Xenia Just Arrived.

[chrissaysyes]

So I found some school for deaf children that has an aquaculture program...I thought I'd give them a try since their prices are awesome but...I dunno what I think thus far. I ordered a xenia frag from them. I recieved three bags, one with the xenia frag mounted on a rock and banded to a chunk of stryofoam, the other full of chaeto, the other with a clump of rubble and algae and what looks to be more coral frags...i guess? I dont really understand and these guys have no communication whatsoever (not a deaf joke). I'm wondering if anyone here has ever had xenia shipped? Does it look terrible when you get it? This is like a little stalk with wavy tentacle things coming out that look sort of like spaghetti. Not what I imagined.

 

[Lynden]

Xenia has an excellent ability to become very inconspicuous very quickly. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Musho3210]

they got high metabolisms, therefor ship poorly, but they are very hardy, therefor will probably survive....

 

[Lynden]

Since when does a high metabolism mean that an animal will ship poorly?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Well, xenia are usually banded to stuff to get them to anchor to it, but i dont get why they banded it to foam instead of a rock or something. They should be fine because xenia are really hard to kill and get rid of once its in your tank.

 

[Musho3210]

Since when does a high metabolism mean that an animal will ship poorly?

the place i read that didnt say, but i think it takes common sence in the knowledge of metabolism..... No sun=no food, no food= well....

Your getting shipped in dark conditions, not under MH lights in a styrofoam box....

 

[steelhealr]

Xenia is usually a very hardy coral but sensitive to nitrates. Many marine keepers will keep it in their large tanks a visual 'barometer' for nitrates. They usually close and stop pulsing when water conditions sag. Personally, I love to look at it at the marine store but NIMT (not in my tank). Tends to grow like weeds. SH

 

[chrissaysyes]

well they look the same now as they did then. They look kind of like broken hands. Still havnt heard from the deaf kids but I did find the packing slip and it does have a fact sheet on pulsing xenia so I'm pretty sure that's what I recieved. Thanks for the replies guys.

 

[Lynden]

Since when does a high metabolism mean that an animal will ship poorly?

the place i read that didnt say, but i think it takes common sence in the knowledge of metabolism..... No sun=no food, no food= well....

Your getting shipped in dark conditions, not under MH lights in a styrofoam box....

But by that logic we wouldn't be able to ship any fish. Vertebrates as a whole usually have higher metabolisms than most other animals, certainly more than anthozoans.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Since when does a high metabolism mean that an animal will ship poorly?

the place i read that didnt say, but i think it takes common sence in the knowledge of metabolism..... No sun=no food, no food= well....

Your getting shipped in dark conditions, not under MH lights in a styrofoam box....

Thats what stored energy is for

 

[nanocubeking]

I love my Xenia and it adds color and movement to the tank. Is the deaf kids a website or a place where you live? I know im quoting someone on this forum but cant remember. "Corals get shipped all around the world and most of the time do survive they are a lot tougher than people give them."

 

[SkiFletch]

But by that logic we wouldn't be able to ship any fish. Vertebrates as a whole usually have higher metabolisms than most other animals, certainly more than anthozoans.

Maybe the problem is that people assume that the low-metabolism corals don't require pure O2 when bagging... And perhaps Xenia with a higher than typical metabolism doesn't do well when shipped with air in the bag. Just throwin out ideas

 

[chrissaysyes]

I'm in South Carolina, this school is in Connecticut. I have had a lot of success with corals being shipped, only one frag has not survived so far. I'll post pics tonight as I'm out of town for the day.

 

[Musho3210]

Since when does a high metabolism mean that an animal will ship poorly?

the place i read that didnt say, but i think it takes common sence in the knowledge of metabolism..... No sun=no food, no food= well....

Your getting shipped in dark conditions, not under MH lights in a styrofoam box....

Thats what stored energy is for

I dont think xenia has a type of fat storage, unless that stalk has a bubble of fat that i dont know about.... It probably does have a place to store energy, but the energy could be used up fast, therefor "sacrificing" bits of itself to stay alive, not needing as much energy to keep the whole thing alive.

Or maybe, there is stored energy in it, and the organism is using that stored energy, but that stored energy is what makes it look nice and healthy, so when it arrives very "skinny" it is not nice, unhealthy, and ugly.

 

[chrissaysyes]

very "skinny" it is not nice, unhealthy, and ugly.

That sounds like my xenia.