SPS exposure at low tide

[CiXeL]

I was wondering about this question.

Can any SPS diseases be treated by exposure to the air for a period of time?

Does exposure to uv or a simulated 'low tide' exposure to air help treat band diseases and such?

I'm sure someone somewhere has tried this before. I imagine exposure to air would be a great way for corals to rid themselves of parasites in nature.

 

[taikonaut]

Probably not directly, but heavy slime during air exposure probably does help a bit on certain parasite, just a guess...

 

[Len]

Not all corals can tolerate this, and reef flats with low tide exposure is considered harsh environments. I would be hesitant to try this, but it does sound intriguing. I'm not sure if the energy expended to survive exposure to air can be offset by any benefits (which I should mention, is wholly unproven). If I had to guess, the additional stress would further tax a sick specimen.

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you those little acro bugs climb down into the polyps, so it sure dont help with them

I starved them out of my tank, well, I shoudl rephrase, they consumed all there was to consume

 

[silasila]

In my experience, relatively few sps are ever exposed to the air in the wild. they tend to usually grow just under the surface at low tide, or deeper.

 

[CiXeL]

though i wonder if air exposure isnt used as a mechanism for the coral to rid itself of disease and parasites. it sounds like many parasites or diseases would not like that sort of harsh environment at all.

also think about the added uv exposure during that period of time which the corals seem to take to just fine in the wild but would probably utterly destroy any disease causing bacteria or parasites attaching to it. they also exude alot of mucus during that period which could wash the dead bacteria or parasites away.

though you say relatively few sps are ever exposed to air in the wild, they may still contain the genes to the ability from some point where they may have had a need for them in the past.

i think that is going to be a huge area of research in the future. the evolutionary science of tapping into genes in organisms that it has carried with it leftover from different environments it may have had to experience in the past. theres a fungus that grows all over oregon covering most of the state that is the largest organism in the world and has the capability to produce mushrooms but the climate isnt right for it anymore so it just grows larger and larger and spreads. if the climate ever goes back to what it was used to oregon would erupt with endless fields of mushrooms. another example is how so many different kinds of plants can survive aquatically even if you normally dont see them doing that. perhaps they needed to adapt to that to survive at some point in the past. anyways at this point im offtopic but i provide those as examples.

 

[Len]

I don't know of any studies that state that corals from areas of intermitent air exposure are any more resistent to disease then their deeper water brethren. Thus, it's making a pretty big leap of faith (or personal conjecture) to assume corals use this exposure as a mechanism to rid diseases and parasites. From what I know of corals, I think that exposure to air (prevention of dissecation) is highly stressful and taxing on the energy of corals required to simply survive these harsh conditions.

It's also an unbased conjecture to assume that all corals have genes to survive these conditions. If I had to formulate a guess, it makes more sense to regard this survival mechanism as an evolutionary adaptation, not an inherent fundamental gene to all corals. This would explain why only a few species are able to survive in these environments.

FWIW, in the last 15 years, I've had corals exposed to air for long durations, either because of power outtages or accident. I can confidently say nearly all of them do not benefit from exposure to air, with mortality not uncommon.

 

[Unarce]

I agree that any research probably will not show any benefiting factors to corals being exposed to air at low tides. It's really the natural occurance of the overexposed coral eventually perishing and over time becoming the limestone deposits that reefs are built from.

The coral polyps can only withstand continuous exposure for about an hour or so. However, there is proof that these inshore corals and their specific zooxanthellae have a higher tolerance to the exposure to air, ultraviolet light, and high temperature compared to mid-level/lagoon SPS.

 

[investigator1]

Len what are you talking about? I do this on a weekly basis!

Check out my acroporas!

 

[Unarce]

Check out my acroporas!

Dude, you have the super-rare "Moon Night Monster". Put me down for your FRAG WAITING LIST.

 

[John_Brandt]

Any pathogens that successfully affect corals living in a tidal zone would be adapted to that environment themselves. You can predict this without even looking at the corals or the disease organisms. Natural selection works upon all organisms, causing them to "fit" adaptively into whatever local environment they are found in.

Ironically, the same adaptations that keep coral alive and protected from dessication and ultraviolet radiation may also help to preserve the life of any pathogens. The slime that Acropora produces probably keeps bacteria, viruses, nudibranchs, crustaceans, etc. moist too.

 

[taikonaut]

I agree with Len and JB, FWIW.

>... another example is how so many different kinds of plants can survive aquatically even if you normally dont see them doing that.

You may want to double check that. Many plant can live submerged for quite some time, but that does not mean they can grow and do well in that environment. Non-aquatic plant are often sold to freshwater people by questionable dealer/seller, and it is very unfortunate aspect of the hobby (I know, they are just plants!). It is even more unfortunately that this behavior lead people to give wrong conclusions.