happen to me quite often with new Xenia frags. I have found a few heads floating around that havent been eaten, just clipped and other heads are just missing 2-3 segments (segments, fingers, whatever you call them...)

And My stick polyps look like they are beeing eaten, one by one. And my star polyps are all but gone also... I dont know honestly... I'm really frustrated.

Tried removing the tangs, and they know it too... They wont come out from behind my rockwork... Tried teasing them out with Lettuce, which they normally wont even let me clip on before starting to eat, and they wont go near it while there is a net in the water... AHHHHH !!!

 

[danmhippo]

CG, It's time to remove all rocks and do a house clean up. Maybe you will find something in your tank that you are not aware of. Either that, I think that's about the only way to catch your tangs.

 

[EmilyB]

Good skimming will keep xenia from becoming a pest in your tank. Thank heavens.

 

[JeremyR]

<Good skimming will keep xenia from becoming a pest in your tank. Thank heavens. >

Hehe, tell that to richk.

FWIW, the ultralife fish traps work quite well at catching fish like tangs, it's never failed me.

 

[K77]

Man, great idea... Why didn't I think of that ! Nah man, I love Xenias... I'm willing to part with both my tangs, my Flame Angel (dont think he's the troublemaker, I had this prob before him also.) I'm even starting to look at my Blood and Cleaner shrimps cross eyed... Everything is soo damn big in my tank, that I suspect almost everyone... Damn, Perc's I bet they ate behing this! :wink:

Some types of cleaners will eat xenia and LPS. I had a couple of peppermints that were admittedly underfed (obviously in a mostly coral tank) and they destroyed a hammer, munched on a pagoda, and ...can't remember, something else also though...I think it was xenia they were terrorizing.

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

My blue (hippo) tang eats xenia.

Munch munch, he usually just eats the fingers off, sometimes I see a stalk that just has one poor little finger, pulsing all by it's lonesome self.

Good for him, who knows how overrun I would be without him!

 

[Reefguide]

FINALLY !!! Oh my God, took forever... say bye bye to Blue Tang, Yellow tang and Flame Angel... The Flame and Yellow took me about 45 minutes, without moving rockwork. The Blue I Had to remove rocks anyway for that guy and still took me 1 1/2 hours.. What a nightmare... Now watch its gonna be either the Cleaner shrimp, Blood Shrimp or clowns... LFS told me he once had a clown not eat but rip Xenias apart !!

That happens to me and I'm gonna be pissed... Wife already bitching about how long it took those fish to grow and she like em, blah blah blah...