Surviving Heat Wave Strategy

[GARRIGA]

Based on what I understand of coral bleaching, the coral doesn't immediately die but expels it's zooxanthellae which is accelerated when exposed to light. Corals can reacquire the symbiotic organisms assuming they are given favorable conditions. Therefore, wouldn't it be feasible that during a power outage the best solution might be to turn the lights off, turn off the skimmer and UV, remove carbon or anything that might filter that which was expelled in hopes that some still have survived and can later reenter the coral? Seems the solution to every disaster is a quick water change yet perhaps best just manage nutrients another way and leave nature alone.

Power outages in my area during a hurricane lasted three days because we have below ground facilities and only exposure is the junctions which are constantly being upgraded. Not looking for how to avoid the power outage issue with backup solutions. Well aware and have concluded that for me not feasible but still the biggest concern I have outside of excess CO2 due to an air tight overpopulated house.

Interesting video

 

[Mark Novack]

Without back-up or generator, I don't think that turning off parts of the system will be an issue during a power outage. Three days without power in a heatwave and no back-up is going to be a stinky mess. The corals will be dead before the zooxanthellae has a chance to move out. I won't let my tank go for more than an hour without getting out the generator. An hour is not too long but I ever know if its going to be one or four more hours.

 

[GARRIGA]

Without back-up or generator, I don't think that turning off parts of the system will be an issue during a power outage. Three days without power in a heatwave and no back-up is going to be a stinky mess. The corals will be dead before the zooxanthellae has a chance to move out. I won't let my tank go for more than an hour without getting out the generator. An hour is not too long but I ever know if its going to be one or four more hours.

but the science says the coral isn’t dead after expelling the dinoflagellates. Also states that photosynthesis what causes the issue and why the corals expels their partners. Why I present this hypothesis.

 

[Mark Novack]

If the coral has stressed and bleached that is true. If the coral has died outright the tissue will come off zoox and all. An extended outage is not a stress event like cutting a frag or having a .002 salinity shift from a stuck ato. Its a killer. As the temp rises, the O2 will start to drop, co2 will rise, Ph will drop all at the same time. Combine that with no flow. There won't be time for bleaching.

 

[GARRIGA]

If the coral has stressed and bleached that is true. If the coral has died outright the tissue will come off zoox and all. An extended outage is not a stress event like cutting a frag or having a .002 salinity shift from a stuck ato. Its a killer. As the temp rises, the O2 will start to drop, co2 will rise, Ph will drop all at the same time. Combine that with no flow. There won't be time for bleaching.

But assume there is flow. I can keep that running for three days along with biological filtration. Point is not inducing that which would remove the zooxanthella from the water allowing the corals to reacquire. Key is the bleaching event assuming the coral has survived.

 

[Mark Novack]

Then there is always a chance. Until it's a skeleton it's alive.

 

[GARRIGA]

Then there is always a chance. Until it's a skeleton it's alive.

Curious if perhaps feeding the coral in darkness will help keep it alive longer. I know many filter feed at night. Seems the heat isn’t a factor to the coral itself. Just it’s zooxanthella becoming an irritant.

 

[zheka757]

i was with out power for a week, everything survived, for 1st day i only had air pump in my tank, didn't had generator, next 3 days i had air pump and return pump on generator, after 3 days i had to turn couple leds on low settings just to keep corals alive. lasted a week like this, got high end acros in my tank. all survived. the day when my power came back on water temp was at 82' F.

 

[GARRIGA]

i was with out power for a week, everything survived, for 1st day i only had air pump in my tank, didn't had generator, next 3 days i had air pump and return pump on generator, after 3 days i had to turn couple leds on low settings just to keep corals alive. lasted a week like this, got high end acros in my tank. all survived. the day when my power came back on water temp was at 82' F.

Seems temps never got over 82 or that's just once power returned? My temps climb to 88 when power loss during summer. Could go higher as temps keep climbing annually.

 

[Timfish]

Bleaching is more complicated than just high temps. During a long term power failrure first priority IMO is maintaing water flow to reduce the risk of anoxic areas forming that can cause a cascade of deaths from occuing and then maintianing temps. However husbandry techniques prior to a power failure are going to play a huge factor as well. Research has shown keeping PO4 too low creates a deficiency in corals that makes them very suseptable to bleaching with changes in temperature. Research ahas also shown adding sugars (DOC, carbon dosing) can lead to bleaching as well. As far as coral survival and recovery after bleaching they also have endolithic algae which can help. Feeding corals, unfortunately, is a very problematic subject as what one species finds beneficial is detrimental to another so feeding while stressed may exacerbate the problem. Here's some links:

Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching:

Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching - Nature Climate Change

Increased dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in sea water have been linked to a reduction of the temperature threshold at which corals bleach, however, the mechanism underlying this change is not known. This phenomenon is now explained in terms of increased phosphatase activities...

www.nature.com

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Enrichment of reef environments with dissolved inorganic nutrients is considered a major threat to the survival of corals living in symbiosis with din…

www.sciencedirect.com

Sugar enrichment provides evidence for a role of nitrogen fixation in coral bleaching

Error - Cookies Turned Off

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Down to the bone, the role of overlooked endoltihs in coral reef microbiomes (see fig. 2)

Down to the bone: the role of overlooked endolithic microbiomes in reef coral health - The ISME Journal

Reef-building corals harbour an astonishing diversity of microorganisms, including endosymbiotic microalgae, bacteria, archaea, and fungi. The metabolic interactions within this symbiotic consortium are fundamental to the ecological success of corals and the unique productivity of coral reef...

www.nature.com

Feeding COrals

(PDF) Coral farming: Effects of light, water motion and artificial foods

PDF | Improved coral cultivation will facilitate the reduction of wild harvesting, reef restoration, preservation of biodiversity, and the use of corals... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Comparing the capacity of five different dietary treatments to optimise growth and nutritional composition in two scleractinian corals

Developing an optimal heterotrophic feeding regime has the potential to improve captive coral growth and health. This study evaluated the efficacy of three exogenous diets: Artemia nauplii (ART), a commercially available coral diet (Reef Roids) (RR), and a novel, micro-bound diet (ATF), against...

journals.plos.org

Elucidating an optimal diet for captive Acropora corals

Developing an optimal heterotrophic feeding regime has the potential to improve the growth and overall health of captive corals. This study evaluated …

www.sciencedirect.com

 

[GARRIGA]

Bleaching is more complicated than just high temps. During a long term power failrure first priority IMO is maintaing water flow to reduce the risk of anoxic areas forming that can cause a cascade of deaths from occuing and then maintianing temps. However husbandry techniques prior to a power failure are going to play a huge factor as well. Research has shown keeping PO4 too low creates a deficiency in corals that makes them very suseptable to bleaching with changes in temperature. Research ahas also shown adding sugars (DOC, carbon dosing) can lead to bleaching as well. As far as coral survival and recovery after bleaching they also have endolithic algae which can help. Feeding corals, unfortunately, is a very problematic subject as what one species finds beneficial is detrimental to another so feeding while stressed may exacerbate the problem. Here's some links:

Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching:

Nutrient enrichment can increase the susceptibility of reef corals to bleaching - Nature Climate Change

Increased dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations in sea water have been linked to a reduction of the temperature threshold at which corals bleach, however, the mechanism underlying this change is not known. This phenomenon is now explained in terms of increased phosphatase activities...

www.nature.com

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates

Enrichment of reef environments with dissolved inorganic nutrients is considered a major threat to the survival of corals living in symbiosis with din…

www.sciencedirect.com

Sugar enrichment provides evidence for a role of nitrogen fixation in coral bleaching

Error - Cookies Turned Off

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Down to the bone, the role of overlooked endoltihs in coral reef microbiomes (see fig. 2)

Down to the bone: the role of overlooked endolithic microbiomes in reef coral health - The ISME Journal

Reef-building corals harbour an astonishing diversity of microorganisms, including endosymbiotic microalgae, bacteria, archaea, and fungi. The metabolic interactions within this symbiotic consortium are fundamental to the ecological success of corals and the unique productivity of coral reef...

www.nature.com

Feeding COrals

(PDF) Coral farming: Effects of light, water motion and artificial foods

PDF | Improved coral cultivation will facilitate the reduction of wild harvesting, reef restoration, preservation of biodiversity, and the use of corals... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Comparing the capacity of five different dietary treatments to optimise growth and nutritional composition in two scleractinian corals

Developing an optimal heterotrophic feeding regime has the potential to improve captive coral growth and health. This study evaluated the efficacy of three exogenous diets: Artemia nauplii (ART), a commercially available coral diet (Reef Roids) (RR), and a novel, micro-bound diet (ATF), against...

journals.plos.org

Elucidating an optimal diet for captive Acropora corals

Developing an optimal heterotrophic feeding regime has the potential to improve the growth and overall health of captive corals. This study evaluated …

www.sciencedirect.com

Thank you for the research but before diving in head first, it sounds like one could just forgo feeding and stop carbon dosing for a few days to assist with the stress of high temps. Assuming husbandry was correct prior to the event. Seems the main issue occurs during photosynthesis and why I'm proposing mainly to turn the lights out which conserves juice available from backup batteries if utilized, as well.

To simplify it, just run the pumps and do nothing else until the stress event is removed.

 

[zheka757]

Seems temps never got over 82 or that's just once power returned? My temps climb to 88 when power loss during summer. Could go higher as temps keep climbing annually.

I'm sure it would go higher then 82, it just happened to be during this hurricane, we got mid 60s at night temp, so the house was cooled down at night, same for the tank, my water temp was mostly in 76-77 range until warmer weather came back.
Also I run metal halide on my tank, and my water temp stays in 79-80f. Prior to hurricane a day in advance, I turned my halides off so water would cool off back down to 77f.