How long can corals be out of water, during water changes?

[reefwisher]

I would like to know how long can my corals be out of the water during water changes. The ones that would be out of the water are zoos, one ricordia,mushrooms?

[virginiadiver69]

For those, quite a while actually. They are intertidal and are commonly exposed during low tide.
It is common for zoos to be shipped out of water just wrapped in damp news paper!

[sabbath]

I would think it would stress them? Do you have a sump? I drain and fill mine at the same time, So water level stays constant. You could do it without a sump I suppose. Siphon at one end near bottom and fill at other end top?

[sabbath]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10561314#post10561314 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69
For those, quite a while actually. They are intertidal and are commonly exposed during low tide.
It is common for zoos to be shipped out of water just wrapped in damp news paper!

Oops just mist your reply. You might be right though. I might be just over reacting to being out of the water.

[awestruck]

Why do they need to be out of the water during a change? Perhaps I missed something. I wouldn't get 'em out of the water because it's stressful.

[virginiadiver69]

How much time are we talking about? 10 minutes tops? Low tide is hours. The last zoas I had mail order where shipped overnight and were out of the water approx. 18 hours. (they were kept damp though). They opened in a matter of 20 minutes of being put in the water.
There are actually many corals that are exposed to air on a daily basis (sometimes twice a day) during low tide.

[schoch79]

I think they would be fine. I would however avoid it as much as possible if you could though. I'm assuming the reason they would be out of water is only because you would be taking out enough water to lower the water level in the tank significantly.

If you plan on doing something like that here's what I would recommend doing. Premix however much water you plan on changing the night before and keep a pump in the mixing container to keep it aerated and mixed properly. When it comes time to change the water, draining it won't take long and then pumping/bucketing the water back in will only be a few more minutes as it is ready to go. This way they shouldn't be out of water for more than 10 minutes or so at the most.

[mr_o98]

If you have to keep them out of water for a while I recommend keeping them moist by pouring water over them every 10 minutes.

[Paintbug]

your corals will be fine. Eric Borneman has talked about how he does 90% water changes on his system. i also have corals near the top of the tank that get exposed when i do water changes. never lost anything. like mentioned before many corals are out of the water for hours a day. i have even fragged a kenya tree and forgot about one of the clippings. it was on top of my lights for about 30-40 mins. it was dried out, hard as a rock. so i glued it to a disk thinking what the heck. it came right back out, and is still doing fine.

[greggnyce]

You could also do the water change in small increments instead of all at the same time.

[greggnyce]

You could also do the water change in small increments instead of all at the same time.