Will Zooxanthella return in coral

[Reefeerhead]

Ok so I might have done something very stupid, I did a water change and had a frag rack at the top of the tank with a yellow Acro I just bought and let the water reced under the the rack leaving the Acro exposed to air but not for a long time I only changed out ten gallons so maybe a 5-10 minute ordeal (i think) well last night I saw that it was loosing its color and thought wow that's strange maybe it was just on the shaded side from the light so I took it off the rack glued it in the center of the tank and when I woke up this am it was completely brown!

What's up with this any suggestions/comments/cures/advice ?

 

[karsseboom]

Sps can be exposed out of water for a while. How do you think they cope with low tide.

 

[Reefeerhead]

That's what I thought about but has to be the only reason and not a coincidence

 

[SneekaPeek]

funny thing is it increased in zooxanthelle levels. Thats what brown tells you.

 

[Mr. Bill]

funny thing is it increased in zooxanthelle levels. Thats what brown tells you.

Agreed. Browning is usually caused by low light, high nutrient levels, or parameters being off. With bleaching (losing zooxanthellae), the coral turns white, and that is typically associated with a sudden dramatic increase in light or temp.