The Pom-pom Xenia is an extremely interesting and beautiful specimen of aquatic culture, especially when in action. They were definitely fascinating to learn about and interesting to read about.

 

The Pom-pom Xenia can come in both white and pink, and these colors contribute to their popularity among aquariums. They are also known as Pulsating Xenias and resemble a first opening and closing. They tend to sway while in a current, especially a large one. They can usually be distinguished from other xenias because of their thicker base.

 

From the Indo-Pacific Ocean to the Red Sea, these very pretty animals live in a variety of places. They form dense colonies when possible on rocks and reefs. These aquatic animals are able to walk, making them one of the first invaders of new areas. There are plenty of corals like these in the water; however their population is decreasing at a steady pace. This is due to several things including: predator population outbreaks, ocean acidification, human activity, and coral diseases and bleaching. They are not endangered, but have experienced an estimated population decrease of 28.8% since about 2000.

 

Although Pom-pom Xenias are continually being eaten by predators, they have to produce energy too. They are unique because they process food for energy the way both plants and animals do. They will usually fulfill their energy needs by photosynthesis and by filtering the water for algae or phytoplankton. Their basic diet consists mostly of calcium, strontium, and iodine. They might not want their colorful lives to be put to an end, but of course it has to. Predators such as sea slugs, peppermint shrimp, syllid worms, emerald crabs, and chocolate chip stars will approach the beautiful coral patiently waiting for a moment to nibble at its thick base, overthrowing the stalks and ending its fistful of a life. Good thing they have spicules protecting them.

 

There were many fascinating facts I came by while reading about my marine cnidarian, but what struck me as odd is the fact that they can sometimes let out toxins to make predators believe them to be distasteful. I now many other animals were capable of doing this such as poison dart frogs, but I didn’t expect that from this animal too.

 

Overall, I learned some interesting information over the time I was able to research the life of my animal, and was extremely impressed by the way the Pom-pom Xenias persevere in today’s environment despite issues with predators and human activity taking place across the oceans.

 

Author: Olivia F.

Date Published: 2/18/13

 

Sources:

 

Headlee, LeRoy. Garf.org. N.p., n.d. Web.

 

Love, Sandra. "The Coral Zone - Soft Coral, LPS Hard Coral." The Coral Zone - Soft Coral, LPS Hard Coral. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

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Unknown. "ReefED - Educate to Keep It Great." ReefED - Educate to Keep It Great. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

Unknown. "SeaScape Studio: Aquaria & Gifts." SeaScape Studio: Aquaria & Gifts. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

Unknown. "WorldWideScience - About." WorldWideScience - About. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

"Yahoo! Voices - Voices.yahoo.com." Yahoo! Voices - Voices.yahoo.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.

 

 

Picture Credit: www.thecoralnursery.com