G
Guest
When a coral starts to bleach will it completely die off? Or is there chance of recovery? What causes corals to do this. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Thanks,
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OP
OP
Guest
it could recover. it could be sick or just adjusting to new lighting.
OP
OP
Guest
Here's some info I posted on RC:
Many corals and other reef organisms have become highly adapted to local conditions and are extremely sensitive to change. When corals are stressed, they eject their zooxanthellae or cause them to lose their chlorophyll. Withouth zooxanthellae, corals become pale or turn completely white -- a response known as coral bleaching. A variety of factors can trigger bleaching, including temperature extremes, sedimentation, pollution, air exposure, or changes in salinity. However, temperature-correlated bleaching is the most widely reported.
http://biodiv.wri.org/pubs_content_...m?ContentID=686
http://www.co2science.org/subject/c...eachingtemp.htm
Many corals and other reef organisms have become highly adapted to local conditions and are extremely sensitive to change. When corals are stressed, they eject their zooxanthellae or cause them to lose their chlorophyll. Withouth zooxanthellae, corals become pale or turn completely white -- a response known as coral bleaching. A variety of factors can trigger bleaching, including temperature extremes, sedimentation, pollution, air exposure, or changes in salinity. However, temperature-correlated bleaching is the most widely reported.
http://biodiv.wri.org/pubs_content_...m?ContentID=686
http://www.co2science.org/subject/c...eachingtemp.htm
OP
OP
Guest
On a related note - what causes corals to turn brown? I bought a yellow montipora a week ago (my first SPS). It had been in the LFS's frag tank for a month, and I placed it at about the same distance from the lamp as it was at the LFS. Yesterday I noticed that some of the tips were starting to turn brown. The polyps are still extending fine.
Does this indicate too much light, too little light, or something else entirely?
Does this indicate too much light, too little light, or something else entirely?
OP
OP
Guest
we sometimes assume the color we buy is the color nature intended. Sometimes it is, sometimes they are slightly bleeched and color back up to their natural color in your tank 
. the color spectrumsand intensityof your lights are influenceing the color as well.
. the color spectrumsand intensityof your lights are influenceing the color as well.
OP
OP
Guest
No, most SPS will do that when there is a change of environment in water params and light levels. They will change back and possibly better depending on your setup. .. or worse
OP
OP
Guest
Mike the lights you bought them under were 20k XM so it may be a totally different color in your tank not to mention you have 2 or 3 times more light with the HQIs.
OP
OP
Guest
True. I did try to put them slightly lower in the tank because I knew between the HQI's and me using AB lamps vs. XM's (the AB's put out a lot more PAR) that it would be quite a bit brighter.
Plus, I didn't have any actinics for that first week, which probably affected it since it was used to the very blue output of the XMs. That shouldn't be a problem now.
I'll just sit tight and see how it progresses. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't something going on that required immediate action.
Plus, I didn't have any actinics for that first week, which probably affected it since it was used to the very blue output of the XMs. That shouldn't be a problem now.
I'll just sit tight and see how it progresses. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't something going on that required immediate action.
OP
OP
Guest
Corals will acclimate to their environement. If a frag is under certain lights and has become acclimated to that lighting, flow, nutient levels and it is moved and subjected to a completely different system, this frag then undergoes a complete systematic acclimation to another system. The frag will then have to become acclimated to your lighting, flow, nutrient levels etc before it can start to grow again.
Whether your lighting is different from where the frag was or even the same the frag will still either loose some of its color, all of it's color and after reacclimating to your system return to the color rendition it was or different depending on your lighting, flow and other system levels. Frags or corals under certain Kelvin rated lamps will hold that color usually but I have noticed most will increase coloration under 10k best. {Thats why I'm switching}.
You can usually tell if the frag continues to loose color and is doing so in a bad way. Polyps will withdraw, color becomes very dull and then bleaching will usually occur.
Whether your lighting is different from where the frag was or even the same the frag will still either loose some of its color, all of it's color and after reacclimating to your system return to the color rendition it was or different depending on your lighting, flow and other system levels. Frags or corals under certain Kelvin rated lamps will hold that color usually but I have noticed most will increase coloration under 10k best. {Thats why I'm switching}.
You can usually tell if the frag continues to loose color and is doing so in a bad way. Polyps will withdraw, color becomes very dull and then bleaching will usually occur.
