SPS Recovery

[CBonito]

Sometimes something happens to an SPS coral in your tank and it bleaches...I said bleach, not RTN/STN.

The first thing you always hear of someone doing is to move it down on the sand. I hear that everywhere, but I'm not convinced it's correct. I could be wrong and I'm no expert.

What's the logic? I mean wouldn't a coral that lost most of it's zooxanthellae want as much food/energy as it could get in order to regenerate? And if the coral loses a large part of how it photosynthesizes, how is less light going to help it when it's already running a serious deficit?

 

[NautiTang]

Sometimes something happens to an SPS coral in your tank and it bleaches...I said bleach, not RTN/STN.

The first thing you always hear of someone doing is to move it down on the sand. I hear that everywhere, but I'm not convinced it's correct. I could be wrong and I'm no expert.

What's the logic? I mean wouldn't a coral that lost most of it's zooxanthellae want as much food/energy as it could get in order to regenerate? And if the coral loses a large part of how it photosynthesizes, how is less light going to help it when it's already running a serious deficit?

Happy to inspire you to start this thread Carmine!

For those of you who do not read my thread, I had a magnetized light fall into my sump overnight, rust a bit. And also yesterday my sea hare that was only with us for 4 days also kicked the bucket. It was not in there long after passage. Anyway those 2 events happened in short succession, I think it was the light though.

I have done a decent sized water change and replaced the carbon but I have one recently acquired acro that has bleached.

Before:

After:

 

[Red_Beard]

I think a small period of decreased light intensity is beneficial. I have been able to save a couple like that. But, they will need to be put in optimal conditions for normal growth shortly (like a few days/one week) after being given respite. You would also need to address the root cause of the bleaching before moving it back into normal light intensity.
That has been my experience anyhow.

 

[Dburr1014]

Sometimes something happens to an SPS coral in your tank and it bleaches...I said bleach, not RTN/STN.

The first thing you always hear of someone doing is to move it down on the sand. I hear that everywhere, but I'm not convinced it's correct. I could be wrong and I'm no expert.

What's the logic? I mean wouldn't a coral that lost most of it's zooxanthellae want as much food/energy as it could get in order to regenerate? And if the coral loses a large part of how it photosynthesizes, how is less light going to help it when it's already running a serious deficit?

I usually say to lower light intensity if the whole tank looks sad but moving one will accomplish the same for one.
I give it a break from intense light to have it rest. It needs to spend time recovering not building also.
Kinda like they say when we sleep is when muscle rebuilds the quickest after an intense workout. Or a cut heals the fastest when we sleep. The body is at rest so it focuses on healing at that time.

For those of you who do not read my thread, I had a magnetized light fall into my sump overnight, rust a bit. And also yesterday my sea hare that was only with us for 4 days also kicked the bucket. It was not in there long after passage. Anyway those 2 events happened in short succession, I think it was the light though.

When we say give it less light, we don't mean to throw it in the sump! LOL, sorry, it was an easy dad joke.

 

[NautiTang]

I usually say to lower light intensity if the whole tank looks sad but moving one will accomplish the same for one.
I give it a break from intense light to have it rest. It needs to spend time recovering not building also.
Kinda like they say when we sleep is when muscle rebuilds the quickest after an intense workout. Or a cut heals the fastest when we sleep. The body is at rest so it focuses on healing at that time.


When we say give it less light, we don't mean to throw it in the sump! LOL, sorry, it was an easy dad joke.

I just got them several days ago, they were acclimating to the system. The plan was to mount them today. I think I will mount the bleached one mid way up the rock work tomorrow.

 

[UMALUM]

Personally I wouldn't do a thing for 1 "recently acquired" casualty. Are you successfully growing any other tenuis that would lead you to believe that your system is ready for a more finicky species? Now if that stag next to it goes down hill I'd be worried. The jury's still out on what exactly causes SDR so don't feel bad. It's happens to all of us.

 

[NautiTang]

Personally I wouldn't do a thing for 1 "recently acquired" casualty. Are you successfully growing any other tenuis that would lead you to believe that your system is ready for a more finicky species? Now if that stag next to it goes down hill I'd be worried. The jury's still out on what exactly causes SDR so don't feel bad. It's happens to all of us.

I have an Oregon tort that is doing well, i have seen a little bit of growth.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I mean wouldn't a coral that lost most of it's zooxanthellae want as much food/energy as it could get in order to regenerate? And if the coral loses a large part of how it photosynthesizes, how is less light going to help it when it's already running a serious deficit?

A bleached coral has no zooxanthellae, Zoo's transform the light into sugars to feed the corals, so the coral gets no nutrients at all from the light when its bleached.

I don't know if putting it in lower light helps it.... but the way a bleached coral gets nutrients is from catching it and physically eating food, so coral food should be added to the water more frequently. I've brought back a couple of bleached corals but never a sps.

 

[NautiTang]

A bleached coral has no zooxanthellae, Zoo's transform the light into sugars to feed the corals, so the coral gets no nutrients at all from the light when its bleached.

I don't know if putting it in lower light helps it.... but the way a bleached coral gets nutrients is from catching it and physically eating food, so coral food should be added to the water more frequently. I've brought back a couple of bleached corals but never a sps.

Ill be trying

 

[NautiTang]

As an update, the bleached coral was put up higher on the rocks so if the zoox start to recover they will have good lighting. It still has PE and I have been target feeding it every other day.

 

[AlexandraDreadlocksPanda]

I usually say to lower light intensity if the whole tank looks sad but moving one will accomplish the same for one.
I give it a break from intense light to have it rest. It needs to spend time recovering not building also.
Kinda like they say when we sleep is when muscle rebuilds the quickest after an intense workout. Or a cut heals the fastest when we sleep.

you really can’t compare the two like that. I’m sure you wouldn’t advocate going to sleep after a heavy workout without eating, then starving yourself for a few days, would you? You haven’t lost your primary means of sustenance, the coral has.

 

[NautiTang]

My murdabath stag that was bleached has color back now and a fair amount of growth.

 

[Dburr1014]

you really can’t compare the two like that. I’m sure you wouldn’t advocate going to sleep after a heavy workout without eating, then starving yourself for a few days, would you? You haven’t lost your primary means of sustenance, the coral has.

You are saying totally something different than I said.
Of coarse you would eat but your body shuts down other senses when sleeping and the repair of self is heightened, fact.

Coral repair helps with lower light, maybe not fact but I and countless other people have done it, that is fact.