Best way to acclimate SPS corals

[ser_renely]

I was curious what light bleaching looks like to sps corals? I think I may have done that to one, but not sure. I didn't think I had more light/par than the tank it was in before, which is my fault, but started thinking maybe I should have a better way of acclimating them?

Thanks,
Ser

 

[unbreakable]

i temp. acclimate for 10-15 min, then just take them out of their bags-- dipping at this point would be a good idea. Then just put them on the sand bed if they're attached to something to acclimate to light and slowly bring them up higher each week. I never drip acclimate any corals and I've never lost one doing it this way

 

[snorvich]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14810390#post14810390 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by unbreakable
i temp. acclimate for 10-15 min, then just take them out of their bags-- dipping at this point would be a good idea. Then just put them on the sand bed if they're attached to something to acclimate to light and slowly bring them up higher each week. I never drip acclimate any corals and I've never lost one doing it this way

I agree. In my case, after dipping, I mount them on live rock rubble and put them on the sand/bottom.

 

[returnofsid]

I also just temp acclimate and then place. If need be, I glue them to rubble or a plug.

 

[ser_renely]

what does an sps look light when it gets too much light too fast?

thanks for the info guys

 

[unbreakable]

In my case this happened recently, but half the coral turned white and the part that faced the light was the part that turned white, the other half remained the same. Two weeks later its starting to heal again

Some SPS you get might begin to RTN (rapid tissue necrosis) as soon as you add them to the tank, and when this happens the best thing you could do is frag the healthy part and toss out the bad part or leave it in

 

[ser_renely]

Thanks for the info...any pics on the web with regards to this, so I can get a cvsuaul?

 

[unbreakable]

they both look the same pretty much. you just have to pay attention into detail what you did.. placing it too high up on its first day, maybe when you put it on your sand bed it starts turning white so you might have to look at phosphates, etc

http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/cred/img/mdr/BleachedCoral.jpg

 

[ser_renely]

good stuff. ty

Can you shock them with too little light?

 

[llebcire]

The bleached coral unbreakable posted looks more like bleaching from damage or unsatisfactory conditions (young tank, wrong params, flow, etc.)

What I've noticed from lighting shock is a general "paleness" of the specimen, still with good polyp extension, but the structure of the coral turns lighter along with the polyps (hard) or loses color in the base/skirt/etc (softies).

Here's from my past:

Mili sick from poor maintenance/no flow:

Digi bleached from damage, was too close to a Frogspawn:

Acro that bleached for no apparent reason:

All of these fully receovered.

 

[llebcire]

"Pale" from lighting shock:

AOG's:

Procillipora:

Other zoas - skirts changed with new light

All of these are getting their colors back.

My change was from a Biocube with PC's (48w) to 216w T5's without proper acclimation.

Hope this helps!

-Eric