How long can corals stay out of water before damage is incurred?

[knutcracker]

specifically, i am wondering about brains and LPS (trumpet, candycane) and green star. the reason i am asking is because they are placed near the top of my tank and when i do WC they would be exposed unless i move them. it's a big hassle and my touching can be quite damaging i would assume. if these corals can't be out of water and have to be handle them, do you wear gloves? Thanks!

[showfish]

What size tank do you have? The reason I ask is LPS like the variety you listed are ussually found deeper in the water column and not close to the surface like you described. But to answer the question, LPS in the wild are not typically exposed to the surface, thus I would not keep them out of the water for more than a couple of minutes. I know with SPS this period can be a bit longer, for many varities of SPS are found in shallow water, and sometimes exposed during periods of low tide. However, even with SPS I would not go more than about 10 minutes or so, for bleaching can sometimes occur with longer periods.

[knutcracker]

Thanks for your reply! I have a 26g that is 18 inches deep. The corals i listed are about 2 inches from the surface of the water.

when you say a few minutes, exactly how many minutes long are you talking about? a difference between 2 and 7 would be big for me since i can probably do a WC in around 5 minutes. thanks!

[showfish]

What type of lighting do you have? In this shallow of a tank you could probably put these corals down a bit deeper in the water column, thus reducing any possible threats to the soft tissue due to exposure. With your 5 minute water change you should be fine however, but I would not go much more than that.

[knutcracker]

I have PC lighting: 65w full range and 65w actinic

i can probably put them lower, but they seem very happy where they are and are actually growing (three trumpet stalks pinched off into 6). They are also high up because i have a rather stained glass cover top. i think it's called water stain or something, maybe it's calcium. does anyone know how to wipe them off? thanks.

[CSeaSee]

I was at IMAC last year and one of the Frag clinics was w/ LPS. They had the corals out for quite some time- at least five minutes while they sawed them up. Probably closer to 10-15. If it were my tank, I wouldn't be overly concerned about a brief excursion above the waterline. And yes, what sort of lights do you have and how long has the tank been established?

[knutcracker]

thanks for replying!
please refer to my above post for my lighting setup.

are ppl trying to tell me that a few inches higher up doesn't make a difference?

[CSeaSee]

W/ your 26 gallon, you could probably get away w/ moving them a couple inches lower- all your light is concentrated over the same ~2-ft. area, right?

Get some cheap white (regular) vinegar. If you can, remove the glass cover and stick it somewhere, like the bathtub. Use paper towel and vinegar to clean the glass. Let the vinegar sit on the glass for a couple of minutes, if you can, before you wipe it down. The vinegar, an acid, will react with your mineral deposits and make them a snap to clean off. Be sure to dry well. Don't use Windex.

[greenbean36191]

As long as the lights are turned off to prevent them from getting hot the corals will be fine out of the water for a few hours. SPS can go longer.

[kevinpo]

The corals will be fine for water changes but there is no reason to have them placed that high. 12" below PC's will be fine but be sure to feed them small pieces of meaty foods once or twice a week. Many corals produce copious amounts of slime to protect themselves from drying out and UV blockage. This washes off when the water level returns to normal on the incoming tide. This is not a problem in the ocean where the water volume is so great but can be a bit counter productive to the water change in the home aquarium.

Regards,
Kevin

[rjs5134]

You may want to research the negative effects of the glass top. Your coral would probably do even better several inches lower with the glass canopy left off.

[knutcracker]

thanks so much for replying. i find it hard to believe that placing my LPS and softies higher up and closer to my PC's has no extra benefit. is that really true or it is the benefit just negligible and not worth the hassle? thanks

[kevinpo]

Many of the LPS and soft corals are found 10+ meters deep in nature. Most do not like high light and will slowly die or become very light in color under halide lighting for example. Supplemental feeding for LPS coral is much more effective than having the coral a few inches higher in the tank.

Regards,
Kevin
PS: I would recommend removing the glass between the light and the corals.