Question about a waterchange...

[fishsticks]

my ammonia is up so i wanna knock away atleast half of it, i want to do a 50% water change. i have 1 problem half my corals are going to be exposed to air for a couple of seconds if i remove 50% is it safe? and for how long can i do it. i can remove about 20% and no corals will be exposed.... so can i go 50% without harming my corals considering they will be exposed to air for about 1 minute

 

[cgoodman381]

The first thing would be to find out why your ammonia levels are up. Either you added A LOT of fish recently, or your tank isnt finished cycling. Ammonia will lead to nitrites, both of which will kill your corals. I would get them out and into a friends/LFS tank asap till you get yours figured out.

To answer your question ts fine if your corals are exposed to air for a few seconds.

 

[gasman]

Try a 20% change for 3 days that way nothing is exposed. I had a 20 gallon that I changed water 10% a week almost every week (their were a few times I went 2 weeks) That kept everything good. I also use RO/DI water topoff and lfs sales real ocean water. So I now use it..

 

[fishsticks]

well i had 2 fishes die because they were fighting to the death :( :( my mistake.... so the dead bodies spiked it and i cant remove the bodies because they r in there sumwhere deep. so will my coral die if i expose them???

 

[adampw]

You do not want to expose your corals to air for very long. If it is only for a few minutes you should be just fine. I have read of people leaving some corals out of the water for up to half an hour while re-arranging, cleaning, etc... You just dont want them to become dry. I wouldn't recommend them being out of the water for more than a few minutes just to be on the safe side. Depending on your setup....if you have a sump and do water changes from your sump, make sure your lights are off so you don't bake your corals. Hope this helps.

 

[ccCapt]

IME, you can easily leave a coral exposed to air for 15 mins. or more with no problems at all. Many corals are exposed to the air for hrs at a time at low tide. Ever notice how slimely they get out of the water? That is their protection from drying out.

 

[Bifferwine]

Corals will be fine exposed for short periods of time, like during a water change. When I do water changes in my tank, my uppermost corals are exposed to air for 10 to 15 minutes.

You may want to go to your LFS to buy a product called AmmoLock or something similar. High ammonia and nitrite levels are considered an emergency in an already stocked tank. Adding an ammonia removing chemical coupled with water changes may help bring the levels down faster.

 

[sen5241b]

Use your turkey baster to keep'em wet.

 

[cgoodman381]

Haha, my uppermost coral is a kenya tree.... I want that thing dead.... Actually ill make a post right now!!

 

[yote]

Haha, my uppermost coral is a kenya tree.... I want that thing dead.... Actually ill make a post right now!!

Wont work,done tryed it:grumble:

Once a week,several of my corals get exposed to the air for 25 to 30 minutes.When I do my water changes.It wont hurt them.And it may even be beneficial to some of the SPS corals that are know to thrive on the reef crests.

 

[daugherty]

Kent make ammonia detox