INFORMATION BELOW IS BASED ON BOTH RESEARCH AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE!
Common Name/s Xenia, Pulsating Xenia, Xenia Pulse
Latin Name Xenia Elongata [xeniidae family]
Photograph 1
Introduction to Coral Classified as a soft coral, The pulsating xenia makes a fine addition to any reef setup and is also classed as a good beginners coral by some. Its stalks can grow up to 3” – 4” long and are tan in colour. At the end of the stalks a number of stems approx 1”-2” in length with a head of feathery polyps which, once acclimated and settled will open and close in an attractive ‘pulsing’ motion.
Xenia coral is one of few coral that actually smells bad if removed from water.
Care level Although some reefers have had no problems with keeping xenia for a good period of time, Some keepers have found that they can go into a fast rate of decline and death, even if it has been thriving for quite some time before hand. No one fully understands what will guarantee success with xenia as it is possible for it to suddenly go into a decline for no apparent reason.
That said, with good lighting and flow it has been known for xenia to grow and spread at an alarming rate hence why some people call it a ‘weed’.
Xenia needs to acclimated for a good period of time and even when it has been placed in your tank it stands a good chance that it will ‘sulk’ and remain closed for a few hours. It can take 24-48 hours for xenia to fully open and possibly a little while longer before it starts ‘pulsing’.
Food/Feeding Xenia is photosynthetic [feeds off light] and does not accept any known foods although it is thought that they absorb some nutrients from the tank so it might be worth keeping that in mind if you run a protein skimmer.
In regards to supplements some swear by the fact that iodine is key to successfully keeping xenia where others have found no improvement with or without iodine supplementation.
I personally don’t supplement my xenia at all and mine is thriving and spreading across my tank pretty quickly.
Flow Xenia requires moderate flow to pulse and thrive. In an area of low flow it would simply ‘flop’.
Lighting Xenia requires moderate to strong lighting to thrive and should be placed high up in a tank. PL compacts, T5 HO and metal halides are sufficient for this coral. It is said however that some keepers have had success with this coral in low light areas. I included.
Colouration The most common colour for xenia is the brown/tan colour, although depending on their original geographical location there has been reports of blues and even reds. The colour can change on their stems in a new system under different lighting. I, myself have both brown and blue xenia and a smaller piece that appears to be going pink.
Photograph 2
Price Prices vary, depending on the size of the frag but expect to pay anything from £20 -£45.
Aggressiveness Xenia’s are a non aggressive coral as they are not capable of stinging other coral. However they can become a nuisance for other coral as they’re rapid growth can over shadow other light feeding coral close by so consider this during placement.
Availability A very popular coral so is usually widely available in many Fish stores and on line.
Tank parameters Temp 24 -26 degrees, PH 8.0-8.3, SG 1.023-1.026, Nitrates below 10, Phos 0 – 0.1 max
and guys, your coral write-ups are fasinating 
this is funny!! 
/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/33-saltwater-invertebrates-corals/
